Now firstly, before you dismiss this article because you don’t think of yourself as a ‘salesperson ’, if you’re in business, then you’re in sales. If you deal with prospective customers or potential new clients, you’re (to some degree) in sales. You might be a business owner, receptionist, manager or yes, the BDM or Sales Person within the business or organisation. Whether you’re hearing (or rather, reading) this for the first time, or it’s nothing new to you, often a reminder and refresher are good to embrace.
Not to Say in Sales
1. Badmouthing the competition.
It’s not just tacky, it’s unprofessional and reeks of desperation, but it can almost have the opposite effect; that if you’re so worried about them, maybe I should reach out to them for a quote? I recently got some blinds and one fellow, not once, but three times, specifically badmouthed a competitor by name. Guess who ended up doing my blinds? Yes, the competition, who was great on price and even better on service and much more pleasant to deal with. He was so busy talking badly of the competitor that he forgot to tell me why he was a good choice for me, or his USP (unique selling proposition).
2. ‘Trust me’ or ‘To be honest’.
When someone tells you to trust them, it’s almost like you want to do the opposite and you become wary – whether consciously or subconsciously. The honestly comment is also a turn-off, like you’re saying that a lot of stuff that comes out of my mouth is dishonest and you cannot actually be trusted. ‘Trust me’ is almost the favourite phrase of a con artist and who wants to do business with a con artist?
3. ‘Are you the decision maker?’ or worse ‘Will your husband be at the meeting?’
Both are very old-fashioned terms and whilst salespeople want to have the decision maker present, a better way is asking ‘Should anyone else be at the meeting?’ Years ago, an insurance rep insisted my husband be present at the meeting, as clearly, I’m a woman and incapable of decision-making … well, he didn’t say all that, but the message was clear. Needless to say, he was uninvited from providing insurance services to us.
4. ‘Does that make sense?’
This is a bad phrase to use; it partly says you doubt you communicated the message clearly, so maybe you didn’t explain things well. It also has a condescending sub-message: that you’re not sure they have the intelligence to understand what you’re saying. Instead, ask “How does that sound?” or “Any questions about that?”
5. ‘Do you have a budget for this?’
Too early in the discussion, you’re making people feel uncomfortable and almost feels like an interrogation. Let’s say you’re quoting on some landscaping and you could go big, or keep costs down, explain this: “There are a few different ways we could approach this project, do you have a comfortable pricing point that I could work towards?”
6. ‘Sorry to bother you’.
This implies that what you’re going to talk about is a waste of the person’s time, or not worthy of their time (or investment). It doesn’t instil confidence that what you’re offering represents value, and makes you look weak as a salesperson. A similar associated comment ‘I’m just touching base to check if …’ is another that has a feeling of desperation, but also that you’re calling purely for your benefit, not the prospect’s. I’m in no way saying to not follow up on sales calls (be sure to do so), but use better wording than that.
7. ‘We have no competition!’
Even if you’re the only business in the country providing this product or service, a phrase like that sounds just straight out arrogant. And even if you provided that only service or product, you are in fact often competing for funds; as instead of spending their money with you, they may choose to spend it elsewhere; so actually it’s incorrect and naïve.
8. I don’t know. That’s not my area of expertise. That’s not my department. I don’t know, I’ll have to check with my manager.
All phrases to avoid. You lose credibility due to your lack of knowledge, and certainly the ‘not my department’ shows you have very little care factor. In other words, you’re not my problem! If you’re selling a product or service, you should know about it, and if a really curly question comes up, acknowledge it: “Wow, that’s a great question. Leave it with me and I’ll let you know.” and be sure to get back to them promptly. The manager response tells me they have no authority, are just wasting my time and they are not the person to be speaking to.
9. ‘What will it take to earn your business?’
This is bad on so many levels. Firstly, it’s saying that you’re open to negotiation, discounting and doing absolutely anything to get it over the line. Which of course, reeks of desperation. It’s also an ‘old school’ sales tactic, which is likely to tell the person you’re old school and don’t keep up to date with sales or business. Likewise, if a business is willing to heavily discount to get the business, I’m thinking to myself, that they obviously put on a massive margin in their original quote and would have been quite happy to overcharge me, if I didn’t challenge them on pricing. Trust – right out the window!
10. ‘Sign the contract’.
Sounds formal, sterile and sharp. Instead of asking if they’ve questions, or are they ready to move forward, or ‘can I get you started?’ are much nicer ways of putting a contract in front of someone and getting them set up. Even in my own business coaching, when I email over a Client Agreement (not Client Contract), the email is titled ‘Welcome Aboard!’.
And a bonus one:
11. Other things to avoid.
Don’t use filler words like “basically” or “umm”. Ditch acronyms unless they are absolutely global. Plus remember too, some acronyms have dual meanings, eg, OHS – might be Occupational Health & Safety or Open Heart Surgery. Asking if you can ask a question – just ask the question, don’t use this ‘filler’ which just wastes people’s time and makes you look amateurish.
As you can see, there are definitely some phrases and sales processes to avoid. The reality these days is that most people know what they want, have done their research and don’t need (or want) to be ‘sold to’. A salesperson’s job is more to educate, assist them in the selection process and help them to get started if they want to proceed. Whilst I use the term ‘sales’ be more of an educator on your business and its services, or a facilitator to help them smoothly onboard.
The biggest thing I can say about sales is to be honest. If you say “I just need 10 minutes”, then don’t keep rambling on for 20, 30 or 60 minutes. In fact, if someone says “can I just have 5 minutes of your time” to me that’s code for “I’m going to steal an hour of your time”. If you say you’ll send over the quote today, then make sure you do it today. If you say ‘I won’t hassle you’ then absolutely don’t. Even getting someone to open your monthly newsletter or email needs to represent value, honesty and integrity. If you say it’s ‘full of tips and news ’, then make sure it is and it’s not just full of sales and promotional pieces. If you want to help someone, then tell them right up front that you can’t and don’t waste their time (or try to sell to them when clearly you’re not the solution). Integrity should be part of every business’s mantra and especially for those selling. My experience is that there is more than enough business out there – you don’t need to gain business through dishonesty, being unethical or behaving poorly. Sales absolutely doesn’t need to be a dirty word, and you as a salesperson don’t need to be unscrupulous or dodgy!
Need help with your sales strategy or process? Reach out to me at my contact page.
Read Tips to Goal Setting and Planning for Success.
