7 Sales Terms Reps Should Stop Using ASAP
They previously told guests, “Please call us if you change your plans.”
Now they asked, “Will you please call us if you change your plans?”
Because this question required a verbal commitment, customers were less cavalier about canceling with no warning. Sinclair’s no-show rate decreased from 30% to 10%.
This example proves you should be deliberate about your word choice. If you truly want to embrace inbound selling (and the success that comes with it), replace these seven old-school sales terms with more buyer-friendly language.
1) “Lead”= dehumanizing
Here are some alternatives:
- “Potential customer”
- “Prospective partner”
- “Future client”
- “Possible collaborator”
- “Interested buyer”
- “Company/person we’re considering doing business with”
2) “Sales rep” = less important
“salesperson,” “advisor,” “consultant,” or “[product type] expert.”
3) “Sales Pitch” = “Show up and throw up” doesn’t work.
Frequently asking questions and actually listening to the answers, then asking follow-up questions or tailoring your points accordingly.
“Sales pitch” describes the one-way, seller-focused presentation of the past. modern salespeople use “conversation”.
4) “Negotiation”
Don’t walk into a negotiation with the mindset that your prospective client is your opponent. Effective negotiators think of the other participants as their allies.
Walk out happy. And remember, the relationship isn’t over when they sign the contract -- your ability to retain and/or upsell them depends on their long-term satisfaction.
5) “Sales Process”
Interactions with prospects should be collaborative and consultative. You are working together to create a custom solution to their problem, not rigidly forcing them through a series of steps.
prefer “buyer’s journey” or “buying process”. The latter doesn’t accurately describe how you and the buyer go from an initial conversation to an agreement.
Finally, “sales process” implies you are the only one driving the relationship forward. Although you should be in control, your prospect should have agency as well.
6) “Value Proposition”
“value prop” assumes all of your buyers will see the same value.
figure out how each customer can use the offering to its fullest potential.
7) “Budget”
Replace “budget” with “ability to buy.” The second concept is far less restrictive. While people normally come up with their current budget based on last year’s budget, their ability to buy depends on the issues or opportunities they’re seeing.
Next time you’re discussing the financial details of a deal with a prospective client, say “What’s your ability to buy X?” instead of “What’s your budget?”
Consumers Dislike “New”
you may not want to use “cutting-edge,” “groundbreaking,” “innovative,” or “revolutionary” to describe your products or use novelty to generate excitement in buyers.
The new flavors were less popular among participants whose desire for control had been experimentally increased.
“This shows that desire for control can act as a barrier to new product acceptance,” the researchers explain.
You can also infer their aversion to newness from the way they describe their own product and company. If they’re excited about a new strategy, product launch, strategic shift, recent executive hire, and so on, there’s a strong chance NOVELTY excites them.
But if they talk about their organization’s rock-solid reputation, longevity, dependability, and best-in-class support, you’re probably speaking with a RISK-AVERSE prospect.
The buyer’s recent purchases offer clues as well. ASK, “What’s the last product you bought [in this category, of this size, for this goal]?” Follow up with, “Why did you buy that?”
Their answer will indicate whether they want to be as current as possible or stick to solutions they’re already familiar with.
If you’re working with a prospect who finds NOVELTY APPEALING, you might say, “Our tool will transform your sales and marketing strategy. You’ll be able to predict your audience’s behavior with uncanny accuracy.”
However, if you’re working with a RISK-AVERSE PROSPECT, you’d say instead, “Our tool helps you avoid major sales and marketing blunders by giving you near-perfect predictions of what they’ll like and how they’ll respond.”
Version #1: “Traditional leadership training programs are ineffective. Companies who use our unique approach promote internally three times more often than average.”
Version #2: “It’s notoriously hard to measure the results of leadership training. Our package comes with quarterly surveys and custom analysis, so you’ll always know the ROI of your investment.”
Version #1: “Become a leader in customer satisfaction by reinventing the standard in-store experience.”
Version #2: “Take control of your customer’s in-store experience.”
