Tweet

Simply Speaking Increase Sales Using These 7 Words

Guest post by: Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Article Overview: Imagine just by changing 7 words that you currently use now as a sales professional you could quickly increase sales. Would that be of interest to you? If you are so inclined to improve your sales skills and therefore your sales results, then read on.

Simply Speaking Increase Sales Using These 7 Words

Imagine just by changing 7 words that you currently use now as a sales professional you could quickly increase sales. Would that be of interest to you?

Years ago, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale said "Change your thoughts, change your world." I believe that in sales as well as in life if you change your words you will change your results. The words that we think and speak have a tremendous affect upon those around us. As a sales professional, this could dramatically increase your sales. And who wouldn't like a little more money in the bank?

First, do you think of your potential buyers as prospects? What picture does this generate in your brain? What actions do you associate with finding prospects? Do those actions (sales skills) possibly make the prospect an object of your desire? Have you unintentionally devalued that individual sitting across the table from you? Consider replacing the word prospect with the phrase potential customer or potential qualified customer. Would this create a different picture in your mind's eye?

Second, by changing the word prospect into the phrase potential qualified customer, you are no longer just prospecting, but rather qualifying potential customers. This allows you to work smarter and not harder and really maximize your sales skills or talents.

The third word is to replace the word yes with the word agree. What this word does is to convey a contract even if none has been sign. Agree has 100 time more emotional value than the word yes. And let us be honest, who wants to hear the word yes more, your potential customer or you as the sales professional?

Earn is the fourth word that can increase sales for you. Every time I hear this phrase “close the deal” or close the sale, I inwardly cringe because this word means to shut off. From my perspective as someone who has been in sales for over 30 years, I still cannot figure out why any sales professional would literally want to shut down their potential buyer.

Number five is not a word, but a phrase. In working with potential qualified clients, I realized that a proposal put me in what have come to call the Sea of Sameness. I am like all those other gray suits out in the marketplace. Also, I realized that I am in the sales business and not in the proposal writing business. To be the Red Jacket, I created this phrase, statement of work, when asked to submit a proposal. Of course, I now write very few statements of work because I have learned to better qualify potential buyers and not waste time writing those darned proposals.

The sixth word that I have found to increase sale is educating. No longer am I selling my services or solutions, but rather educating suspects, potential customers and qualified potential customers. I look at every opportunity as one to educate someone else. Through this education process, I have demonstrated the value of my solutions. For many sales professionals this is somewhat difficult because they have been conditioned through sales based marketing. This approach is no longer as effective as it once was. What is far more effective especially for service professionals is education based marketing or EBA.

Now the seventh word is possibly the most important one and that word is Ask. When sales professionals take the time to ask for referrals, to ask to speak, to ask if they can help, a vast pool of opportunities are suddenly opened to them.

Sales Coaching Tip: You can increase sales and even improve your sales skills by changing the words that you think and speak. These are not the only ones, but are a good beginning.

Related Articles
  How the One to Three Speaking Ratio Can Dramatically Increase Sales
  Lose This 5 Letter Word to Win More Sales
  Four of the Most Common Mistakes in Persuasive Speaking
  Speaking Can Increase Sales If You are A Business Coach or Business Consultant
  How to Increase Sales With Questions That Seek Greater Clarity to Gain Greater Specificity

Article Tags: brain, dr norman vincent peale, emotional value, fourth word, money in the bank, norman vincent peale, object of your desire, perspective, phrase, prospects, talents, third word



Related Forum Posts
Ad words - And I forgot... you could give Google Ad Words a try. I've used that in the past and was never able to get my click rate below 20 cents, but perhaps you'll have better luck. With Google Ad Words, your ad (which you must make sure you write properly) will send people to your website, so it's a must have.
Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing
Re: Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - [quote="ltrahan":31w9r2iz]Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing[/quote:31w9r2iz] I second the request...
Different Hats - CEO Sales & Marketing & Leadership Development Company Strategic Vision 10 Alliances & Growth Strategies 10 Hiring & Managing People 8 Mentoring 8-9 Strategic Planning for Clients 10 Execution of Marketing Campaigns 9-10 (i have great people who do the nitty gritty) Financial Management 9 Bookkeeping 3 (outsourced as I really hate the fine details like GST0 Administrative Follow Up 6-7 (again have great staff) Writing & Publishing 9 (getting better all the time!) Speaking 10 (so I have been told) Self Promotion 9-10 Web development & Promotion 6-7 (learning more and have brought on players who are 10+) Babysitting Employees (1 - wont do it, that's why I work so hard to hire and motivate the people I have) Great topic Kevin!! Jude
Re: How To Drive Traffic To Your Site Through Our Forums - Thanks for this post, it has been bothering my mind on how I can generate traffic to my blog site and now you have point me to the right direction. Words cannot express my joy for this post. Thanks.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Basic Operating Question (BOQ) for Empowerment

How To Calculate A Minimum Fee For Your Services

The new marketing question. Will they follow?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.