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What to avoid when cold calling – words to avoid
| Guest post by: Alen Majer |
Article Overview: In this article, we look at a few words that are definitely not sales friendly! So, if you’re ready to learn more about what to avoid when cold calling, in terms of your sales ‘vocabulary’ read on!
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What to avoid when cold calling – words to avoid
If you're just getting started in the sales process, or if you're updating your sales procedures in the hopes of getting better results, chances are your cold calling scripts will be getting at least some of the attention. If so, you may just be wondering what to avoid when cold calling, and in this article, we look at a few words that are definitely not sales friendly! So, if you're ready to learn more about what to avoid when cold calling, in terms of your sales ‘vocabulary' read on!
Maybe
When you're cold calling, your best chance of success is to be self assured, confident, and 100% well versed in what you are selling. If you're using the word ‘maybe' in your sales scripts, you run the risk of sounding wishy washy. It either is or isn't. Pick one.
Don't
In fact, any negative, when describing your product or service, is a definite no. You want to list the positive attributes - not the negative. So instead of thinking about what you don't do, can't offer, or won't provide, think about what you do, can and will. Then write about those.
Hope
When you tell your client you're ‘hoping' for something, you're not sure, are you? If you're not sure, then why should they be? Never let a prospect hear that you're not 100% behind your product, your company or your service, or it's entirely likely you will lose the sale.
Contract
It may sound innocuous enough, but the word contract conjures up all sorts of unpleasant pictures of lawyers, being ‘tied down' and other negative thoughts. When you're writing a new sales script, you want to avoid those negative ideas, so make sure that any words like contract that indicate your prospect will be locked in are on your list of what to avoid when cold calling.
Cheap
We all know people want to pay less for goods and services, but the word cheap just sounds, well, cheap. Think ‘cheap and nasty' and you have some idea of what's going through your prospects mind when you say cheap. Stick to ‘cost effective', ‘value for money', or ‘highly competitive pricing.' All of them sound better, and say the same thing, without making your prospect think of badly made, low cost goods or services.
This certainly isn't a complete list of words to avoid when you are wondering what to avoid when cold calling, but it's a start. As a general rule of thumb, you should avoid any word that has a negative connotation, even if you use it in a positive way. Consumers tend to hear the negative word, and form a negative connection with your brand, without even realizing it.
Always remember that it's not only what you say, but how you say it, that determines sales success!
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Article Tags: cold calling, cold calling techniques, cold calls, how to cold call, what to avoid when cold calling, words to avoid
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About the Author: Alen Majer RSS for Alen's articles - Visit Alen's website Alen Mayer, Canadian Sales Expert, is fiercely committed to guiding Entrepreneurs and Sales Professionals to improve their sales knowledge and skills so they can achieve extraordinary sales results, close more sales effectively, and learn more to earn more. If you are looking for a proven Sales Expert who will show you new ways of getting more clients in less time, how to book more appointments by fighting phone resistance, and learn new ways of handling excuses and objections to excel in sales, you've come to the right place. With 20 years in sales and 10 years of experience working with amazing clients with similar worries and concerns and guiding them to achieve remarkable success, my mission and commitment is to help sales people achieve their goals faster than they would without my guidance. I am living proof that you don't need to be a natural-born salesperson to be successful in sales. What lights me up about this work and what sets me apart from other service providers is that I believe that sales is a process and that process can be taught. You always need training. A great salesperson is always trying to make him or herself better. Alen is author of these books: ■ Selling IS Better Than Sex - www.SellingIsBetter.com Sales Training Programs: ■ Get More Appointments TM Summary: - 20+ years in international sales and business development, 10+ years in sales management, coaching and training Alen has inspired audiences from St. John's to Vancouver, and across North America and Europe. Whether a business conference, association meeting, or other event, every aspect is planned and coordinated to maximize attendee value. As keynote speaker, Alen achieves your objectives. To book Alen Majer, one of Canada's top sales experts, please send an email to alen@alenmajer.com.
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Related Forum Posts
What to avoid when cold calling?
- Cold calling is the nemesis of all sales people. What words to avoid, what not to do when cold calling?
I will start first: avoid the word "maybe".
When you're cold calling, your best chance of success is to be self assured, confident, and 100% well versed in what you are selling. If you're using the word 'maybe' in your sales scripts, you run the risk of sounding wishy washy. It either is or isn't. Pick one.
Another word: "hope"
When you tell your client you're 'hoping' for something, you're not sure, are you? If you're not sure, then why should they be? Never let a prospect hear that you're not 100% behind your product, your company or your service, or it's entirely likely you will lose the sale.
So, what other words should we avoid?
Re: Who hates cold calling?
- I think it really depends on what you are selling. For example, we sell chiropractic software that they can enter and store their notes on. Since the law is requiring them to go electronic by 2014, we have a pretty good chance of calling someone who needs it. I agree that for other products and services cold calling would probably be a waste of time. I think the key to cold calling is knowing how to get past the gate keeper. If you just keep calling people and have no clue how to get to the decision maker, cold calling is a BIG waste of time. There are some really good books out there that will teach a person how to do that if he/she decides cold calling would be helpful to their business.
I hate Cold Calling!
- In my past I was really scared to cold calling until I realized that cold calling in my line of work was the only way for me to generate accounts. I assiociated large amounts of pain in my life with not cold calling such as loss of house, car, wife.... The fear of losing all of that helped me over come the fear. Good luck with your problem It might help to think its all in your head and the only thing in the world that you have control over is your own mental thinking.
Re: Who hates cold calling?
- Why anyone would use cold calling is beyond me.
It's simply an ineffective tactic and a waste of time when you measure conversion rate.
If you really understanding your customer segments and how your products and services provide value, there are many more effective strategies than cold calling.
Re: Infographic: 10 Tips On Preparing For The Call
- Great tips, thank you.
I would add one thing - customers differ from country to country. For example, when I was calling US-based customers I was more successful when I skipped the part of asking if they have 2 minutes. It didn't work - I got hostile responses like: "Why? What do you want? No, but tell me why are you calling?" etc.
With Canadians it is better - they are more polite either in b2b or b2c environment. So, pick your battles and try to avoid things that can lead your customer to say No in the first 20 seconds of your call.
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