Choose Your Words Carefully

Choose Your Words CarefullyChoose Your Words CarefullyPeople like to feel comfortable. And they usually feel most comfortable around other people who are like them. So it follows that, as a salesperson who is trying to build rapport with prospects, youll want to match your word choice to your prospects likes and dislikes. Making Prospects Feel Comfortable Choosing your words wisely is an important component of making your prospects feel comfortable with you. That means avoiding sales or industry jargon unless your prospect has already used that phrase or otherwise demonstrated that they prefer a highly technical level of conversation. If you do end up in a situation where you absolutely have to use an industry-specific word - for example, the prospect asks you a question about how the product does a certain task - take the time to explain what the technical term means or at least use it in a way that makes the meaning obvious. If you use a phrase your prospect doesnt understand, you will most definitely make them uncomfortable. No one likes to say What does that word mean? to someone theyre considering doing business with. And if your prospect says nothing, then theyll feel uncomfortable and also wont understand what youre saying a recipe for disaster. An even worse situation occurs when you use a highly technical word that YOU are not 100% familiar with. If you misuse an industry word and your prospect realizes that fact, youll sound like an idiot. The prospects trust in you and your level of expertise will go right out the window. When in doubt, stick to less technical terms even if you think it doesnt sound as professional. Use Language Appropriate for Your Prospect When you design your standard sales presentation, keep the language at a level that youre aya will make your prospects comfortable. If it becomes clear during a presentation that your prospect is mora technically minded, you can always raise the technical level of your pitch... but only use words that you are completely familiar with. On the other hand, if the prospect is the one to use a technical word or phrase and you dont know what it means, you may feel embarrassed about admitting your ignorance to the prospect. Whether to speak up or remain silent will depend upon the situation. If you feel youve already developed a pretty good rapport with the prospect, go ahead and ask. You can actually make the prospect feel better about you because hell enjoy having the chance to teach you something (and thus feel smarter). If youre having a tough time creating a connection with the prospect, you might be better off not saying anything. But in that case, write the word or phrase down and look it up later or ask a colleague what it means. Then youll know what it means the next time you run across a technical-minded prospect. Avoid Words That Evoke Negative Feelings Aside from jargon, there are a few words its better to avoid in a sales presentation. As a rule, stay awa y from words and phrases that might bring up negative feelings in your prospect. For example, using the word contract might make your prospect feel restricted or conjure images of being trapped with your company, so you might train yourself to say agreement instead, which has a much more positive association. Of course, sometimes the situation will require you to say contract. In that case, go ahead and say it. Youll only make your prospect more uncomfortable if you contort your language all around just to avoid a relatively harmless phrase.