The short answer is… YES.  Sometimes changing one word can completely change your sales success.

How is that possible?  Well, that one word is either the word that opens doors or slams them shut… because it either connects with what your potential buyers want to hear or it doesn’t.

It’s the Economy Stupid

A few months back I was listening to an interview where James McCarville was describing the key to the former Governor of Arkansas getting elected as President of the United States.  (In case you’re drawing a momentary blank he was referring to former President Clinton).  He instructed, then candidate, Clinton to keep his stump speeches focused on the economy because he knew he couldn’t lose on the economy.

Well, you can’t lose on the economy either.  Here’s what I mean by that.  Whether the economy is up, down, or somewhere in between you need to focus on the impact the economy is having on your potential buyers… and the way they make buying decisions.  Use that knowledge to focus on what they want to hear.

When the economy is up buyers are looking for ways to:

• increase their power and influence
• increase their revenue or wealth
• increase their level of recognition and confidence
• do more things and have more things
• make things easier and faster

When the economy is down those same buyers are looking for ways to:

• increase their security
• cut costs and save more
• reduce their stress and increase their happiness
• feel safe
• do more with less

When you’re talking to a prospect how are you talking to them about your stuff?  Does it match what they’re looking for?

If it doesn’t pull out your Thesaurus and start finding replacement words for the ones that aren’t working now.  Here’s a big secret.

Focus on the Verbs

Most people think it’s the adjectives you use that are most important.  That’s a false belief.  Adjectives describe things.  Most people assume adjectives either make things sound better than they are or they downplay the negatives.  In other words, they aren’t influenced or persuaded by adjectives.

The verbs you use are by far the more powerful words.  Why is that?  Because verbs represent action and action is exactly what you want the other person to take.  Plus action words help your potential buyer envision ownership.  Strong verbs are far more motivating than a string of superficial adjectives.

Let’s use an example.  Let’s say what you sell increases revenue.  But now your buyers are looking for ways to cut costs.  So we need to change your message to focus on what they want now… plus the better way to do that is to focus on the verbs in your message.

Before you might have said…

Business Owners - How Many of These Opportunities Can You Use to Increase Your Revenue?

Now you need to flip it so you might say…

Business Owners - How Many of These Opportunities Can You Use to Lower Expenses?

But “lower” is a wimpy verb so you might ramp it up by saying…

Business Owners - How Many of These Opportunities Can You Use to Chisel Expenses?

Whatever your message start playing with the words and the verbs until you come up with the message that gets potential buyers to ask you to tell them more about that.

“The purpose of your opening statement is to get the listener to listen to the rest of your pitch.”

Tony Cole

How often have you heard or read a similar statement from a sales trainer or sales manager?  It’s both a commonly held belief and a commonly used practice in sales.  I have a different view on the purpose for your opening statement.

You see, when you do or say things your prospects either expect from you because they know you’re a sales person… or they associate with sales people you set off a trigger.  That trigger initiates a conditioned reflex in the prospect.  And typically, that means your prospect automatically responds defensively to you.

In general, people have been conditioned through past experiences to distrust sales people.  Many people think anyone selling anything is simply out for themselves.  They often believe sales people deliberately take advantage of other people.  And unfortunately, there are a few sales people who do take advantage of other people reinforcing this negative view of sales people.

Never Voluntarily Trigger a Conditioned Response

You never want to trigger a conditioned response unless you know that response works to your favor.  For example; MacDonalds knows asking, “Would you like fries with that?” triggers a positive response more often than not so asking the question is a safe bet… and an example of when a trigger works to your advantage.  However, calling a stranger and asking if they have a moment is an unsafe bet because you trigger a negative response.  Why set yourself up for failure before you even have a slim chance for success?

The Mini-Pitch

The first words out of your mouth are nothing more than a mini-pitch.  It’s obvious to the prospect not only from the words you use but also from the way you say those words.  That mini-pitch triggers a negative defensive response.  Prospects don’t want to agree to this pitch even if they like what you’re saying because they definitely don’t want to agree to your big pitch.

Honestly, have you been on the receiving end of a sales pitch?  Sales pitches are boring, agonizing, even insulting.  Contrary to what sales managers and sales trainers want you to believe sales pitches are for losers who can’t sell.  The longer your pitch drags on the lower your odds of actually selling something because your prospects defenses are escalating with every word and gesture.

Connections

The real purpose of your opening words is to gain permission to interrupt the other person.  As I talked about in the last post you have to initiate contact without triggering a conditioned reflex.  You do that by behaving like an ordinary person.

If you fail to do that you end up trying to arm wrestle an alligator.  You enter a game where you really can’t win.  Even if you think you’re winning you aren’t because the prospect isn’t trusting you.

Conversation

Once you gain permission to interrupt the other person by asking for their help the next thing you want to do is confirm there’s a reason to even have a conversation.  If they aren’t already interested and looking for what your stuff does it’s not likely you’re going to have a productive conversation.  Don’t waste their time or yours by trying to have a conversation with someone who has no interest in what you can do for them.

You don’t want your prospect to listen to your pitch.  You want to engage the prospect in a conversation.  Pitches are telling and telling ain’t selling.  The more you talk the quicker you talk yourself out of a sale.

When you engage a prospect in a conversation where they’re doing most of the talking… that’s when you’re really selling.  And the cool thing is the prospect is doing all the work.  They’re telling you exactly what they want, how they want it, and when they want it.

Being ordinary and doing what’s expected in sales means you’re going to do a lot of work for very little reward.  Stop doing what’s expected and learn how to really engage your potential buyers.  That’s when sales gets really easy… and you get tremendous rewards for little effort.

If you’d like to learn more about how to sell without triggering conditioned reflexes you might enjoy reading about the Top Producers Increase Sales Club Coaching Program.