Language is an incredible game-changer, yet few people contemplate how it affects their lives. Language is one of the key ways we emanate our energy in building our social image. The quality of your speaking can make or break your intimate, friendly, and business relationships. It is not just about your tone, speed, or variability of emotiveness. None of these do much without first thinking about what you choose to say. The words you choose psychologically affect the path of your conversation and guide the person you are speaking to in making their derivative decisions.
In sales, language bears such a crucial weight that it should be one of the decisive criteria for hiring candidates. Some companies still put language in the background, looking at other factors to make hiring decisions. How do I know this? Unfortunately, I hear bad sales language all the time. Cases of bad sales approaches are so prevalent, they make outstanding examples a rare celebratory occasion. And that is what this blog post is all about, of course. You can find part 1 here, and now, I give you five more ways not to sell your product to your customer.
6. You can find all the information on our site.
Imagine hearing this from an employee, face to face. You are right there, in their store, and you approached him to get immediate information about their product so you can hand over your money in exchange. At the very least, you wanted some expert knowledge to help your choice, but deep inside, you also hoped to get some human connection over the problem that product helps you solve. What did you get with that response? Neither. Zero. Zilch. Nada.
What does this phrase really translate to?
“Look, I don’t care about helping you. I am rather busy with this other stupid task they have set me so that I can complete it on time and get my salary at the end of the month. There is no motivation for me to help you with your purchase. You can go ahead and help yourself. Knock yourself out by checking our website.”
Roughly, that is what your customer hears. Salespeople – stop stating the obvious! Business owners – set targets with correct motivation!
7. That’s our price…
Another empty, obvious response only to avoid uncomfortable silence and create sounds with your mouth. Normally, this phrase comes after your remark that the product or service is expensive. The person speaking this phrase is either working for nothing but a salary or has no idea about the value your product or service provides. You should be happy that at least your employee did not agree with a statement like:
“Yeah, it is expensive, isn’t it?”
For me to offer you a better way to address this objection, it is crucial to understand the presuppositions behind the word “expensive” first. Quite likely, what the customer is actually saying with this word is that he does not think the price justifies the value of your product or service. In other words, you are asking too much money for something that should cost less in the customer’s eyes. Is this true? That is up to you. Assuming that your product or service generally sells for that amount rather well, it is your job to build a case for your customer of how you are, in fact, providing value that matches your price.
The truth is that certain products or services sought after by customers may not be within their budget. If their availability is not as distanced from reality as purchasing a Lamborghini, those products or services become more prone to price judgment. That is when the word “expensive” is thrown around. Think about it. If a customer walks into a Lamborghini showroom and tells the salesperson that the car is expensive, the remark sounds rather daft. Lamborghini has long fixed its luxurious brand value in place. It cannot be questioned. Plus, if you can afford a Lamborghini, you will not be trying to bargain. If a customer walks into your clothing store, however, your product’s value can be questioned and bargaining can take place.
So, how do you build value in your product or service? This requires a blog post of its own, but here is a quick example:
Customer: “Wow, that’s expensive…”
If you wish for the customer to expand on this statement, simply inquisitively repeat:
You: “Expensive?”
If you already know where the customer is coming from with this judgment, you can proceed as such:
You: “It seems your price expectation was different and you may be disappointed. Look, allow me to expand on the pricing, as it is 100% worth your money. Our product [insert how it perfectly solves the customer’s problem or soothes their pain]. In comparison to [other similar products that have problems yours does not], we have [insert product’s unique benefits]. Imagine that you are [insert a fantasy of the customer using your product already and finding it beneficial]. On top of that, if you do not [enjoy the benefits you just described], then you can always [insert information on how the customer can get a refund, or similar].”
8. [Silence]
Generally, any response is better than no response. When your salesperson goes quiet, you probably instilled insufficient confidence in their mission. You should not be oblivious to any objection the potential customer may voice unless it is a truly unique case you never heard of before. Even then, it is better to freestyle your way out of that situation, rather than accept defeat in cold silence. Let’s go through an example.
Me: “So, I have reviewed your product and pricing. It appears that the current solution we are using is cheaper for us at the moment with the same effectiveness. Have you heard of this solution before?”
What kind of message does silence send in this case? With no response, it appears as if you accept that your product is indeed more pricey for no particular reason. Realistically, you should be aware of your competitors, their products, prices, advantages, and disadvantages. And if you have been in the game for a while, you should be able to argue for your product’s distinctiveness. If your customer is giving you the chance to continue the communication (as I did above), you should not waste it! The alternative could have been silence from your potential customer, which is an even worse silence.
9. Please call us for information/ Please submit a site request
Here are the winners of anti-sales phrases that spark frustration as if you were initially soaked in gasoline. They send your supposedly beloved customer on an even longer journey before he can spend his hard-earned cash on your product or service. Stop wondering why you do not have sales if you use these two phrases. Which specific cases?
Me (writing an email): Could you explain what is included in the price for this product or service? How can I pay you?
Company: Please call us for information.
And the second case:
Me (calling the company): “Yes, I would like to make a reservation, please.”
Company: “Please submit a site request.”
Why? Just, why? There are already so many obstacles on the path of making a purchase: competitors, objections, doubts, and circumstances. By giving your customer the run-around you are creating even more! It does not matter that you have to spend a few extra minutes providing a more detailed email response. It does not matter that your system prevents you from submitting a booking request in the name of your customer. What matters is the customer and his happiness. Nothing else. Simple.
10. Call us back when you are ready
Last but not least, your customer voices a rather common phrase: “I need to think about it.” It is a hidden objection. He does not make the purchase. And the likely probability is that he will not think about it, because he already has. His instinct tells him not to waste time on your product or service any longer. There must be some reason, but you do not hear it. Perhaps you missed some cues throughout your interaction. At this point, you are extremely close to losing this customer without clarity about why.
You will probably never hear back from this customer again, which means all this time spent warming him up could be wasted. If you end it on the note of “call us back when you are ready,” you are giving control to the customer. Do not do that. Retain control. At least get some clarity on why the customer refuses the purchase. Instead, do this:
Customer: “I need some time to think about it…”
You: “Sounds like you may be uncertain for now. What makes you doubt your purchase decision?”
Customer: [Possibly gives you some useful objection you can successfully address to finally convert him]
Alternatively, propose this:
You: “Sure, I understand. When can I follow up with you on this? I can give you a call next week, same time, does that sound OK?”
And that wraps it up – the ten most important ways not to sell your product. I truly hope these help you understand how you can improve your sales game. I would love to hear about any similar experiences you may have had. Can you add some examples to this list? Do you disagree with any of these points? Comment below and let’s discuss it.
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