Want a Sale? Use Your Words

Credit: Getty Images by OKADA

Most salespeople are not shy about expressing themselves. We write emails — with and without the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI). We make phone calls. We send text messages. We handwrite notes and letters. But when it comes to the critical moments in sales, we clam up.

Someone gives you a job to quote. You dutifully come up with a number and send it back to the client without saying a word. Networking events can trigger memories of an eighth grade dance where the anxiety of asking a classmate to dance paralyzes your tongue. You see the world as rigid with rules and SOPs, never thinking to question the status quo because that would mean going against the norm.

When we were little and got hungry in the afternoon, we’d reach for a cookie. Parents would push back with what was likely the first objection we ever encountered: “No cookies. It will ruin your dinner.” Some of us would comply. Some would sneak one anyway. If we angrily protested, we’d be told to “Use your words.” In Mark McCormack’s book, “What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School,” he writes, “It’s the people who don’t mind keeping track of how many cookies they eat who go into sales.”

Fast forward to today. While it is a sale we seek and not cookies, we are still in the convincing business and, as such, mom’s advice still stands: Use your words! Here are 15 that will make a difference:

One word: “Why?”

The selling motto of the first company I ever worked for was simple and brilliant, “Solve the Problem, Earn the Order.” That is, understand that if you are handed a document, it is a solution — but that does not automatically mean it is the best solution. So, we were taught to ask, “why?” The cost of using a document far exceeds the purchase price of the document. If we could ask enough questions to learn the story behind the piece, we might come up with something better and maybe, just maybe, we’d eliminate the price objection at the same time. When you are walking into a new place of business, understand assumptions being made. Accept the specs as is and blindly quote the job, you will need to have the lowest price in order to win. Use your words by asking, “why?” and you open up the chance to, well, solve the problem and earn the order.

Two words: “How’s business?”

Years ago, a printer in Denver called to ask for my advice. He had just written a check to exhibit in a local trade show and wanted to know if I had ideas to help him engage attendees in meaningful conversation. My suggestion was to get an A-frame sign and stick it near the aisle, writing just two words on it: “How’s business?” As I suspected, it worked like a charm. He called me the next day to report, “People would stop and read my sign and then come into my booth anxious to boast or bellyache about their company. All I had to do was listen. The more talking they did, the more opportunities to help them became apparent.” Everyone’s favorite subject is themselves. Every business owner’s favorite subject is their company. Ask a founder their origin story only if you have a significant amount of time and patience for the answer. But ask, “How’s business?” and you will be the recipient of seemingly endless areas to make a sale.

Three words: “Tell me more.”

As a father, there’s a lesson I’ve had to learn the hard way. I am hardwired to solve problems. Come to me with an issue and my knee-jerk reaction is to offer ideas … unsolicited ideas. But more than once, one of my daughters has shot back, “Dad, I don’t need you to solve this. I just need to be heard.” The art of listening is learned through using three words: “Tell me more.” In a business conversation, you might think you know the answer to a problem or have a solution to a business challenge. You are elated, you can hardly wait for the customer to stop talking so you can dazzle with your ideas. Don’t. Use these three words. Strive for a deeper understanding. Let the customer talk. Make them feel heard. Not only will this help validate your solution, it will differentiate you from those annoying salespeople who interrupt and fall in love with the sound of their own voice.

Four words: “How does it work?”

Let’s back up. That “why?” approach to a “Give me a price on this” opportunity instructs you to learn the story behind the printed piece. By understanding everything that happens from the time it arrives in receiving to the time it completes its purpose, you are looking past the specs of the job and going deeper into its usage. “How does it work?” invites the possibility of a better solution than the one you were asked to quote. If you’re dealing with a buyer, chances are he or she does not know anything more than quantity and delivery requirements. If your goal is to properly serve the customer and you start asking probing questions, you are going to need to move up the food chain to find the requisitioner of the document. It’s here where decisions are made and it’s here where you want to make your mark as a solutions-based vendor.

Five words: “I have a new idea.”

The No. 1 reason why people stop doing business with us isn’t price or service related. It’s because the client thinks we’ve stopped working for them. We are amazing when it comes to accepting the reorder. We communicate well. But one day the phone rings and a non-incumbent vendor asks, “What have they done for you lately?” If you have not brought your existing accounts a new idea recently, you are vulnerable. Lose an account and you might tell yourself it’s because the client is all about price, but the truth is you took them for granted. “I have a new idea” reminds the customer you are still working for their business.

The common denominator found in the use of these 15 words is engagement. Do not stay passive with a quote. Do not sit on the sidelines at a networking event. Do not let your competition replace you. Engage. Look past the specs and get the story. Ask someone about their business and then be an active listener. Challenge assumptions. Question the status quo. Do it right and not only will you get a cookie, you’ll get some milk, too.