3 Best Words in Sales…

“Words are free. It’s how you use them that may cost you.” — Rev J. Martin.

One of the common things I see in dealing with salespeople is they all have a lot to say. The problem is, saying too much or saying the wrong thing can create all kinds of trouble.

One thing you can count on is that the words matter!

If you’re going to be really, really successful in life, you’ll need to focus on your vocabulary.

Words are everything.

The words you say to yourself and to others are very important to your success.

When I am working with sales professionals, I help them focus on their choice of words as a place they can make an instant and impactful change.

Most sales trainings, whether internal or external, create scripted dialogues to control how you should interact with potential prospects in the upfront approach, as well as each of the stages of the sales process.

In fact, many also offer tactics like: “100 Ways to Close a Deal” or “Best Lines for Cold Calling”.

I am personally not a fan of these tactics as they provide no value in creating long-lasting and mutually-beneficial relationships.

I am a big fan of having an actionable strategy that helps you identify opportunities to pursue and which ones to move on from.

Now, I am going to give you the best 3 words in sales. They are Visit, Fit, and Value.

First, the most powerful word in sales is visit. It is common practice to evaluate sales teams based on the number of appointments they have. I don’t like the word appointments. You make an appointment with your doctor or your dentist and even the DMV.

Why would salespeople try to make appointments with their prospects? The same thing goes for the word meeting. By shifting meetings and appointments to visits, you will see incredible results.

Think about the last time you visited with a friend. Did you bring brochures? Did you sit across from each other at your desk? Think about what you talked about. Visiting is a friendly way to interact with people. It reminds people of a good occasion.

This next word is the game-changer. Want to change the paradigm of selling? This is the second most powerful word in sales — Fit. I shift the control in the dialogue straight from the beginning on that first call. “The reason for my visit is to determine if we are a good fit.” Visiting and understanding who is a fit will take control of the sales dance again, placing you as the lead.

Now, just because you want to buy from me doesn’t mean I have to say yes. The control has gone from the buyer to the salesperson. Human nature is that people want to “fit in”. They want to be part of things. You changed their mindset to “Why wouldn’t I be a good fit for you?”

If you don’t take control of the dance in sales then you will lose.

Authentically, know your work. Know who you are. Let people know that you have an exclusivity mindset and we may not be the business or product for you. You may not buy from me and that is ok.

It is a shift from the puppy dog salesperson who is, “Please buy from me, please buy from me.” Not begging for the sale brings down their guard because people don’t like to say no. There was an advertising campaign done years ago by American Express. The campaign was a series of commercials that pinpointed all the ways that being a cardholder had special benefits. Their tagline? Membership has its privileges.

So, we have visit and fit. What is the final word that will change the way you operate? Value. Now, we are visiting to see if we are a fit. If we are a fit then we can talk about how we can provide value.

There is never a sale that is made if you can’t deliver value. Most salespeople don’t consider the value portion of their sales equation. If they heard no, chances are they haven’t created enough value. Have you solved a problem? What is the value you are offering that will improve, over and above, what they are already doing? Value is at the crux of every single sales conversation. I don’t care what product you are selling, what price you are selling it for, or what business you are in.

This works across all industries. Let’s set up a visit so, we can find out if we are a fit and, if we are, then I can provide you with value.

The challenge is to start every dialogue with these 3 words. Get as many visits as you can to see if you are a fit to see if you can provide value.

“And that’s what Nudelberg says”