Say This... Not That

I know that this is a bit of clickbait-y title, but, do you blame me? It worked! You clicked!

All kidding aside, there are certain words that have a positive impact and similar words that do the opposite. Here are a few little swaps that you can make that will help your communications move clients, negotiations, and relationships in the right direction.

• Say “don’t.” Not “can’t.” This is a great dual-purpose substitution. When you’re talking to yourself, saying “I don’t” makes you more likely to follow up on what you say. For instance, if you were to say “I don’t eat an entire large pizza in one sitting,” you’re much less likely to eat that whole pizza than if you said “I can’t eat an entire large pizza in one sitting.” Because, let's face it, you can (well, maybe). But it’s also powerful when you’re talking to a client. “I can’t reduce my fee from 6 percent” usually means that you can, but you just don’t want to. “I don’t reduce my fee from 6 percent,” on the other hand, is much more final. What’s a client going to say after that?
• Say “willing.” Not (nothing). This is an interesting one because willing is a word that can go either way. If you’re trying to close someone – like at the end of a first meeting – it can weaken your message and create an opportunity for a prospect to weasel out. On the other hand, if you’ve already tried to close and need to loosen up some opposition, “willing” can be a powerful tool. Research shows that asking a client if they would be willing to meet can evince “yes” more often than a direct request when you’re closing for a second time. So, if you have trouble closing someone, try again with “Would you be willing to meet next Thursday,” and when they say yes, hit them with “Is 10:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. better for you?”
• Say (nothing). Not “just.” The word “just” as in “I’d just like to meet with you for 30 minutes” telegraphs weakness and can make it sound like you’re begging. The best substitution for just is to simply say nothing in its place. “I’d like to meet with you” is stronger, and faster.
• Say “some.” Not “any.” Have you ever asked a client if you could do anything else for them, and gotten a non-committal response. Try asking “Is there something I can do for you” or “Is there something else I can do to help?” Changing from “some” to “any” goes from a generic request (that gets a generic answer) to a specific one – for the one thing that you can do.

Small changes in words can have big impacts on results. Try these and see how they work for you!