Words That Sell & Words That Don’t

DO SAY:   “Imagine” – “Imagine” allows them to visualize themselves using the product, being successful, winning.

DON’T SAY:   “Show You How” – “Let me show you how”, when used four times or more on any call throughout the sales cycle, drops close rate by 13%.

DO SAY:   Use Case Verbiage – Talk about the valuable tasks and jobs the product will help the consumer d0.

DON’T SAY:  “We Provide” – This phrase warns people that a pitch is coming. Close rates dropped 22% when used four or more times in a single call.

DO SAY:   “Successful” – “Our support team is there to ensure you’re successful with the product”.

DON’T SAY:   “Discount” – When a sales person uses the word “discount” during a sales call, their likelihood of closing the deal drops by 17%

DO SAY:   Fair – “I’m happy to walk you through this demo. The only thing I ask is that we scheduled a concrete next step at the end of this call, is that fair?”

DON’T SAY:  Roadmap – “It’s on the roadmap” means you are promising something you have almost no control over.

DO SAY:   Their Name – People have been telling you “a person’s favorite sound in the world is the sound of their own name”, since the early 1900’s.

DON’T SAY:   “Contract” – When this word is used by the seller, close rates decrease 7% from the average. “Agreement” is a better alternative.

DO SAY:   Decisive Language and Words – Use crisp, decisive, strong language: “Definitely”, “Certainly”, “We can do that”.

DON’T SAY:   “Free Trial” – The negative impact of saying “free trial” is smaller than the others but still worth noting; a 5% decrease in the likelihood of securing the next step.

DO SAY: Client (not Customer) – A “client” is someone who is under your guidance, advice and even protection.

DON’T SAY:   “Payment” – “The monthly payment for our software is $2500”. The word “payment” almost hurts to listen to when you are the one about to do the paying.