A long time ago I discovered the power of words in sales. Certain words, used with the correct tone and circumstance are powerful in terms of getting the prospect to trust, engage, and ultimately persuaded.
Delighted- Underused, but very powerful. My grandmother said this word all the time. I did not realize its power until I began reading Seth Godin’s blog and books. Then I heard Seth give podcasts and speeches where he used it again. Finally, I once had a phone conversation where he made it part of his greeting…something to the effect of “I’m delighted to have the chance to speak with you.” In my opinion, humans wish to delight at a visceral level. When the other person verifies this by using the word I (and I am willing to bet many others) get a warm and fuzzy.
Exotic- I love using the term “exotic” to describe competitors offering solutions to my own. We all know that one should never bad mouth their competitor when meeting a prospect. However, you must defuse what they offer in a friendly and non threatening way. I have found that describing competing solutions as “exotic” encourages the prospect to feel like the other solutions are non sensical. I want them drinking my Kool-Aid, but first the prospect must spit out what is left from a prior sales call with my competitor.
Cheers- I do not necessarily want to be my prospect’s friend, but I do want them to trust me and people trust friends. One way to build a relationship in many countries is to have tea, beer, or any adult beverage together. What word is always used? “Cheers.” I choose to end many emails with the salutation “Cheers” and have found it to be well taken by the prospect in the vast majority of instances. Obviously, situation dictates. Don’t ever throw a grenade like a fastball (see video).
I would enjoy hearing any other key words that you may like to use for persuasion and relationship/trust building.
