Most people have a style they use when they’re selling or trying to convince another person. Part of that style are words that people become comfortable using that they feel are convincing. Words you’re used to using that way flow comfortably in a conversation. Over time, it’s natural to feel that the words you’re used to using are effective.
But… are they? Just because each of us has gotten comfortable using certain words to convince other people doesn’t mean they really work. Now a company called Gong.io, which uses artificial intelligence to help B2B sales people be more effective, has analyzed more than 500,000 sales conversations and figured out the most effective words and phrases that help sales conversations be more successful. Amit Bendov, CEO and cofounder of Gong.io, told me, “Ultimately, what you do and say during sales conversations is the most decisive separator between mega-successful salespeople and average salespeople. Top salespeople say and do very different things than their peers."
The Good Stuff
Here are words that Gong.io has found are effective when used appropriately:
“Does that make sense?” – This phrase works well when it’s used in the right form and at the right time. The phrase is not effective at the deal-closing stage of a conversation. It is also not effective in its generic form. Where it’s most powerful is in moving prospects to the next step in a sales process. The way the phrase is best used is to ask a question like, “Does it make sense to [schedule a call/set up a meeting/include your colleagues]” or some other very specific next step. When it’s used in that form, it is beneficial to a sales process to get the prospect to the next step. Gong.io found that top-performing sales people use the phrase in this form three times more than low-performing salespeople. Tanya Hertz, who lectures at San Diego State University on organizational behavior, told me that, "asking this question can be effective because people would rather answer a question when they agree than to voice...objections."
Imagine – When you get your prospects to think about what might be, what the opportunity for them would look like, it activates their imagination and moves them forward. It sets people’s minds in motion and they like it. “Imagine being able to…,” can be a useful phrase for selling and convincing. At the recent WWD Menwear Summit, I spoke with Greg Petro, the founder and CEO of First Insight, which enables consumer product companies to test new products and get results in 24-48 hours. When he created the company, the concept and methodology was completely new, no one had ever done it before. He said the use of the word, “imagine” was key to their presentation. He told me, “we created an entirely new market space….We had to help [clients] imagine how fast, predictive new product testing would transform their business. Having prospects imagine their success is essential and all the more so when you’re able to back up what you’re asking them to commit to with real success stories from existing customers.”
Successful – Gong.io found that top performers use this word between four and six times per hour and it has a correlation with getting B2B sales deals completed. Like the word, “imagine,” it helps the listener conceptualize a positive outcome.
Fair – Top sales performers use this word 1.7x per deal and everyone else uses it 0.2x. It’s a powerful word because all people want to be perceived as fair. The way it’s used is to describe a next step, like suggesting a meeting and then asking, “Is that fair?”
Their name – This is so simple but it’s true, people like hearing their names. Top salespeople do this more than four times per hour and it correlates with a close ratio that’s higher by 14%.
Decisive language – These are phrases like, “definitely,” or “certainly” or “we can do that.” Also, top performers don’t give long answers to a yes/no question, they’ll just say one word. Longer answers create uncertainty on the part of the listener.
Probably – Using this word contradicts what I wrote in the previous paragraph but it’s a good qualifier when you need one. When you talk about the future or things that are uncertain, it’s important to be realistic. Overpromising impairs credibility. Judicious use of the word “probably” is not weak language; it allows the speaker to be cautiously optimistic without false exuberance.
The Bad Stuff
Here are words that Gong.io has shown will lower your chance of success:
“Show you how” – To be clear, if you use this phrase three times or less in a call, it will have no negative effect. The data show that using the phrase four times or more reduces close rates by 14%. What Gong.io found is that it’s better to focus on the benefit, what a product or service will do for a customer, than to focus on how it does what it does.
”We provide” – Like “show you how,” using this phrase three times or less is ok. But at four times or more, customers find it grating and they resist listening. Using this phrase four times or more makes close ratios go down by 22%.
Competitor – No one wants to hear about their competitors or even that they have them. It makes listeners anxious and that reduces sales success.
Billion – It’s not just this word, it’s any use of large numbers that are vague. It’s hard for people to comprehend such large values that are not concrete. Be specific. Using large numbers indiscriminately reduces convince rates on sales calls.
Discount – Using this word cheapens the perceived value of the product or service. I am always puzzled when I go to a website for the first time and the first thing that happens is a window opens and offers me a discount just for showing up. If they believe in their product, why do they want me to believe their prices are more than I should pay? If you stand behind your product then don’t be shy about your price. “Free trial” is also negative for exactly the same reason. Own your price. Cassie Young, chief commercial officer of electronic marketing personalization company Sailthru, told me while visiting at the retail conference Shoptalk, “Training customers to buy only on promotion works against the long term customer value of a business.” She is dead right.
Contract – Many people have negative associations with this word and using it makes close rates decline by 7%. Use a word that generates less emotion, like “agreement.”
“Absolutely” and “Perfect” - These words are so certain that they impair credibility when they’re overused. They’re often used to convey agreement and when they’re used four times or more in a conversation, there’s a 16% lower chance that the process will move to the next step.
“Implement” and “Implementation” – These phrases make people feel like things are going to get complicated and that’s a turn-off. Decent substitutions are, “onboard,” or “getting started.”
Payment – No one likes to pay. Try using “amount” instead.
However – It’s ok to say this a couple of times but when it’s used four times or more, it hurts the conversation. It’s a waffler’s word and listeners lose confidence and interest when they hear it.
”For example” – If you have to give examples, it’s too complicated. The best way to convince people is to explain it well enough without examples. Try reformulating your explanation.
Your company’s name – When you’re trying to convince someone, they don’t care about you, they care about themselves and what they’re being offered. Bringing up your company’s name more than four times in a call reduces close rates by 14%. Six times or more reduces close rates by 19%. Use it judiciously and talk about your listener.
What Else
Words and phrases are important of course but so is the tone of a conversation. Once you’ve thought about your specific words, having a particular strategy in mind for each call is very helpful. Charles Muhlbauer, a sales professional who also writes a blog about selling techniques, says it’s important to frame every conversation right from the outset, immediately setting the agenda. He likes to start by saying “The purpose of the call is to…”
Richard Newman, founder and chief technology officer at Reliant Solutions, told me while he was visiting the retail conference Shoptalk, “in our digital age where we focus so much energy on human to web, human to mobile device, and human to computer interaction, people talking to each other still matters. Now the same technologies which drive digital interaction are able to tell us how to talk to each other more effectively.”
There are many ways to convince people of your position or the virtues of your products and services. Starting with the right words and phrases is a great first step.
