The Language of Sales

What makes a good sales pitch stand out from others? It’s the use of words. The way you use the words and how you use them helps you to stand out from others. 

Well, it’s clear that a sales pitch consists of phrases that drive leads. But why is it important to use them at all?

It’s necessary because the use of the right language helps to build trust and it creates a foundation of strong relationships. And it can only be done by using the right phrases at the right time. 

Top three phrases to consider while crafting your sales pitch

Let’s take a look at some of the phrases that you can use while creating your sales pitch:

I’m not sure if it’s for you. But…

You can use this phrase when you want your prospect to consider your idea. Since, it’s the tendency of the human mind to not to consider straightforward ideas. Hence, you can try this approach to deal with the psychology part. 

Whenever an idea is presented to a person, they think about two things:

• I’ll decide whether I want to use the idea or not.
• What value does this idea offer to me?

There’s a big chance that the prospect can say no, because of these thoughts. That’s where your role comes into action. It’s your job to persuade prospect’s with your words. And which you can do so by adding but after your phrase. As by using ‘but’ you’re removing any uncertainty that can arise with the phrase and it also helps in changing the mindset of the prospects in your favor. 

On top of that, this phrase builds trust, lets you ask questions and also removes any fear of rejection. 

You can always use this phrase when you need to propose a specific offering but it might not sound right to the prospects at first.

An example while using this phrase is when you want to pitch a different product to the prospect when they are looking for another product. The best way to say this, “I’m not sure if it’s for you, but have you considered using [this] product? I think using [this] product would suit you more.”

What’s going to be easier?

In many situations, prospects are unable to make a certain decision. So, to help them out, you can always use the phrase ‘what’s going to be easier’ phrase.

When you use this phrase, you’re presenting this as a 50/50 question. But it pushes prospects to give a direct response instead of questioning one in return.

An example would be when prospects can’t decide whether they should purchase your services or not. In this case, you can say, “What’s going to be easier? Being frustrated while using X’s services or giving a try to our services. Handing over all your worries to us and bringing happiness and tension-free in return.”

Often the second choice you give is an easy option to choose. That’s why it gives a favorable result. 

You should use this phrase at the end of the conversation, when you feel like your potential customers are unable to make a decision and they need some help in making one.

Choosing us means that you benefit from…

Many salespeople focus on explaining why they’re best in the market. But customers aren’t interested in hearing what makes you best. Instead they want to hear what value you can provide to your customers. 

You need to make your buyers the center of the conversation, focusing on their needs and wants, which in turn helps in building more trust as they think you have the best interest in mind. 

While using this phrase, you should explain to the prospect why your services are best. 

A good example would be, “choosing us means that you benefit from a large variety of products to select which comes with the best after-sales service.”

How to make your sales language effective?

A good sales pitch doesn’t sound generic or boring. Neither should it sound robotic or scripted. Rather, a good sales pitch should rely on the same information in different ways that provide value. Below are the seven tips to make your sales language more effective:

Before creating a sales pitch, put yourself in your customer shoes

Customers want to hear your product’s benefits. They want to buy products they need instead of the products you want to sell. And it’s also seen that many customers don’t know what they need. That’s why it’s important to put yourself in your customer’s shoes and figure out what they actually need. Then sell those products with the benefits they offer.

Learn to create a healthy balance of speaking and listening

Every customer has unique needs and requirements. Because of that, every sales case becomes a special case. You can’t push a solution that you learned in the previous sales call into the current one because it’s not necessary that the solution works well in the other case. That’s why you need to listen to your customers well, the problems they are facing and then personalize your response accordingly. 

Use the power of customization

Using scripts to a certain extent is okay. But there should be a line when after you cross the line, you need to keep the script aside and use your own experience/customize the message according to the customer’s needs. 

Stick to your brand’s purpose and value

While catering to your customer’s needs, try to make sure of words that align with your brand’s mission and vision. As it creates an impact, it helps to remain consistent and react out to different people through multiple platforms. 

Let your personality shine through the sales pitch

What’s a good way to make your sales pitch feel human, then it uses your personality. The idea is to use the same words which you use to talk with others. It helps you to be real and authentic. Plus, you’ll get a fresh perspective and it also creates a strong bond.

Use your customer’s story

When you pitch to new customers, use your favorite customer’s stories. Tell a story that makes you excited as it will also keep your prospects excited. And, it will help to connect with customers at an emotional level. 

Remove jargon

One way to tell a message directly to your customers is to cut out the jargon as much as you can. Keeping jargon to a minimum helps customers to understand messages easily. Hence, work on simplifying concepts and providing them in an easy-to-understand language which provides them value. 

Why is it important to include easy words in your sales language?

The sales language you use should be clear, simple, positive and strong. While choosing words, make sure to use the ones whose intent is informative and purposeful. 

You use positive words as much as you can. And stay away from negative words. Using negative words, like, won’t, can’t, don’t, have to, too hard, etc., creates barriers and stops people from moving forward. While using positive language, for example, can do, want to, will do, etc, creates the opposite effect and allows people to see an opportunity. 

The more you focus on positive things, the more it affects the other part of your brain. That lets you change your POV towards the things you see and the people you talk with. 

But that doesn’t mean you should always use soft words to change the perception of your customers.

Instead, you should speak clearly and to the point. Explain all the points in a simple language. Answer their queries. Most importantly, attend the sales call with a positive mindset. 

The three types of sales language 

In the sales language, you need to make use of three universal languages. The kind of language used depends upon what type of language your customer uses. 

Visual language

People who use visual language usually paint the picture with their words. When your customers ask to explain something in detail or they need to see a particular benefit in action, then they are the visual listener. 

Some examples of visual language are:

• Can you show me how this works?
• What do you mean by…?
• I’m unable to visualize this…

In response, you should say:

• Can you see for yourself how this benefit increased our sales?
• Our product can increase your revenue by…
• When you use this product, it will help you to cut 10% costs.

You can use these phrases at every stage of the buyer journey.

Auditory language

In auditory language, the person speaks and understands words through sound. They often say ‘I hear you’re telling me…’ which indicates the use of auditory language.

Other examples include:

• That sounds good to me.
• I was told
• That rings a bell

The rule of visual language also applies in the auditory language – attending to the people’s needs and pointing your explanation to consider their needs.

Action language

Action language users use feature words to demonstrate action or movement. They will often say ‘we’ve got a handle on the situation’ or ‘I’m trying to get a grasp on this’

Other examples of action language are:

• There was a lot of arm-twisting involved
• I’ve only scratched the surface on this topic

You can use strong words to mirror their approach. 

We’ve only touched a small topic on how using powerful words can help you to close deals. It can also help you to overcome price objections and help you to understand what effective conversation looks like. From there on, you can analyze metrics and make adjustments to get better results. 

Bio: Kesar Rana is a passionate B2B content marketer. She helps start-up and B2B companies generate more leads through her powerful content marketing strategies.