Words That Kill The Sale Ten purchasing agents once told Mandus E. Bridston how certain words that salesmen used would kill the sale. Here are a few of these statements collected by Mr. Bridston: “You’re absolutely wrong about this!” “Of course if you want something cheaper I can give it to you.” “I just happened to be down this way and dropped in!” “Do you get me?” “See?” One of the purchasing agents claims that slang goes a long way, and that he would not deal with a man who used slang in lieu of speech. It seems to this buyer that all day long he has to listen to slang expressions, with one salesman actually calling him “My fran.” Another buyer condemns the salesman who sells “soft soap, but not merchandise” and is on the alert for the salesman who keeps saying, “Your pleasure is our pleasure” – “We have your interests at heart” – “~A person who is as keen as you will appreciate this.” “My pet peeve,” sums up a third of Mr Bridston’s purchasing agents, “is the this - is-between-you-and- me salesman. He’s almost as bad as the I - wouldn’t -want- this-to-get- around type, or the don’t -tell-anybody-that-I-said- this type.” Don’t Flatter Obviously “Do you understand?” “Frankly, I’d like to …” “Frankly speaking …” Avoid words that bear false flattery. The prospect is on to them today. Don’t gossip; if you do, the prospect knows you will gossip about him when you are with someone else. Don’t be a bore with a long string of, “I says to him …” and “He says to me …” and “See?” Don’t be an old codger with a line of, “Well, it was like this …” Give the other person a chance to do some of the talking. Be a good listener first, and a good talker second, as Professor Borden advises. It is impossible to list the thousands of worn-out statements that people make to each other every day, that annoy people, that make you want to shout. You have to inventory your own vocabulary. See any gray whiskers? Pluck them out.
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