The Bad Words You Should Never Use in a Sales Call

By Jeff Beals

During the summers in high school and college, I worked as an outbound telemarketer.

I hated it, but because I was a good salesperson, it paid a lot more than the typical summer job.

For four hours each evening, I’d sit in a call center with 150 other college kids (and a few adult “lifers”) selling a vacation membership program to unsuspecting people who made the mistake of answering the phone.

There was a catchy little phrase we telemarketers used to say to each other back in those days:

“Smile, dial and push trial.”

What did that mean?  The vacation membership program came with a 30-day trial.  If you were not completely satisfied, you could get your money back as long as you cancelled in the first 30 days.

Our employer didn’t allow us to push trial, instead preferring us to sell the membership on its merits.  From the telemarketers’ point of view, however, it seemed so much easier to make a sale if we could simply say, “Hey, if you don’t like it, you can always cancel it within 30 days!”

Well, our employer was correct.  It’s never good to put a lot of emphasis on free trials.

In fact, a recent Gong study listed the term “free trial” among the worst words you can use in a sales call.  Uttering the words, “free trial,” to your prospective customer decreases your likelihood of securing the next step in the sales process by five percent.

Here are the other taboo sales-call words:

1. “Show you how”

2. “We provide”

3. “Competitor”

4. “Billion”

5. “Discount”

6. “Roadmap”

7. “Contract”

8. “Absolutely” and “perfect”

9. “Implement” and “implementation”

10. “Payment”

11. “However”

12. “For example”

13. (Your company’s name)

As I consider these worst words, a few observations come to mind.

Prospective clients don’t respond well to anything that demands a commitment, comes across as cheesy, makes them feel overwhelmed or is focused on the seller rather than the buyer.

When choosing the words you’ll say in your next sales call, use collaborative words and focus on what your client values rather than what your company offers.

Jeff Beals shows you how to find better prospects, close more deals and capture greater market share.  Jeff is an international award-winning author, sought-after keynote speaker, and accomplished sales consultant.  He has spoken in 5 countries and 41 states.  A frequent media guest, Jeff has been featured in Investor’s Business Daily, USA Today, Men’s Health, Chicago Tribune and The New York Times.”

Here’s Why Should You Choose Jeff Beals as Your Next Speaker:

“Jeff Beals has presented four different topics at five of our internal events this year. At each event, the audience of commercial real estate principals and agents was completely engaged and motivated the entire time. Jeff facilitates his training sessions in such a way that each member of the audience was able to relate and understand how to apply it every day in the field. Jeff is brilliant, and we have hired him to continue speaking at our events next year!” – Lindsay Fierro, Senior Vice President, NAI Global, New York, NY

“Jeff Beals is a consummate pro. With short notice, he put together an engaging, fun, sales-focused presentation full of specifics – just what our exec team needed. We’ll ask him back for annual company retreat again next year.” – John Baylor, President, On to College, Lincoln, NE

“You brought great value to our event. The workshop was a huge experience for our attendees by giving them the opportunity to improve their work in the critical environment in which we are living today. Your talent as a speaker and your qualities as a person made the difference during your time with us. I would certainly recommend you to anyone who asks.” – Ana Paula Costa, Educational Planner, Febracorp, Sao Paulo, Brazil

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