Some purchasers are so used to hearing them that they will laugh in your face when you use them. But there will be times that you’ll not understand why the purchaser is laughing when you’re telling him a certain reality. Well, the problem is that sales clichés have been overused. They are often not true or not properly backed up with facts so that now they sound to purchasers like a scratched vinyl disk or an old cassette playing the same song. So whenever you think of any of them, to avoid being laughed at, use facts and market info and try to avoid clichés.
I don’t discourage you to use them, but when you do, please find the right context and sustain your sentence with concrete and substantial facts or info, otherwise, you’ll fall short on arguments and it won’t help you to close the deal. Here are some of the most commonly used sales rep clichés:
- Market is short. There’s a strong demand and some producers are currently in the maintenance of their units. So this unbalanced offer/demand situation leads to a price increase.
- This is really our best offer
- Customer will challenge you, “For which side?”
- What keeps you awake at night?:
- This is sometimes used to find customer’s real problems. Depending on the customer and your relationship with them you might get an honest answer, but be aware that not all buyers are that open or are in a mood to go into dissertations about their private life (sleep is their private terrain).
- I need to ask my sales director/management if we can improve our offer.
- Don’t say this. It just discredits you in front of the customer. This makes it seem as if you’re just a messenger without any decision-making capability. The next time the purchaser might well go directly to the sales director.
- This is a win/win situation
- Use it with caution. Customers have also heard this too often. Save it and use it when for instance you’ve made concessions and expect them to do the same.
- Let me talk about our Customer Value proposition: This is when you think you come up with an offer that will get the customer hooked.
- When you do this, be sure you know the customer very well and that you know their problems and value perception.
- Special price for end of quarter or end of cycle period:
- I recommend the use instead of any other reason for special prices. Campaigns, high stock levels, product rotation.
- You’re one of our strategic accounts.
- The problem is, that the customer won’t feel flattered at all, they will instead expect special “treatment”, special services and special prices.
- Bait and Switch: You make a very attractive offer but later you change some premises that weren’t clear at the beginning and assumed by the customer (with your knowledge):
- Don’t use this. It may get you one deal because the customer might be already trapped, but be assured that now the customer is lost – and he has also lost his credibility in you.
- We don’t name a price, we offer value.
- This is a powerful one if used with caution and with the right customers. Let’s face it, there are customers that are purely interested in the lowest price, particularly in the commodity business where service, delivery, quality or product performance are quite standard and easy to switch between different players.
- We are market leaders.
- Will it fly? Won’t the customer instead feel doubtful and wondering how much more is he paying to work with a market leader?
- Our product can help you reduce your costs.
- Don’t use this statement just because it sounds nice or there’s a very small likelihood that is correct. Use concrete data or facts that can easily be seen by the other side.
- We’re a customer-focused company. This is one of the most often used sales sentences so it doesn’t have any impact or persuasive power at all.
This is an excerpt of my book “sales is my passion”, available here: http://amzn.to/2DY7nVy