Last night, I was enjoying my favorite summer TV show, “America’s Got Talent,” on Hulu. A leather-clad dance crew with fire spewing shoes finished their clogging routine and the show cut to a commercial break. But instead of seeing the Ford “Speed Dating” commercial that I’ve just about memorized, the video player went completely black except for a small strip of text that read, “Something went wrong trying to play this advertisement. Click here to fix it.”
Really? You want me to fix your video player so I can watch more ads? Not even if you sent me a pair of fire spewing shoes! “Hulu, you have no clue.”
The senselessness of Hulu’s message would be the same as a salesperson approaching a potential customer at a networking event and whispering, “I have laryngitis. Here’s my brochure. Would you mind reading my sales pitch out loud so I can save my voice?”
Ridiculous, right? Actually, it’s not that far from the clueless expressions salespeople use with customers every day. The classic is: “I’m just checking in to see if you have any questions.” (You’ve never done this, right?)
The worst thing about clueless messages isn’t that they don’t yield responses. It results in your customers losing respect for you and saying to themselves the same thing I did about Hulu. “Salesperson, you have no clue.” It doesn’t just trash the sale – it tarnishes your reputation.
It’s time to replace the senseless utterances salespeople use so frequently with response-getting, respect-building, relationship-advancing articulations that help you make sales.
Let’s start with the one I bashed above:
Clueless Saying #1: “I’m just checking in to see if you have any questions.”
Why it’s clueless: It’s a smokescreen anyone can see through. You have to admit you don’t really care if they have questions. You’re just tired of waiting for them to respond.
Here’s the clue: If you’ve built rapport, given value first, and truly left them wanting to buy, then you can keep it honest, simple, friendly, and confident.
Replacement: “Can I get an update?”
Clueless Saying #2: “Is there anything else I can do to win your business?”
Why it’s clueless: It’s an admission that you haven’t inspired enough trust for the customer to level with you about their real reason for not wanting to buy.
Here’s the clue: If your customer is hesitating and you feel there is some barrier you haven’t uncovered and removed yet, ask an empowering question that invites them to create a “perfect world” scenario. Often, they’ll reveal their hidden reservations, giving you the chance to provide ideas and answers that will help close the sale.
Replacement: “What one thing would you change about our product that would make it close to perfect?”
Clueless Saying #3: “Do you know what we do?”
Why it’s clueless: A favorite opener at trade shows and networking events, this question is really a confession that you’re probably not well-known. Bad way to start. But it’s popular because it’s an easy way to open a conversation with a stranger. The problem is that it puts the customer in an awkward position. 9 times out of 10, they’ll respond, “No, I’ve never heard of you.”
Here’s the clue: The replacement for this one is simply to turn it around. It seems obvious, but very few salespeople ever ask it.
Replacements: “Tell me what you do.” or “What business are you in?”
Clueless Saying #4: “Thanks again.”
Why it’s clueless: This is how all mediocre salespeople end their follow-up emails after initial meetings with customers. It’s using false politeness in the hopes that gratitude will gain you favor. It’s what you say to your plumber for removing the knee-high septic backup in your basement – not a customer.
Here’s the clue: Customers don’t want to be drenched in gratitude. They want you to help them make more money and be successful. Nix the hyper-thankfulness. Instead, end your emails with a confident question that keeps the conversation moving, or just ask for the sale.
Replacements:
“What’s the next step?”
“When can you meet again?”
“What details need to be squared away?”
“Your thoughts?”
“How does that sound?”
“Ready to get started?”
“Fair enough?”
Clueless Saying #5: “Are you still interested?”
Why it’s clueless: You already know the answer and it’s “no.” If they were truly interested they would have contacted you. Silent prospects are either not interested at all or more interested in something else.
Here’s the clue: A better strategy is to give them new informaton or fresh ideas to consider.
Replacement: “Here’s a new idea for you. Take a look and let me know what you think.”
Clueless Saying #6: “Great to meet you. I’ll give you a call.”
Why it’s clueless: The majority of salespeople use this expression to close a conversation with a new contact, but it’s as meaningless as the standard greeting “How are you?” Essentially, it translates to: “We’ll probably never talk again.”
Here’s the clue: Say goodbye to new contacts by giving them something to chew on. Challenge them. Leave them with a cliffhanger. Set them up for your next meeting in style.
Replacements:
“When I follow up with you tomorrow, I want your answer to this question…”
“I’m going to contact you very soon – be thinking about this…”
“If I could help you do [x], how much more [y] would you have? I’ll call for your answer.”
“I have a riddle for you. See if you can answer it before I follow up.”
“When I follow up, be prepared to talk about yourself and hear specific ideas about how I can help you.”
I challenge you to examine your entire sales process for meaningless messages. Remove them. Replace them with something valuable that differentiates you and continues the pattern of intelligence and providing answers.
It would have been so much better if Hulu had just said, “Something went wrong trying to play this advertisement. Congratulations! This commercial “break” is sponsored by Ford.”
Maybe you have another Clueless Sales Saying or a better replacement than mine. Add your comment below!
This is great – thanks!
I always find myself closing email’s with ‘thanks again’ and when I’m chasing someone about a new project saying ‘just checking in to…’
Going to use a few of these for sure!
Will, Go for it. You’re in the 99% of salespeople that do it. I’ll feel the temptation too every time I get to the close. The other 1% use the expression, “Just coming back around to…”
Andy, for #6, I usually say, I’ll follow up with you next Tuesday (or whatever day we talked about), but I like your ideas on this one better.
Thanks!
Karen – love to you and everyone at Crowne Services. Here’s my thought on “I’ll follow up with you next Tuesday” means they don’t have to do any thinking or preparation. They free to forget you, because you’ll call next Thursday. I want to keep the conversation going. I want to leave them thinking, “Hmmm, they really got me thinking.” I want them eager for part 2. – Your buddy, Andy
Andy-this is about the best advise I think I’ve ever read on/in a newsletter of any kind. Gotten to the point I just delete through most of the dribble I get from them (or cancel them) but this is good stuff.
Yea…I’m guilty as can be of some/most of these at some point with too many of prospects/clients. (yikes!)
Thanks! (opps—clueless #4)
Your Thoughts?
dm
What a compliment. Thank you, Dave! Love the close – it actually got me. My thoughts – you’re a very smart guy.
Thanks Andy, great tips. I will give them a try today!
You go with your bad self, John! Let me know how it works out…
Andy – Great tips! There you go providing value yet again. You guys are great! Thanks for what you do!
Carlile
Roanoke, Va.
Ah, my fellow Roanoker! It’s 100% my pleasure, Carlile.
Andy,
Being a nice guy and knowing that appreciation and gratitude are super important both in work and your personal life it is easy to overdue the pleasantries.
Do you find that they also seem to make a sales person seem like they don’t have much going on that they are seemingly soooo grateful for a response? Your thoughts?
Charlie, I totally agree. I think the over-niceness and over-politeness puts salespeople in a “please like me” low-level position. If you have value to give and expertise that’s in demand, you can talk like you would to a business peer – with boldness, confidence, and self-respect. When you reply to a prospect, “Give me an update,” it can translate as friendly yet bold. It’s how you speak to a friend and it commands respect and a response. You’re not being a jerk – you’re requesting that the professional you’re communicating with fulfill his commitment to reply. When you do, prospects often respond with something like this, “Oh, sorry. Yeah, things are looking good still. I’ve just been busy. Can you talk this afternoon?”
Great suggestions, Andy. My struggle has always been with the close in an email. Couple of things; one sounds stupid by why put your name? My email address is me, so they know who I am. Who else would be signing my email? Over my career I’ve used everything from “Regards” or “Best Regards” (too formal) to “sincerely” (That’s for lovers), to a plain “Thanks” (but for what?) and now simply “Cheers”. I know it’s kind of like “Have a nice day.” but it seems innocent enough and friendly. Your thoughts?
Your name is important. It says, I’m here and I hear you. The problem is that we feel we have to END an email when we should be opening it to the response. I don’t want a “Cheers” which just means see you next year. I want “What do you think” and “On the edge of my seat for your reply.” Then put your name. OPEN your emails… to dialogue, reactions, replies, opinions, feedback, ideas, completion of your thoughts. Get them involved. Provoke thought. Prompt creativity. Spark involvement. OPEN, don’t CLOSE your emails.
Thank you for taking the time to write out these embarassing statements and better solutions! I’ve used too many of these and each time I send the email saying “thanks” I feel like I should be saying more.
Along a similar line, a piece of advice I’ve recently learned is that I shouldn’t say “no problem” when someone else says “thank you” but that I should respond “you’re welcome!”
Value-packed advice. I always want a reason to call or email, but this adds more oomph to the communications.
Oomph. Great term. We all need an oomph alert in sales. “Alert! Alert! This message does not have enough oomph. Please revise.”
Perfect timing for me to read through this!
With several follow-ups running at the same time I’ve gotten lazy when checking in for an update and find myself being toooo thankful when I get a reply. Often when I look hard at the calendar I see that it’s only been several actual work days or maybe the Labor Day holiday thrown in so the response time is really normal for somebody that has other things to do besides get back to me with an update every time I call or email -
I’ve been dialing back the intensity on what are really normal follow-ups and using the extra energy to get creative for new prospects.
In the past I’ve heard the approach “I haven’t heard from you in a while – is there something wrong? I’d like to do my best to get things back on track.”
Curious if you think this is overly apologetic or falls into the tooooo nice category of wanting to be liked?
Yes, way too overly everything. It comes across as desperate. When a customer has “gone dark” it’s usually because (a) they don’t want to tell you they chose another option, (b) because they’re done with you, or (c) because they’re swamped and you’ve been back-burnered. Let’s assume it’s “c.” The only chance you have is to get back on their radar with new ideas. “I haven’t heard from you in a while…” is a guilt tactic. “I’d like to to do my best to get things back on track” is an admission of helplessness. You have to confidently re-insert yourself as a value provider and expert. Instead of scratching at the door like a puppy, give them a new idea, a challenge, a relevant customer story, anything that has value, relevance to them. If they find it helpful, they may just write back and say, “That was brilliant. Thank you! When can we get together again, I’m ready to kick things back into action.”
Andy,
Great advice. I’ve actually changed my outlook to AUTOMATICALLY replace one of these whenever I catch myself doing it. I went into autocorrect and put “win your business” so that anytime I even start to type it, it replaces it with my (similar) version “if you’re like me, you probably _hate_ obstacles… if we have one here, can you let me know? I’m world-class with obstacles!”
It’s less formal and pitchy, uses a “wake up” word (hate) in a lighthearted way, and also lets them know I intend to continue the process.
The less “thinking” I have to do on-the-fly, the better. So, I save my autocorrect dictionary for all my stupid “auto-pilot responses” that I type without even knowing. Then, two months later when you start writing stupid… like magic, you’ll get an instant replacement from a better, more refreshed you. I have about a dozen of these!
Very well done article Andy. Kudos!
James D Mitchell
Auto-correcting for clueless expressions! I love it. Man, we should sell this as a plug-in. James, you get the prize for innovation here. Well done back at you.
Nice article!
The question that I shake my head at everytime I hear it is… “How is that going for you?” or “How is that working out?” It is a filler question that sales reps use when they are new or unsure of what else to ask. The answer will likely be “Good” or “Great,” which causes the sales rep to lose momentum in gathering valuable information. Also, if things weren’t “Good” or “Great,” they would have called you. Instead of asking “How is that going for you,” ask “What do you like best about your current provider?” or “Is there anything you would like differently about your current process?” or even “Rank your current provider on a scall of 1 – 10, and why?”
Or, If you could change one thing about your current provider, what would it be? I’ve also asked, “If you made it your self (or provided it yourself), how would you do it differently?” It involves them in the thinking process. Regardless, I like where you’re going, Ryan!
A quick observation and you will also note that the “clueless sayings” are mostly of a passive nature. On the other hand, your “replacement statements” put the emphasis on having a proactive vocabulary, approach and attitude.
Proactive is so underrated and underused. Astute, George. Thank you.
Great ideas! I’ll share with my sales team today….
Guilty as charged – I’ve followed up with the “do you have any questions” tactic on calls and emails. If they had questions, they would have contacted me already. Unfortunatley, I’ve frequently employed the ‘false gratitude’ tactic for lack of anything better to say. I always felt silly thanking someone for sending me an email, when they’re replying to something I sent them in the first place.
This is probably one of the most relevant articles I’ve seen in the Gitomer newsletter for a while, this is one really easy way to make real sales connections.
I think most of us have blood on our hands when it comes to clueless sales messages out lack of having nothing better to say – we default to the accepted and status quo. But the great news is that once you start examining and rethinking what you could say and the impact you could have, the sky’s the limit. Thanks for the compliment, Jay. Go get ‘em! – Andy
I am definitely guilty of putting unnecessary fillers in the opening and closing of my emails. I am looking for strong alternatives to the boring email opening of “good talking to you earlier” / “thanks again” and ending with “let me know if you have any questions”.
Thoughts? What are some powerful alternatives?
Bryan,
The key is to refer to something specific that you discussed when you spoke last: “After our chat, you got me thinking…” and “Remember when I said…” and “Your answer to my question touched on something big…” Email is the continuance of a conversation. Not the beginning or end. We open and close with unnecessary formality. Start your email where you left off, right in the middle of an exciting, authentic, specific conversation. Then end by turning the mic back over to the customer.
- A
Whoa, consider me guilty on a couple of these. Great thoughts. Some of this is so common sense, but it is so easy to get caught up in the mundane.
I have always tried to use an original approach. The old cliches, “clueless sayings”, have irritated me when approached by sales people. When thinking about what to say I first remind myself what I don’t want to hear and how I do not like sales people who waste my time.
Great article. Definitely going to incorpoate some these suggestions and I’m going to start today! Thanks.
I thought the same thing when Hulu was buffering. ‘Seriously? You want me to take action to expose myself to an unnamed advertising message?” Thats like opening a spam email, in my book.
They’ve also rolled out some options to ‘choose your advertising experience.’ You can select 3 short commercials, one one long commercial before your show starts.
As a consumer, I was mildly offended. I expect that marketing does the research to find out what would work best for me.
Doing that research during the viewing experience makes the marketers look lazy, and makes me feel like I have to partake in a focus group just to watch reruns of 30 Rock.
Now I’m a Netflix subscriber, because Hulu was clueless.
I love your Replacement sayings in this post. It’s like a peek inside a master salesperson’s lexicon.
This image is really offensive.
Jeannie,
The image was not meant to be offensive in any way. I can assure of this because I picked the image. However, I can see how it would offend so I have changed it for what I think is a more fitting one. I hope you like it and I hope you’ll accept my apology. Thanks for speaking out.
- Andy
Yes, I do. Appreciated the quick response.
I just want to agree with Jeannie and to point out that other companies have had to post retractions and apologies for much less offensive images than this one. This image is violent and oppressive.
Violent and oppressive is not what I was going for here. We swapped it out with a new one. Power to the people – and my blog readers
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