If you’ve been paying attention for the last few weeks, you’ve gotten a big lesson in salesmanship from the political arena. What makes the lesson so notable is that, although it’s from the political arena, it’s not from a politician. Yes, I’m talking about Donald Trump. I’ve written about Trump before, but his entry into Presidential politics is intriguing.
The commentators, talking heads, consultants, and spinmeisters from both parties are turning themselves into pretzels trying to justify Trump’s high standing in the polls (as this is written, he nearly has double the polling share of his closest rival). Let’s leave his actual policies and politics aside. As I see it, Trump’s appeal boils down to one single, concise factor:
Trump’s talking straight. His statements aren’t poll-tested, focus-group-measured, consultant-nuanced, and carefully calculated to appeal to as many people as possible without committing the candidate to any statement that could be damaging. That’s the pattern that we’re used to from politicians; however, Trump is just saying what he thinks, answering questions off the top of his head, and putting forth his positions and opinions in such a way that they don’t have to be dissected to figure out what he said. And guess what? His supporters love it.
You see, I think many Americans have gotten used to politicians who carefully measure and nuance each word in the fashion that I spoke of earlier. But “getting used to it” does not mean “liking it.”
And this leads me to a topic that I revisit every now and then, and that topic is “Sales Words.”
Sales Words are words that salespeople use to try to make the big questions, or the big statements, seem less obtrusive. They do this by attempting to disguise the real meaning of what we’re asking, or what we’re saying. For instance, one of the popular “Sales Words” is using the word “paperwork” instead of “contract” or “agreement.”
The logic is that the customer won’t react in the same way to the word “paperwork” as he will to the word “agreement.” He’ll sign a contract without really realizing that he’s signing a contract. This is one of those concepts that is built around the idea that the customer isn’t nearly as intelligent as we are.
The fact is that customers are smarter to sales tactics these days than they used to be; this is because we (salespeople) have educated them. And when you use a word or phrase that’s carefully calculated to disguise your real meaning, they can spot it a mile away – and they don’t like it. Sales words erect a barrier between you and your customers, and that barrier prevents trust. When you get right down to it, all you have is trust.
This brings me to the worst of all the Sales Words in the world. Really, it’s a combination of words that goes something like this: “Mr. Customer, if we can do what you want at this price, can we earn your business?” “Earn your business” is one of those cheesy, Sales Word-y phrases that customers easily recognize as a cheap sales tactic. Using this one is like throwing cold water on your customer at the moment when they are ready to close a deal.
Like most non-customer-friendly sales tactics, Sales Words have their root in fear. Salespeople are scared to say what they really mean because they think that if they say what they really mean, the customer will run screaming from the room. The truth is the opposite. When you refer to “paperwork” when your customer knows damn well that the piece of paper to be signed is actually an agreement, it forces the customer to reexamine everything you’ve said, looking for other false statements or understatements. While she’s doing that, she’s getting less interested in buying from you. If you think that doesn’t sound like a winning situation, you’re right.
The impact of this situation, whether in politics or sales, is simple: Your customers can simply cut you out of the process. You might think, “You can’t cut politicians out,” but I’d suggest that is exactly what Republican voters are doing at this point in time by selecting a non-politician. In fact, one other candidate polling in the top five is Dr. Ben Carson, who has never held elective office and is also a straight talker. Combining their poll numbers, that means that around 40% of the Republican likely voters are rejecting typical politicians.
Customers can cut salespeople out of the process, too, in many industries. They do this by simply moving their purchasing to the Internet and not dealing with salespeople at all.
The end result is simple: to stay in your customers’ buying process, say what you mean and mean what you say.
