There are numerous phrases in the English language that we often say automatically, out of habit, without even thinking. They just roll right off the tongue, and often don’t deliver the messages we intend to deliver. I want to discuss three of these phrases, or words, in this column, as they have a powerful impact on our ability to complete a sale or bring in a referral.
"No Problem" Can be a Problem
First is the phrase “No Problem”, this one used to be a problem for me, and I bet many of you use it more than you realize. Here’s the problem with this phrase. If you do something for somebody and they say, “Thank You” and you respond with “No Problem.” What you mean by that statement is that your happy to help them, but what they hear is that it’s not a big deal and you’d do it for anybody. When a customer or prospect tells you “Thanks”, try this instead; “You're welcome, I know it’s important to you and I’m happy to help.” That sends a much different message than “No Problem.” I didn’t make that up…I heard it from a gentleman named Jim Pancero many years ago and it’s always stuck with me.
"To Be Honest ..." Really?
A few weeks ago, I was giving a presentation at the Do It Best Fall Market show in Indy. During the wrap-up portion of the presentation a gentleman shared that the phrase “To be honest with you” is one his pet peeves. Right after he uttered those words, I replied “Well, to be honest with you”, he gave me a smile, and pointed at me. And he is right, I say it a lot. His issue with it is that it implies you have not been entirely honest is your past communications. I’ve been working every day since trying to remove that phrase from my vocabulary. I now tell that story to every group I speak to and ask them to be on the lookout for it and call me out if they hear it.
"Just" Don't
Third phrase is a single word: “Just.” A gentleman spoke up today during a training session that he’s always found this word to be problematic when you’re communicating with customers or prospects, as in: Telling somebody that you're there to “just measure the roof,” “just give a price for a job,” “just look for issues with their present windows,” etc. His issue is twofold, number one, you’re minimizing the value you, and your company brings with the word “just”, and secondly you could be lying to them. For instance, you tell a potential customer early in the interaction that "you’re just going to measure the roof." Then later in the call you ask for the order, and potentially challenge them a little when/if they give you an objection. They may perceive that your statement of “just going to measure the roof” was misleading and not entirely accurate, which could put damper on your ability to earn that sale.
The Power of a Memorable Response
Using words that truly convey your messages is important and avoiding words or phrases that could have unintended consequences is a good practice to get into. Your responses directly translate into better sales. A prime example is what workers at Chick-Fila say when a customer tells them “Thank You.” Their reply is consistently, “My pleasure.” I’m not sure how they get teenagers to be so polite to customers and religiously communicate in a certain fashion. The training must be fabulous. Heck, they might want to write some parenting books, because we all get challenged when communicating with our children from time to time. The customer service experience at Chick-Fila is a big reason for their success. There is a magazine devoted to the fast-food industry titled QSR (for "Quick Service Restaurant") that publishes an annual Top 50 Fast Food Restaurant List. In 2021, Chick-Fila sold more, per store, per year than McDonald’s, Starbuck’s and Subway combined! And they do it in 6 days a week (they are closed on Sundays) as opposed to 7 days a week for the others.
I had a teacher in the 8th grade who always told the students “Say what you mean, mean what you say.” I’m 58 years old, and I still remember what a teacher told me when I was 13 years old. There is something we can all learn about communication from Chick-Fila, as well as from a memorable grade-school teacher. Happy Selling!
