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| Mark Rodgers |
Whether you’re selling products, such as exhaust systems, paint or brake pads, or you’re selling a service, such as computer consulting, dealership management systems or, well … service, the words you use and the phrases that you choose can have a huge impact on your sales success.
Language skills enable you to communicate with more precision and persuasiveness. It’s been said that language is understood at both a conscious and subconscious level, so to dramatically raise your sales effectiveness of both tangible and intangible items, you should work to improve your language skills.
Here’s something you should try—practice describing your common business situations on three different levels: plain-spoken, descriptive or sophisticated. Your past clients were happy, delighted or elated. The approval requirements were tough, formidable or onerous. Your customers’ advantages were important, considerable, substantial or even great, extraordinary or astonishing.
When you do this, you will acquire several important skills and abilities. First, by applying this idea, you will flex your vocabulary "muscles," giving you more ways to describe more things. Second, by matching more closely the language patterns of your customer, you can better connect with them and more effectively communicate (when I worked at a Harley-Davidson dealership in Philadelphia, we had customers from all sorts of backgrounds. We had those who worked at the U.S. Naval Yards, to South Philly guys who spoke nothing but street slang, it seemed, to professors from Villanova University. Let’s just say none of them used the same language!).
And finally, some researchers have suggested that when you improve your vocabulary, you improve your IQ!
How can you do this effectively? Just grab a thesaurus and get started! Learn different ways to describe a particular product’s advantages (first-rate, excellent or superior). Identify and use different ways to describe your business process (easy, simple or effortless). Use different descriptors for situations a customer may experience; for example, without this tire and wheel protection, flat-tire repair expenses can be costly (or expensive or prohibitive).
As you can see from the examples above, language isn’t an exact science. You may choose different descriptors, but the key is to build your vocabulary so that you can match you customer in whatever situation you find yourself. Whether your customers are the plain-spoken sort or they are on the other end of the language spectrum or somewhere in between, you’ll be ready.
Practice this idea and, in short order, you will dramatically accelerate your business results.
Mark Rodgers is the author of the best-selling McGraw-Hill book: Accelerate the Sale. Rodgers will be a featured presenter at the 2011 SEMA Show Education Days program as part of the Powersport Dealer Track. To view a complete Education Days schedule, visit www.SEMAShow.com/education. View the companion video for this article.
If you have a great sales success story to tell, go to www.AcceleratetheSale.com and sign up for Rodgers' “Your Greatest Sale Ever!” contest. No guff. No Gimmicks. Just cool cash for great sales stores. Top prize is $1000.
Powersport Dealer Track Sessions—Powered by Motorcycle & Powersports News
All sessions will be held at Las Vegas Convention Center in Room #S206.
Date: Monday, October 31
Time: 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Session: "AccSELLerate Your Sales: 11 Ways to Dramatically Increase the Speed With Which You Close Vehicle Sales"
Presenter: Mark Rodgers, Peak Dealership Performance
Date: Monday, October 31
Time: 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Session: "Test Rides … Right! Transform Your Test Ride Strategy, Your Tactics and Your Results"
Presenter: Mark Rodgers, Peak Dealership Performance
Date: Monday, October 31
Time: 1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Session: "Overcome Your Toughest Objections, Now!"
Presenter: Mark Rodgers, Peak Dealership Performance
Date: Monday, October 31
Time: 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Session: "Creating Satisfaction and Profits Even When Overwhelmed with Customers"
Presenter: Mark Rodgers, Peak Dealership Performance
Date: Tuesday, November 1
Time: 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Session: "Customer Ratings & Reviews: How to Manage Your Reputation Online"
Presenter: Heather Blessington, Duo Web Solutions
Date: Tuesday, November 1
Time: 1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Session: "Increase Your F&I Profits Through Conversions"
Presenter: Gart Sutton, Gart Sutton & Associates
Date: Tuesday, November 1
Time: 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Session: "Optimizing Powersports Dealership e-Commerce"
Presenter: Craig Cervenka, Edgenet
Date: Wednesday, November 2
Time: 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Session: "Secrets To Boost Technician Efficiency"
Presenter: C.R. Gittere, Service Manager Pro, Cyclepedia Press
Date: Wednesday, November 2
Time: 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Session: "Got Google? How To Get Noticed by Search Engines"
Presenter: Craig Cervenka, Edgenet
Date: Wednesday, November 2
Time: 1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Session: "New Media Strategy: Social & Mobile Marketing"
Presenter: Heather Blessington, Duo Web Solutions
Date: Thursday, November 3
Time: 9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Session: "Exploring New Powersports Dealership Profit Centers"
Presenter: Colleen Brousil, Motorcycle & Powersport News
Date: Thursday, November 3
Time: 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Session: "Supercharge Your Service Profits"
Presenter: C.R. Gittere, Service Manager Pro, Cyclepedia Press