If you want to persuade me to do something, your communication should focus on me and my response. And to get a response from me, you’ll have to address the issues in my terms, not your terms.

Too often when in conversation, in sales support literature and in emails sales people WE all over their prospects and customer even though they are doing the “benefit” plug. And as research among buyers has shown over 40% of buyers wish, fervently, that sales people would stop the canned benefit plug.

Here is an example of an email. The sales person is doing a good thing in following up a recent sales visit, where they left some literature behind. Unfortunately, he WEs a fair bit on his prospect.

Example

Hopefully you have had a chance to read the information I left with you. If not, the good news is there is a PDF copy attached.

Other companies in your industry (X – Y and Z) initially chose to work with us because of our reduced number of links in the supply chain which meant they typically saved 15% or more on their consumable spend.

Its Simple! We manufacture and wholesale many of our stock lines. We maintain the high quality, durability and functionality of our products along with good stocks. We miss the middle man out where possible and pass the savings. The beauty is that, as we started out as a distributor we understand buying as many products from one place makes it less hassle – we continue to provide this. We also understand the vital components of customer service, therefore offering a complete supply chain which we think is unique.

Blah, blah, blah

Man – that is a lot of WEing…

Use YOU not WE

To focus your attention and your words on the recipient of your communication it is vital to consciously set out to address the issue of actual wordsmithing, writing our document or speech. If you force yourself to use more of the word YOU and replace as many as the word WE as you can then you become far more persuasive because the use of the word YOU makes you write in the other person’s self-interest or frame of reference. In makes your prospect or customer the central figure in the story.

Read that example again with the word YOU in play

It is Simple! You gain access to a manufacturer and wholesaler which means you can buy the majority of what you need from one great place making things much less hassle for you.  You can be certain of the high quality, durability and functionality of the products you need to keep your workforce happy. You can reduce the amount of your cash tied up in stock because of our high stock levels and great distribution. You miss out the middle man, most of the time, and you get to keep those savings for your company. The beauty for you is that, as we started out as a distributor we understand the vital components of customer service, therefore offering you a customer centric and complete supply chain which you will find can be uniquely tailored to suit you.

The Principle of 3:1

Ideally use three times more YOUs when selling, or persuading another, than the word WE. It is tough and worthwhile because it forces you to think in terms of the prospect, their world, their needs their problems as well as how the various features and benefits you want to propose to them can be applied and realised in their world.

While there is plenty of quoted research projects that are said to have made YOU the most potent power word out of the most common twelve, most of those studies never actually took place… There was some research published in 2006 on the levels of brain activation when using words like YOU and people’s names. Words like YOU and our names make up a massive part of our identity. It is no surprise then when we become more engaged and more trusting when our name and our frame of reference is used in a message, verbal or written. In fact in April 2012 a report was published saying Waiters increased the amount received in tips by 23% just by personalising the words they used when leaving the bill with a few mints, simply by emphasising the word YOU.

So replace as many WEs as you can with the word YOU, make your message more persuasive and you might increase your sales results by 23% as well…

If you want to improve your selling skills and your sales results – contact me here