If your market is sensitive to particular words, or to being labeled in any way, your business can help your employees cope by giving them standardized templates for email and written communication. For instance, remodelers who specialize in Aging in Place modifications often call their work Universal Design. It is well known among them that if you refer to home modifications that help a person of the prospect’s age deal with growing infirmity you will likely never see them again. In the same way, those who sell accessibility products must learn to address the human being and not the disability.
The best educated sales rep does not learn this skill in school. A new sales rep working in a business where careful choice of language is critical to success may never have had to be so careful before. They may literally have no idea they are sabotaging themselves.
What to do? A little formal training in sales meetings with some written guidelines is a good place to start. Sales Manager and Business Owner can and should set the right example and do so publicly. Then support and reinforce. Give sales reps pre-written email templates they can customize easily with the prospects interests and send from their company email account. Give them letters they can personalize and mail, or set up administrative support to do it for them. Direct mail pieces and print pieces reps give to prospects can reinforce the tactful, successful way to choose words.
Sales reps have to see that choosing the best words and phrases and the non-verbal behavior that goes along with them is truly embraced by the entire business. They can tell in a split second if there is insincerity. Help your sales reps make the right word choice in all of their communications with prospects and customers and you will see the results in increased sales.
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