In The Sales Success Handbook,
Linda Richardson points out
how many salespeople blunder
by using the word tell.
“When a salesperson called his product specialist
to help him compose an e-mail to a hot prospect
and asked for help in describing
the purpose of the meeting
they would be requesting,
the specialist said,
‘To meet with you to tell you
about our fully integrated…
and how we can… ‘
A customer-first mindset would have changed
the nuance of the e-mail.
A specialist tuned into his or her sales talk
might have said,
‘To learn about your…
initiative and discusss how our fully integrated…
might support you in…'”
Notice the subtle yet significant change.
Using tell says the pitch is all about you
and what you can gain from the sale.
By switching the wording,
the pitch becomes customer focused.