Word Choices - Me, Mine vs. Ours, Yours

There is so much we could talk about as it relates to word choices.   I am a big proponent of conscious language.   I have sales courses for business development reps and managers on the use of conscious languaging in the workplace.   I also coach women and mothers on the use of conscious language for self care, but that is another subject.

Right now, I am focusing on interviewing and hiring people into your organization.   Recently I wrote about 'little red warning flags'.   You can read about it here:

https://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/2019/10/little-red-warning-flags.html

The concept, is watching, acknowledging and tracking the little red warning flags that come up during the interview process and with new hires.   Ignoring them can have disastrous consequences.

But, let's talk about word choices. 

Rudyard Kipling once said, "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.  Not only do words infect, egotize, narcotize, and paralyze, but they enter into and color the minutest cells of the brain . . ."

In this case, I want to speak about ego centric word choices.   When you are in sales, you want to be focusing on your client and/or your prospect, not on yourself. 

Word choices of me, mine vs. ours, yours.   A good sales/business development rep can certainly be arrogant.   It is a fine line between arrogance and disrespect.   As an employer you must learn to spot the difference, ideally, during the interview process.

Watch during the interview or after hiring for language choices.   Here are some examples:

'I would love for you to visit my showroom'.

'I will check with my team and get back to you'.

'I need you to get back to me with your...'

'I suggest you set aside a time to come to my showroom.'

All of these statements exude arrogance and entitlement.   They are not focused on the prospect nor do they show respect of the company or the company's team members. 

Even as the business owner, I would never use language like that.  I would typically say, 'I would love for you to come visit our showroom, or I would be happy, if more convenient, to come to your office to meet you and your team.'  Change the 'I suggest' (me centric) to 'You should'

Every one of his emails?   The subject line was, "'Joe Blow' at Total Displays".  Email subject lines should entice you to open and read an email.   Does anyone really think that subject line is going to make do that?   No wonder his sales numbers were so low.  That subject line could not be more "me" centered. 

Another language issue to be aware of, is an employee that regularly does not call another staff member by name.   We had a recent example, where an employee would regularly refer to me, the business owner, and his boss, as 'she', 'her', and the worst one?  'The wife'.   If an employee is unable to talk about another co-worker or boss by name.   That is a HUGE red flag indicating respect issues.  If you EVER hear things like this, run, run far, far away!


If you listen carefully and start to be aware of tone, word choices and so much more, you can perhaps head off employee issues early on.   My biggest advice is to listen for all the me-centric language and conversation during the interview.   Is everything about the candidate?   Are they always sharing stories that don't relate to you, your company or the position for which you are hiring?  

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Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/

You can also check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com

Little Red Warning Flags

Do you know those things that happen during the day that make you go, hmmmmm?   Do they happen to everyone, or am I just special?   Don't answer that.     When you hire a new sales rep there is this honeymoon period.   You are in love with what that new sales rep can potentially do and they are in love with the potential of a new job.   Sales reps are famous at selling themselves to a potential new boss.   But when the rubber hits the road, can they deliver?

During the honeymoon, you might notice a couple of things.   You know, little red flags.   You notice them but you ignore them because, well you are on your honeymoon (of sorts).   Equate them to a marriage.   It might be like the spouse that puts the toilet paper on the roll wrong, or leaves the toothpaste cap off.   It isn't enough for you to get a divorce but you might take notice.

Here is what I want to tell you.   LISTEN TO THOSE LITTLE RED FLAGS.   Take note of them.   Actually even write a memo to the file and perhaps if they are severe enough, have the audacity to actually speak to your new hire about them.

Over my lifetime of hiring and firing sales reps, I have gotten better at listening and paying attention to those little red warning flags.   But it still hard.   I guess I believe in people.   I am a glass half full kind of girl.   I don't want to believe that these little warning flags could turn into great big red storm warning flags.   It seems though that unless you head those little warning flags off at the pass, they will inevitably turn into a much larger storm and problem.

CRM is your friend when it comes to a new sales hire.   Measuring performance and tracking metrics is incredibly important.  But what I will also tell you, is it is important to have those same metrics recorded for your best and top sales reps.   For example, if you generate potentials through a lot of cold calling, you need to track a couple of key metrics.

• Average number of calls per day (notice I did NOT say dials).  Watch for reps that artificially inflate their metrics by recording a new call for an immediate call back.  I actually had a rep that recorded in 5 minutes, 5 calls to the same prospect and logged them all as separate calls.  

• Number of potentials/opportunities recorded per week.

• This will give you an average # of calls to new potential ratio/percentage.   This is an important number so that you can back into the number of calls required per day/week in order to generate the number of potentials/opportunities you need to make your quota.

This also gives you a baseline metric/goal for your new reps.

When your average number of new potentials to # of calls placed is 10% and your new (supposed seasoned professional new rep) is only 3%.  This is a pretty big red flag. 

Good CRM usage and measurements will help you identify if your little red flags should be heeded sooner than later.

If you have made a bad sales hire?  Cut your losses quickly.  You can lose a LOT of money if you let it drag out too long.   Have those metrics ready, present them as expectations to the sales rep and you will find that they can't hide behind excuses.

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Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/

You can also check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com

Lazy Salespeople - Rant For The Day

I have said it before and will say it again.   People are dying for customer service.   I know I am old fashioned.

Today this happened to me.

We are a small company.   5 seconds on LinkedIn will show that my husband and I own Total Displays.  Seriously 5 seconds.

I answered the phone this morning from an 800 number that had no caller ID.   I assumed it was a Robo call.   We all hate those right?   It was from the 2nd most hated thing, an auto dialer.

Here was the conversation:

Caller, "Hello, make I speak to the owner of Total Displays?"

me, "No."

Caller, "Is there a co-owner that I may speak with?"

me, "No."

Caller (with a VERY annoyed tone). "Oh, well okay then....."

The call lasted all of 21 seconds.   If she had spent 5 seconds researching a name to call she likely would have gotten to talk to one of the two owners.

DON'T BE LAZY. 

Perhaps showing that you actually are interested in the person you are trying to sell to you might be a bit more successful.

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Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.

Read other Total Displays Blog posts at http://totaldisplays.blogspot.com/

You can also check out our website at www.totaldisplays.com