Sales pitches can be daunting and downright terrifying. It’s important that you use the right language and avoid any words that can have a negative impact on your pitch. There are certain words that should be avoided when pitching a sale to a potential client. While researching this piece, I was surprised at some of the words which were considered bad for a pitch. I’ll let you make your own judgement.
1
Maybe: You want to sound confident about your product. It’s not a good idea to sound as though you are unsure or hesitant.
2
Guarantee: While this might sound like a good word to ensue confidence in your product, if you guarantee something you can’t deliver, you may come to regret it later.
3
Hope: This could cause the client to doubt you because you don’t sound confident in what you are selling or proposing.
4
Contract: This one surprised me, however it has come up time and time again as a no no. It is better to use the term “agreement” instead.
5
Trial: This one may sound alarm bells to your client. It would be far better to use the term “pilot” instead. It has a more professional ring to it.
6
Basically: A huge no no. Essentially what you are telling the client is that the product is more complex and they are not smart enough to understand it. Avoid this word at all costs.
7
Assume: Never assume. As the well known saying goes.
8
I don’t know: Ok, so this is more a phrase than a word. Always prepare before going into a meeting with a client. Being unprepared is a huge turn off.
9
Cheap: While this may seem like a positive, it will not only reflect on the price of what you are offering, it could also send a message to the quality of it as well. Try using the word “competitive.”
10
Honestly: This one pops up time and time again. By using this word, it runs the risk of sewing seeds of doubt about the honesty of what you have told the client. Sounding confident and being well prepared is what you need.
Preparation is absolutely crucial when you are going into a meeting. Knowing your product will come across in a pitch and instill confidence. The other thing to remember is to avoid words that have negative connotations, try to keep it positive. Saying the wrong thing could have catastrophic affects on your business. Not only with whoever you’ve given a bad pitch to, but a lot of business is done through word of mouth these days. Plus with social media being as big as it is? Word spreads fast. Make sure you knock it out of the park on the first try.
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