11 Stupid Sales Cliches

STOP your sales team from using STUPID CLICHES!

If you’re in sales, start thinking about what it’s like to be sitting on the other side of your pitch. It can be excruciating for a buyer to listen to you, especially when one gets similar emails, phone calls and in-person or on-line sales presentations from companies saying the same things. These days it’s so easy to follow the crowd regarding how companies sell because the same pitches can be heard everywhere. Anything that smacks of new that works gets picked up and used immediately. Usually large technology companies or a new well funded start-up begins the process with new vocabulary or they take a fresh unexpected approach to the way that they sell the prospect. Business intelligence folks, marketing, and sales people from other companies notice and begin to use the same jargon. The new verbiage gets broadcast across many types of businesses as the best way to sell a deal and the process begins.

The prospect and the seller are on the same jargon page until the prospect begins to hear it all the time – at that point, you’re just another salesperson because you sound just like everyone else.

Here are some sales cliche examples that have been around for awhile and are getting very stale:

1.)Our value proposition

2.)Our Mission Statement

3.)We provide total solutions

4.)We have over xxx years combined experience

5.)We provide 24/7 service

6.)Our value add

7.)We are the leader in XXX

8.)6 Sigma certified

9.)Best Practices

10.)We’re number one in the space

11.)Thought Leader

If you want to win, you need to come up with unique ways to communicate your message and engage the prospect/client. Approach your constituency with simple and unexpected communications that are designed to take stale material and make it exciting.