Five Words To Avoid In Business

They are common, every day words that seem harmless. Casual words thrown into your client/customer communication. Often, we don’t give them much thought.

But the following five words (and words like them) are killing your position of strength with your clients.

How many are you using?

The Words to Avoid

“I just wanted to see if we could grab lunch.”

“I think this could be a good fit for you.”

“I wanted to see where you stood…”

“I kind of wanted to have a conversation with you about…”

“You’ll probably benefit from this.”

Qualifiers Weaken Your Position

In the last two weeks I’ve heard these words used in actual selling conversations…multiple times. The italicized words are qualifiers. They dilute the meaning of other words used in the same sentence. Qualifiers are in our lexicon and we use them too often when persuading a client to accept an idea or recommendation. Clients of mine who used these qualifiers also desired to be seen as knowledgeable, helpful, insightful and genuine.

Stronger Options

Try these phrases instead: “Let’s grab lunch together.” “This can be a good fit for you.” “Where do you stand with…?” “Let’s have a conversation about…” “You’ll benefit from this.” Job #1 is to hear yourself qualifying your thoughts then, begin substituting more declarative words in their place. I’m not recommending you become presumptuous but rather become more declarative with your conversations as you deliver your ideas to your clients. You will subtly become a better communicator as you consciously choose your words as your client’s trusted partner.

What other words can you eliminate?