Decrease Your Adjectives, Increase Your Sales!

By Michael Oliver

Do you repeatedly use the same adjective as an exclamatory remark, such as "excellent" or "great" or "awesome", when responding to potential partners, especially when you're calling leads?

Or could you be using them and not be aware of it? (You will be now!)

Consider, if you will, what this habitual overuse of the same adjective may do to your conversation.

The overuse of an adjective can…

 

-Disempower you and your eventual message. It can sound as though you are just going through the motions.

-Show a lack of being really present.

-Give the impression that you're not too sure about your subject or yourself and are grasping for time.

-Demonstrate nervousness or a lack of confidence and subsequently leadership. (People look for leaders with confidence).

 

Here are 5 possible causes and what you can do about it…

Cause 1:

A need to over reinforce the positive.

One of the most common reasons for this behavior is that you may have been taught, or think you have to reinforce a positive remark that your potential partner has made. There is nothing wrong in doing it once or twice, but more than that and it can sound abnormal and contrived.

Being aware is the first step to change. When you think and feel a repeated adjective coming on just bar it from passing your lips. Refuse to let the habit get the MLM Lead King of you. Soon it will go away and you'll realize you didn't need it any way!

Cause 2:

Nervousness

Nervousness of making the call can put you into a reactive as opposed to a proactive mode.

Learn to let go of your inner dialogue… that part of your brain that keeps chattering away with all those negative thoughts and thinking you've got to get it right.

You've got it right by just starting! Just concentrate on your PURPOSE instead of your Personal Agenda to take the focus of you and put it on the other person. (You can read more about the importance of this and how it puts you in the correct state of mind, in my book "How to Sell Network Marketing without Fear, Anxiety or Losing Your Friends!")

Cause 3:

Trying to fill the silence

Most Direct Sales People and distributor's are afraid of silence because they feel they are letting go of control.

In fact, the reverse is true.

When you let go of your "need to be in control" you ARE in control. Of whom? Yourself! People will pick up on this vibration and automatically give you the respect you're giving yourself.

Remember, "Silence is… GOLDEN!" and never more so than in sales. Get comfortable with silence. Take advantage of it. Make it work for you and not against you. People are more likely to tell you a whole lot more about themselves. Let THEM fill the gap!

There's more about this and how to listen effectively in Chapter 7 of my book.

Cause 4:

Fear of being asked an "awkward" question.

There is no such thing as an awkward question; just lack of preparation to answer it confidently and correctly. Preparation is the key. Prepare for everything and expect nothing. (I get asked more questions about this subject than any other and it's the easiest and most interesting part of the Dialogue to my mind!)

Cause 5:

Lack of Being Present

If you're not present and thinking of something other than the conversation that you are participating in, such as working out what to say next, moving your potential partner to the next step… your mind will automatically respond with the easiest reply, (which in most cases will be a convenient repeated adjective).

To overcome this, concentrate on "Letting Go" and have that dialogue. Ask questions, listen, and respond to the answers surrounding the 3 key points of what they want, why do they want it, and are they really prepared to take action to do something about it. And then really listen and be present!

So having said that, relax and have an amazingly, awesome, terrific and fabulously great day!

To your success...

Michael Oliver

"Reprinted with permission from Michael Oliver, Natural Selling® Sales Training. http://www.naturalselling.com"

 

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