5 Very Powerful Words in Sales

I’m not a salesperson.

In many early meetings with a prospect or a member of the Buyer’s Table, saying these words will change the entire tone of the meeting. It causes the other person to relax and to give you the necessary data to be able to figure out if you can provide a solution to their challenge. But if you are not a sales person, what are you? I am not a title-doctor, but I have heard a number of good alternatives:

• Business Analyst
• Solution Architect
• Application Adviser

Don’t misunderstand me; I am a huge proponent of the profession of selling. What is disarming about changing the title is that it is a more accurate representation of the real role in today’s business culture. When I talk to the best sales people and ask what they spend their time doing in meetings with prospects, the answers are almost always, “Asking questions and trying to understand their real issues.”

One of my maxims is “If you want to sell big sales, never get caught selling.”