Thursday's Thoughts - Worst Business Phrase

To anyone and everyone who reads this, welcome! I'm glad you stopped by to read my quick post. I'm hoping you're able to get some value out of it, but also, I kind of hope you laugh about it, because if you've been working in a professional environment for only about a week, I'm sure you've heard the phrase I'm going to talk about.

Before I get to the phrase, I want to quickly say what the Thursday Thoughts posts are about. These are posts that I'm hoping to have every Thursday, not only because I love writing, but these are thoughts that come from conversations with working professionals, and I'm hoping they're able to help others with new ideas, new strategies, and thoughts about commonalities in the professional work environment. The goal is never to call anyone out or state that specific people are ineffective in any way. The goal is strictly positive, and to add valuable insight to readers. I also want to say that these thoughts all come from conversations I've had, so if you want to comment, you could likely spark another thought in the future!

Now that that's out of the way, let's get to it. This is the result of a LinkedIn post a friend of mine posted that made me laugh, and here's the article. I had only heard about half the list in my time working alongside others in a traditional office setting, and that alone made me laugh, but some of these just seem slightly ridiculous. As an example, I've never heard someone say "That's interesting, let's ideate about that", or any variation of that. Honestly, if someone had said that in a meeting, I'm not really sure how I'd react, given that it's such an odd way to say "Let's brainstorm", or "Let's come up with a solution for that", right? Ideate was probably the most interesting one on the list for me, but feel free to comment and let me know which was the most interesting for you. I'd love to see what others say is the most unique, different, or one you've just never heard of before.

As someone who talks a lot and leads a lot of classes on business communication, it was really interesting to read the post, because early on, I had always thought of phrases like "Let's circle back" or "Let's touch base" as someone's unique way of speaking. I figured everyone had their own go-to phrases, and working in an environment where you heard a lot of conversations and voicemails, I could easily be blindfolded, hear a message, and tell you who left that message based on the verbiage. But that should be fine, because that's their style, right?

More attractive version of me leading a seminar

Shameful product plug time - SweetHart Entertainment teaches Communication as one of their Soft Skills Seminars. Find more information on those here! Hey, if I'm not promoting more services, am I really helping the company? Also, it's way better than a YouTube ad, so you're welcome!

That's early me speaking though, and a lot has changed since I started studying and having conversations about communication. Side note - Communication is fascinating. Not just the start of how in the world we came up with a sound system to communicate, and how many different unique sound systems we have across the globe that can all communicate effectively, but how in-depth you can get about communication, and how many different styles there are. Some people communicate directly, and don't want any sugar-coating or fluff in meetings, calls, etc. Some people are super relational, and they love talking about tangents, random thoughts, jokes, etc. I like to think I'm somewhere in the middle, even though I'm sure most of those who have a direct style of communication have already stopped reading once I started talking more about myself than the actual topic...but that's my style, and it works for me, so I'm content!

But I digress....What I've come to find out through talking and learning about Communication the past few years is that there are certain times where you may need to forfeit your own personal style in order to be a more effective communicator to your audience, especially on phone calls. The fact of the matter is that for SDRs, CSMs, AMs, TAMs, CAMs, AEs, RAEs, and any other sales style role, you're trying to find the people who make decisions through your conversations, and you're trying to convince that person that your product or service is worth their investment. And guess what? Those people are buuuuusssssyyyyyy pretty often. Filler words, excessive pauses while you think of what else to say, cliché phrases - All of these can come across as disrespectful for someone who has so many things on their plate and a meeting coming up soon. That's part of why you can feel them getting increasingly annoyed while the call goes on at times, and that that time, you may want to consider pivoting to a more effective communication style that fits them more than yourself.

In my opinion, one of the most pivotal times to be clear and concise with your communication is at the end of the call, and yes, I know some people reading are immediately thinking "It's during the entire call, rook", but hears why I say it's crucial at the end of a call - That's where you're setting up expectations and next steps. Here are 2 examples of what I've heard in many calls over the years:

1. "Well, thank you for your time. We'll reconnect soon and go from there."

2. "Thank you for your time today. I'll follow-up on my end and get you answers via email today, so that you can review those tomorrow. Then, we'll reconnect next week. Does the same time and day work for you?"

Which of those do you think is actually going to get to the next step in the sales process? Of course it's going to be the 2nd person! They set direct next steps, and the person on the other side of the phone has an expectation now. The Sales person stated their next step, then stated the next step for the client, and finished with the next step for both of them. It's a solid approach to making sure the process moves forward.

My frustrations exemplified by a stock photo office female

For me personally, I'll be honest - It was super difficult for me to have that approach when I was just starting out. When you're starting out in a new role, or maybe just not used to Sales, you can think to yourself "I'm just wasting their time", and that makes you less likely to close the conversations strong. If you have that thought, work with a manager or mentor to review the value you're giving people through your product or services, because having a clear reason to why your product/service can benefit people will add that confidence you need to get that thought out of your head, and to not be afraid to close conversations with more intention.

Now for the final reveal!! For everyone who made it this far, this is your reassurance that I didn't do any clickbait for my post! For all of those reasons above, I'm not at all surprised that the CNBC story found 25% of people thought "Touch Base" was the most hated office buzzword. Why would it be the most hated? Mainly because it means almost absolutely nothing. It's the equivalent of saying "You'll hear from me again sometime...maybe....", and if that's the last thing you're telling clients on the phone, then they're probably leaving that conversation unsure of what the next steps are. That means they have no expectations for that next step, and by not closing the conversation in a strong way, you might have procrastinated that conversation moving forward through the Sales process. It's for the same reason that I view "Circle Back" or even "Let's reconnect" as bad ways to close out conversations - They don't give the client (or potential client) any expectation or any action item for them to stay invested in the ongoing conversation with you.

The point here is that you're going to find much more success in advancing conversations, getting referrals, adding to your sales funnel, and eventually closing more sales if you're closing your conversations in a strong way. One way I've found that has success for many different people is to close by detailing what you're working on, what you need them to do until the next conversation, and then what the next conversation will look like. That way, they know the next steps, and they know what you're expecting them to do on their side before that next conversation. After all, few things are more frustrating in a Sales environment than doing ALL of the work to drag someone through sticks and mud for a sale when you know it can genuinely help their business reach some of their goals. Sales go so much more smoothly when you can get the other side bought in, because then they're doing some of the difficult internal work for you. Divide and conquer that sale!

2 legit looking colleagues talking strategy

If you find yourself ending conversations with "Let's circle back", "Let's reconnect", or "Let's touch base", I'm not saying you have to or should stop saying that. I would recommend it, since apparently people are starting to find it slightly obnoxious, but the point here is that you need to add to that thought. Be direct, set exact steps, define expectations. "Let's circle back once you've had the chance to review that proposal. Would the same time next week for you?" is a heck of a lot better than just "Let's circle back", right?

One last thought - For those thinking or saying (if you're that kind of person) "That's fine, but what if I don't know the next steps?" or "Sure, but what if it's a prospecting call and they're just shrugging me off?" Those are great thoughts and questions, and ones that I know a lot of SDRs would be saying to this idea, but there's no reason you shouldn't still be attempting to close prospecting calls in a strong way. If someone is just trying to get off the phone with you, there are ways around that, and I'll save that for another post, but in my opinion, there's never a reason not to close a conversation in a strong and confident way, no matter if you're an Account Executive or an SDR. What's the worst they're going to do, say no? Welcome to sales!

If you enjoyed this post, I would love if you were to comment on your thoughts, and even share the post if you feel it would help someone else you know. Also, if you want to learn more, these topics are covered in our Soft Skills Seminars, so follow this page to learn more, and Contact Us to find out more details about hosting a Soft Skill Seminar about Communication or Closing.