passing this awesome video on… it’s an American’s view of our great nation.

What is the fastest way to have a prospect question your credibility ?  By not using language that is fitting to business.

Case in point: recently I was meeting a new entrepreneur  for the first time, and was discovering what  it is they do. I was hearing  words like; cheap, thing, stuff, guys, and phrases such as; ‘I didn’t bring any cards with me’ ( are you kidding?)  ’you know’, “yah, I drive anywhere”,  ”gotta make a buck”, ” I ‘dunow…maybe” “when I meet people I just give ‘em  some information ( what?)

Gosh, I was stopped in my tracks. Why? because I had little confidence this individual knew how to handle me professionally  if I was to become a customer.

Everyone you speak to needs to hear your own confidence built into the words they  hear.

When is a good time to edit your language? Well, now may be a great time!

Please remove reference to all people as guys; more than half of us are not guys, we are women!

Instead, you can insert words like prospects, clients, customers, colleagues, partners, affiliate.

When referencing your print material for instance, it’s not ’stuff’ , but rather, business brochures, printed information package, reference material, business cards and the like.

When you want to refer to your product, again, lose the temptation to call it ’stuff’. Not too appealing, nor do you do any justice to your product or service. You do want people to purchase it, correct? Then honour yourself by referring in ways like  my/our  product, our promotional item,  line, selection, merchandise, stock, our series, my/our service.

8 Key words and phrases that are sure to engage your prospects:

“I recommend _____”

“your best value is -___”

“may  I suggest__”

“these statistics show ___”

at this low  ( not cheap) price,

our introductory price

absolutely

our guarantee

for a limited time, our service is priced at

“your investment is ”

These are only a few suggestions to help you on your road to words that compel  your prospect into action based on the perception you are the professional who knows your product or service well.

It’s about remaining mindful of the words you chose to share and the relationship you have with words. Step away from slag, it’s not pretty, nor relevant in business. Read books on selling and get comfortable with new phrases in your language . You may not think of yourself as a ’salesperson’ but guess what ? you are! Stepping into the role of entrepreneur is not the same as having a job. You must be the flagship for You!

Cathy recommends  ”The 25 Sales Habits of Highly Successful Sales People“, by Stephan Schiffnam.

For this simple exercise, take a blank sheet of paper, and have a pen or pencil with you. We are going to discover who surrounds you in your business. Call it your   ‘Sphere of Influence’.

In the center of the page print your name, then draw a circle around it. Next, begin thinking of all the people that you can call upon for their expertise. Draw a line out from the center and write their name . Continue to bring to mind people that you use.

Here’s a few to get you started; Financial planner, bookkeeper, printer, web developer, legal, SEO specialist, virtual assistant, computer tech, mentors, coaches, banker, suppliers, graphic designer, marketers and copy writers –  and there may be more depending on your business. Your customers or clients may never know who makes up your Sphere, but you need to be keenly aware.

The point of the exercise is to make  sure you have a visual of all the people who surround you to allow you to run your business smoothly. Most importantly, to bring to the table  what they are good at so you don’t have to attempt to be.

Once you  feel you have completed your ‘Sphere of Influence”, be sure to affirm to each of them how much they mean to you. Send a heart felt card of appreciation- it’ will go a long way. Everyone loves to know they are doing a great job.