“Don’t waste precious seconds being inauthentic with fluff and crutch words and get to the point.” – Liz Wendling in today’s Tip 486
Are you using filler words, crutch phrases, and lazy language in your email communication?
Join the conversation below and learn more about Liz.
Liz Wendling Website (FREE Audio Program)
Liz Wendling Blog
The Heart of Authentic Selling
Sell Without Selling Your Soul
Liz Wendling on LinkedIn
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Transcript
Scott Ingram: You’re listening to the Daily Sales Tips podcast and I’m your host, Scott Ingram. Today’s tip comes from Liz Wending. Liz is a nationally recognized business and sales consultant and the author of 6 books. Liz shows professionals how to make a profound difference in the way they sell and communicate both online and offline. Here she is with one of those ideas:
Liz Wendling: Are you using filler words, crutch phrases, and lazy language in your email communication? The most common and outdated email opening lines that irritate and aggravate and come across, also cheesy and phony sound like this.
The following examples used to be friendly pleasantries back in the day. Now they have become useless phrase grenades that add no value and also keep in mind many spam messages start out with this inauthentic and in personal approach. And here’s what they sound like. “I hope you’re doing great.” “I hope you had a great weekend.” “I trust this email, finds you well.” “Hope you’re having a productive day.” “Hope all is going well.”
Really, do you? First, if you don’t know me at all and you start interacting with me that way it comes across phony and completely insincere. I don’t care if you know me even just a little bit. Those are what I call throwaway phrases that everyone else is using and they add no value. Now I know you’re trying to be nice and you want to start your messages attempting to make a connection with someone, but why oh why would you want to sound like you got stuck in the 1990s and use the sales language that millions of other people are using.
Your first sentence needs to assist the recipient around the intention of your email. This allows people to decide if your message needs to be addressed immediately, filed away as informational, or can be handled later or sent right to the junk folder. Don’t waste precious seconds being inauthentic with fluff and crutch words and get to the point because remember, spam messages start out with this inauthentic approach.
Every time I teach this concept to someone, they will always push back and say, “Well, why can’t I be nice?” “Why can’t I say something that’s not all about business?” And I tell them that. I’m not suggesting that they don’t be kind. I’m not suggesting that they don’t be a human, but I teach them to write their email backward. Put these pleasantries at the end. If you feel like you absolutely have to be nice to someone in that way, you can put it at the end of the email and just say, “Hope you had a great weekend.” “I hope all is well with you.”
Don’t waste precious seconds in the first line making it look like your spam by using words that do absolutely nothing to increase your value. Leave them out of it and you will get ahead.
Scott Ingram: As always we’ve got more about Liz for you at DailySales.Tips/486. One of those links will take you to a free audio program where Liz will show you how to transform your sales language and change your sales results.
Once you’ve connected with Liz and checked out her resources, be sure to come back tomorrow for another great sales tip. Thanks for listening!