People say there is power in the words you use, so I did a little research into the most potent power words to suggest in my media sales training. I looked for words that evoke emotion; words that show proven power in the sales arena.
What I found is the list that follows. While not necessarily in order of importance, I’d classify these as the Top 20 power words to use in the sales business.
1 – Opportunity
The first word that always pops up is “opportunity.” Consider the phrase, “I’ve got an opportunity that you’ll not want to miss out on.” This is a word I often suggest in my ad sales training classes.
2 – Imagine
I love this word, and I don’t use it enough. The phrase, “Just imagine you’ll see these results as a byproduct of your marketing campaign,” help set the stage for your prospect.
3 – Value
Everyone is looking for an exceptional “value,” so I talk a lot about value and value-based selling in my ad sales training.
4 – Concern
I use this one often. For instance, if my media clients and prospects say, “I’m only doing digital,” I might say, “May I share with you a concern?” I’ve never had anyone say, “No, Ryan, don’t give us your concerns.”
5 – A Person’s Name
You may already know this, but there’s nothing better than hearing your name. While you don’t want to overuse it, I’ve noticed in my ad sales training, that when I’m on-site if I remember people’s names and I use them, they really appreciate it. A person’s name is a very important power word.
6 – Fear
I genuinely like this word, but it can be viewed negatively. Be careful and judicious about when you use it. “Fear” is a word I stress that you use, such as, “My fear is that your absence is your competitor’s opportunity.”
7 – Missing Out
I know… It’s kind of a phrase, but the idea is this, “I fear you may be missing out on an amazing opportunity to grow your business.” Even with just these first seven words, you can combine many of these power words together to make them even stronger.
8 – Simple
You need to keep things as “simple” as possible for the people you’re talking to in your ad sales.That being said, to many people, “simple” can sometimes mean “affordable,” so use it carefully.
9 – Unique
Everyone wants to be “unique,” so this word can be easy to overuse. Here’s an effective way you can use it when it’s appropriate, “I have a unique opportunity you will want to hear about.”
10 – Advantage
This one I really like. In my media sales training I give this example of a great way to use it, “I feel this marketing idea will give you an advantage over your competition.”
11 – Amazing
Just as “unique” falls into the be-careful category, “amazing” does, too. You want the word to have a big impact, so consider something like, “I think this will have an amazing impact on your business.”
12 – Avoid
This word popped up on every power word list I researched. That’s because “avoid” is a stopper. When someone says “avoid,” it makes you pay attention. When talking to a prospect, you might say, “I hear what you’re saying, but I help my clients avoid situations like this.”
13 – First
I like this word, although it’s not a word I use a good deal. For example, the phrases, “You are the first people I called about this,” or “Do you want to be first on this?” show how this is definitely a power word.
14 – Fix
Try this approach, “Now that’s a problem facing your business that I can fix.” The word “fix” is a simple word that means I can solve this for you. I don’t hear the word “solve” very often, either. So if you don’t use “fix,” you could use “solve.”
15 – Free
While powerful, you want to be careful about using the word “free” since it can imply cheap or discounted. One of the publishers I work with uses this approach, “We don’t charge you for the video we’re going to shoot at that trade show. What we charge you for is the promotion we’re going to do around that video.”
16 – Save
“I have a way to save you money,” is one approach I suggest. You can also try, “I have a way to save you time.” Because if you can save somebody money and you can save them time, you’re going to be their hero.
17 – Partnership
“I want to create a long-term partnership with you,” is a great example of how to use this power word. Partnerships aren’t always free. There’s a lot of work on both sides, and in this type of scenario, it can be a good partnership.
18 – Turnkey
“Turnkey” is a concept that’s vividly important to us in ad sales land, but not understood by most advertisers. You’ll need to be specific when you use it, “What we’re offering to you is a 100% turnkey media solution. You don’t have to do anything. You pay the bill; you sign the check. And we’ll handle everything from ad design, creative, launching, the whole deal.”
19 – Quality
“Quality” is a strong word that needs to be used carefully. In the media business, small is the new big. The smaller the list, the better the list, and the higher quality the list. I stress in my ad sales training that today, it’s more of a quality game than a quantity game.
20 – Wise
There’s almost no word, in my opinion, that gets a better reaction from than “wise.” This is a strong emotional word that lets people know you put weight in their decision. I try to remind sales people, you’re reaffirming your client has made a wise decision, and that’s powerful.
Think about which power words you can put into action today. Remember, people can tell the intelligence of the person they’re talking to by the words they use. Expand your vocabulary. Find a word you don’t use often in your conversation and weave it in. These are power words you can use in your ad sales business that can add up to powerful results.
Love using Ryan’s insights? We still have seats open at Camp Niche Boston (Oct 1) and Camp Niche Los Angeles (Oct 29) — and Ryan will be leading the training!
*********
About Ryan: Ryan Dohrn is an award-winning ad sales training coach, a nationally recognized internet sales consultant and in international motivational speaker. He is the author of the best-selling ad sales book, Selling Backwards. He is the President and founder of Brain Swell Media and 360 Ad Sales Training, a boutique ad sales training and sales coaching firm with a detailed focus on ad sales training, internet consulting and media revenue generation. Ryan is also the Publisher of Sales Training World.
**********
Niche Media has the best events, education, and training in media! Our super niched-out events & content give target-audience publishers in the B2C, hobbyist, B2B, city & regional, and association markets the tools they need to build revenue, audience, and more.
********
