Paul DiModica

The words you use (and don't use) to describe your product, service, business peers, managers, competition, sales opportunities and selling methods says more about the process of sales and sales management than I can ever say here in my weekly BDM News diatribe.

The following list of 15 words and phases and their definitions are terms we all use in our business lives. Often, they are used interchangeably, collectively, and sometimes co-mingled together in a communication approach. I often use and hear these words while consulting with my clients.

What is interesting about these specific words is how Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes their meanings. After reviewing these words and their definitions, determine if you use them (and implement their actions) the way they are intended to by used.

"In business communication, it's not just what you say . . .
It's what people hear!"

Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Definitions of
Common Sales and Management Words

1. Prospect: a potential buyer or customer
   
   
2. Customer: one that purchases a commodity or service
   
   
3. Client: a person who engages the professional advice or services of another and one that is under the protection of another
   
   
4. Value: a fair return or equivalent in goods, services, or money for something exchanged
   
   
5. Sales: the act of selling; specifically, the transfer of ownership of and title to property from one person to another for a price
   
   
6. Cold Call: a telephone call soliciting business made directly to a potential customer without prior contact or without a lead
   
   
7. Networking: the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions
   
   
8. Management: a person who directs a team
   
   
9. Competition: the effort of two or more parties acting independently to secure the business of a third party by offering the most favorable terms
   
   
10. Solution: an action or process of solving a problem
    
    
11. Commitment: an agreement or pledge to do something in the future
    
    
12. Attitude: a state of readiness to respond in a characteristic way to a stimulus
    
    
13. Forecasting: to calculate or predict (some future event or condition) usually as a result of study and analysis of available pertinent data
    
    
14. Strategy: a careful plan or method

• How often have you used the word "clients" to refer to prospects when they were really "customers" (based on the above dictionary description)?
  
  
• How often has your sales "forecast" been based on a prediction that is usually the result of study and analysis of available pertinent data instead of being made up in the back room?

"The communicator is the person who can make himself clear to himself first." -- Paul D. Griffith

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