Talking too much about the product or service and focus too little on what actually persuades the person in front of you is a big (and common) mistake that many professionals make in sales.

Time runs fast in general, but especially in sales meetings, I hear professionals complain about time running fast. Conducting a sales meeting is an art in itself and I have three rhetorical tricks that will help you through the meeting ensuring that you stay focused on persuade the other person and not ‘just’ talking about the product or service:

Kill the abstract language

Words like “innovation/innovative”, “strategic” and “growth” are all words that can be relevant in many contexts. Only problem is that these words don’t transform into concrete ideas and mental pictures in the mind of the receiver.

When you use abstract words like these ones, make sure that the word is followed by a sentence like this “…which for you would mean that…” or “for you and your business a concrete example of this will be…”.

When you do this, your communication and you become much more relateable and you are one step closer to persuade effectively.

Think and TALK about your product from the perspective of your receiver

Most people have a good grip on their Unique Selling Points and why their service or product will benefit the potential client. But what most people miss out on is the opportunity to carefully prepare sentences that are designed to persuade in a subtle way.

When you have your UPS and other key messages in front of you, consider wrapping them into a few of these persuasive sentences:

• “You mentioned previously that (…) this made me think of [USP] that I see as closely related to your point (…)”
  
• “Going through your requirements and trying to image being in your shoes right now, I would have XX on my mind. If I should try to link the benefits of what we can do for you, I’m thinking of [USP, USP, USP]”
  
• “When you say X, X and X, I’m thinking [USP, USP, USP]. Let me go more into depth (…)

These sentences are created as mind triggers and will immediately create a connection between you and the potential client – and of course the product or solution you are persuading the person to engage in.