Try these 2 simple, but powerful phrases when opening your next call
The art of phrasing while on a sales call is something I think about constantly. How you say what you’re saying can have a huge impact on perceived credibility and confidence of the seller. That being said, as sales people, we spend very little time practicing and discussing this nuanced, but useful skill. As a result, many of us are left feeling rigid and robotic on calls. Meanwhile, effective business people who focus on phrasing end up with clear outcomes while inspiring empathy and a sense of collaboration.
As a way to start the conversation, I’m sharing what I think are two (yes just two!) of the most useful and impactful phrases salespeople should start utilizing to open their calls. While these phrases may seem overly simple and are often overlooked, they are launchpads to getting the prospect<>seller relationship going in a very human way.
- “As a bit of context, my background is in…”
This phrase humanizes you as the seller and paints a story around your journey as a professional. It also invites your prospect or client to tell their story, which can be valuable in assessing their motivations and passions. This, in turn, can lead to more data points around what’s going to help you get your deal done.
2. “I decided to join [insert company name] because…”
By conveying the reasons why you ultimately joined the company that you’re currently at, you can start to sell the vision of the company while still sounding genuine and authentic. There’s likely a very compelling reason you joined the company and it probably aligns with some version of the company mission and vision. Surfacing this early can set the tone for the rest of the conversation and also sets the stage for why your company’s product is worth pitching. As is the case in phrase #1, giving your reasons for joining a company also gives space for the person on the other end to provide their motivations for joining their company. The combination of knowing a prospect’s professional story and how they got to where they are can reveal so much about a person’s goals and perspectives, which can help uncover clues for why they will or will not ultimately sign your contract :)
Here’s how phrases 1 and 2 can play out in an introduction:
“Given this is the first time we’re speaking live I’ll introduce myself briefly. As you know my name is Peter Ahn and I’ll be the account executive helping you throughout the evaluation process for [company x]. As a bit of context, my background is primarily in enterprise tech sales — I’ve worked at companies like [company a] and [company b] focusing on helping them formalize their initial enterprise partnerships. I decided to join [company x] because I was blown away by how elegantly [company x] is utilizing AI & machine learning to impact real business workflows. So that’s a bit about me, how about you? I’d love to hear your story and how you landed at [company y]”
The example introduction above takes all of 30–35 seconds to lay the foundation and to also give the prospect space they need to talk about themselves. That being said, this seemingly simple opener takes a lot of thought and time to practice. What’s your authentic introduction and how can you piece it into a story about you and the product you’re selling? Try it out on your next call and see how giving more in the beginning of your call can humanize the conversation.
*To hear more about authentic sales and how I think about building genuine connections, listen to my Decoding Sales podcast episode on this topic.
