How to Demonstrate Sales Confidence

High-performing decorative plumbing and hardware sales professionals appear confident. Posture, the way you walk, your body language and the spoken word all convey confidence or a lack thereof.  In a recent article in Inc. magazine, Maria Takaba identified several phrases that all sales people should avoid because they "scream lack of confidence and make you appear weak."

The first phrase is "I hate to bother you."  If you are returning a call or having to convey information that can't wait, the discomfort is not that you are bothering your customer or prospect.  Rather, the discomfort comes from the information you have to convey.  It may be that a product delivery has been delayed or an item arrived damaged.  When you say "I hate to bother you," you lose all control of the conversation.  A better option is  to say "When you have a minute, I would like to discuss something with you."

The second phrase is "I'm sorry."  You should certainly not avoid being accountable when a mistake is made or your information was not accurate, but how many people do you know that say "I'm sorry" repeatedly.  Are they really sorry?  If you have bad news to convey, a better alternative is to say, "I need to let you know of some bad news."

Successful sales people rarely tell others that they are worried.  Expressing an opinion of a potential negative outcome eliminates the ability to come up with a solution because you are focusing on the problem.  Instead of saying "I'm worried that the finish won't match," a better alternative would be "I have some concerns that the finish won't match.  An option to avoid this problem is..."

Never use the word "just".  It compromises what you might be thinking or the messages that you want to convey, such as -

• "I just need a minute of your time." 
• "I just thought about a great alternative." 
• "I just had an idea." 

If you preface a thought with the words, "I believe/think/feel that" you are couching your message with an unnecessary qualifier and subsequently diminishing the importance of the thought.  For instance, which statement is more powerful?

• I just feel that you should consider the steam unit for the master bath to create your own in-home spa.
• The steam unit for the master bath will create your own in-home spa.

Finally, avoid asking permission to make a request by prefacing a statement with the words, "If it's OK" or "would you mind."  When you do so, your customer may say or think, "no it's not OK" or "yes I do mind".  A more confident approach is to make a request by saying, "When you have a moment, let me show you this extraordinary shower system."