A great recruitment sales pitch isn’t just about what you’re selling, but how you’re selling it.
Which is why top-performing salespeople use sales language techniques a lot to win business – it really can mean the difference between winning a prospect over and ending the call on a bum note.
Here are some sales language techniques you can start weaving into your daily BD conversations to win more jobs with clients and prospects.
1. Ask tag questions
When you want your prospect to say “yes”, ask them something they can’t say “no” to!
‘Tag questions’ are short questions you tag onto the end of a statement that the prospect is bound to agree to. For example, you might ask them something like “You want to make more placements, is that right?”.
By asking questions you know you’re going to get a “yes” answer to, you’re building rapport by making them feel you’re in agreement and on the same side. It creates a kind of positive momentum that’s subconsciously really powerful.
2. Use tone to trigger emotions
Humans are emotional creatures, which is why using emotion in your sales calls can be so powerful.
If you don’t really believe in your ability to serve your prospect, they won’t believe it either. We’re naturally wired to mirror other people’s emotions – which is why your tone is so important when giving prospects confidence in your services.
You need to deliver your pitch with the right tone that taps into your prospect’s emotions and makes them feel engaged and confident in your abilities.
When you’re practicing your pitch, try recording yourself on your phone and listen back carefully to your tone. If it’s not varied or confident enough you can very easily come across as bored, scripted and not up to the task.
A varied tone can instantly bring your conversations to life and win the prospect over, so pay attention to this.
Read: 7 TED Talks That Will Make You a Better Recruiter
3. Use ‘I’ instead of ‘We’
One of the smallest changes you can make to your sales language that has a really big impact is simply switching the word "we" to "I" when talking about your recruitment services.
For example, instead of saying “We have a large pool of hard-to-find candidates”, say “I have a large pool of hard-to-find candidates”.
This might sound like it's too small a change to make a difference, but it really does. Using “we” sounds distant and lacks a sense of accountability for the candidates you hold, whereas “I” makes you sound more believable and trustworthy - that these are your candidates and you know your network inside and out.
4. Be presumptuous
Using consciously presumptuous language in your sales conversations gives you more control and helps you push the conversation in the direction you want it to go.
For example, instead of asking “Are you free for a meeting to discuss your roles in more detail?”, ask “Would Monday afternoon or Wednesday morning suit you better to discuss the roles in more detail?”.
Making the assumption that they will want to talk is obviously quite presumptuous, but this is a language technique that really works. You’re still giving your prospect two choices so they will feel like they do have options, but closing with presumptuous questions like this it will lead the discussion to your desired outcome of securing that meeting.
Read: 8 Old-School Sales Techniques That Still Work for Recruiters
5. Use body language to backup what you say
Your sales body language is just as important as the words you say when you’re speaking with a prospect in person or over video.
If you were having a conversation with someone who was constantly avoiding eye contact or leaning back in their seat like they didn’t care, would you trust them?
No matter how strong your pitch is, your prospect won’t be bought in if you body language doesn’t back up what you’re saying.
Research has shown that sales conversations are made up of 55% nonverbal communication and body language, 38% tone of voice, and only 7% is to do with the actual words that you use.
So think about potential negative body language the next time you’re meeting with a prospect – here’s a run through of some negative body language signals to avoid in your next sales meeting.
The key to keeping your sales conversations generally strong is to always be updating and refreshing your strategy. Check out the eBook below on how to upgrade to win more business!
