Words are SO
powerful.
“Choose your words carefully” is an old saying to which we should add, and wisely.
How do we “choose what words to use”?
Upbringing, education, conditioning, specific training or learning focus, and probably a hundred other things.
The majority of today's technically trained people such as accountants, lawyers, financial advisers have had little or no training in how to engage with clients or potential clients, or each other prior to entering the world of business.
Additionally, many find the idea of being, or appearing to be, pushy or “salesy” totally repugnant. Why? They have the “gift of analysis” not the “gift of the gab”.
What a nightmare.
After all those years of study going out into the big wide business world and being trained by their experienced colleagues with the words they were taught to use to engage with clients, potential clients, and each other.
What’s the problem with those words?
Most do not pass the four word filters of:
Some examples of words, phrases and questions used every day that don’t pass these filters:
Prospect (connotations)
What does a prospector do? Digs for gold.
Does that mean when you are “prospecting” you are digging for gold?
Does that mean a prospect is a piece of gold?
Replace the word prospect with “potential client” in your vocabulary and in your file names.
Consider how using “potential client” changes your mindset.
Tell me about… (invasive)
One of the most used questions. There is potential for people to interpret this unconsciously as an instruction, not a request.
Easy to fix, add a prefix and reword slightly – “Will you tell me a little about…”
Note – not “can / could” you tell me…”will / would" is the right combination for clarity.
Conversations that pass the above filters transition our language from “business speak” to “human speak.
For newly qualified accountants, lawyers, and financial advisers who have the “gift of analysis”, these four filters will resonate with them and help them to create conversations they look forward to having with every potential client or colleague.
Experienced practitioners can use these filters to reassess the words and phrases they traditionally use, if they want to.
Examples of these filters in action - The First Four Questions
Words are SO
powerful.
“Choose your words carefully” is an old saying to which we should add, and wisely.
How do we “choose what words to use”?
Upbringing, education, conditioning, specific training or learning focus, and probably a hundred other things.
The majority of today's technically trained people such as accountants, lawyers, financial advisers have had little or no training in how to engage with clients or potential clients, or each other prior to entering the world of business.
Additionally, many find the idea of being, or appearing to be, pushy or “salesy” totally repugnant. Why? They have the “gift of analysis” not the “gift of the gab”.
What a nightmare.
After all those years of study going out into the big wide business world and being trained by their experienced colleagues with the words they were taught to use to engage with clients, potential clients, and each other.
What’s the problem with those words?
Most do not pass the four word filters of:
Some examples of words, phrases and questions used every day that don’t pass these filters:
Prospect (connotations)
What does a prospector do? Digs for gold.
Does that mean when you are “prospecting” you are digging for gold?
Does that mean a prospect is a piece of gold?
Replace the word prospect with “potential client” in your vocabulary and in your file names.
Consider how using “potential client” changes your mindset.
Tell me about… (invasive)
One of the most used questions. There is potential for people to interpret this unconsciously as an instruction, not a request.
Easy to fix, add a prefix and reword slightly – “Will you tell me a little about…”
Note – not “can / could” you tell me…”will / would" is the right combination for clarity.
Conversations that pass the above filters transition our language from “business speak” to “human speak.
For newly qualified accountants, lawyers, and financial advisers who have the “gift of analysis”, these four filters will resonate with them and help them to create conversations they look forward to having with every potential client or colleague.
Experienced practitioners can use these filters to reassess the words and phrases they traditionally use, if they want to.
Examples of these filters in action - The First Four Questions