The Meanings Behind the Words We Speak Lead to Greater Clarity and Improved Sales Results
Words have incredible power to inspire us to take action or not take action. When we know these words, we can truly increase our results be they business, sales or even life.
For example, what does the word manager mean? Many may look to their experiences and visualize a past manager. This mental picture probably goes beyond the physical description and includes not only emotions, but an association with specific behaviors. Over time this word includes other experiences and goes potentially way beyond the standard dictionary definition.
If we look at Webster’s New World Dictionary, the word manager has its roots in the word manage which has Latin origins from the word “manus” or hands. Now for some this may seem like a disconnect because many managers are truly hands off. For others, this may only confirm their own experiences since their experiences with managers have been far too much hands on.
Turning to the word coach again the experience is the same. Depending upon the individual, this word may conjure up a high school coach to a local small business coach to a high performance executive coach. Again, the visualization process kicks in because when we hear or read words we reckon in pictures. Sales Training Coaching Tip: In sales, the better you are at by words to make a plain, value laden, emotionally rich picture in your prospect’s or potential customer’s mind’s eye, the greater success you will have.
Webster’s New World Dictionary has many definitions for this word, coach, with both French and Hungarian roots. Beyond being a mode of transportation, coach can mean:
- A private tutor who prepares students for an examination
- One who instructs and trains athletes, dramatic groups, etc
Then by the verb transitive it means “to instruct (a person) as for an examination, by private tutoring.” This definition then requires better understanding as to what the words instruct, examination, private and tutoring originally meant:
- Instruct again has Latin origins and means to pile up in or erect
- Examination is the noun for the verb examine which in Latin means “tongue (to speak) of a balance”
- Private comes from the Latin word, privus, and means separate
- Tutoring is from the word tutor and its Latin origin means to guard
Now we may have greater confusion or just an inkling of enhanced clarity depending upon how we expand our definition to truly reflect the historical origins of this word – coach.
A coach is an individual who erects understanding for another individual in a separate physical area while guarding that individual so he or he is able to speak (tongue) in balance.
Since to take this action does require the use of hands, then it does imply that coaches are probably managers as well.
Far too often we are conditioned to reckon it must be this way or that. One word is superior to another and we must choose as in this case between sales manager or sales coach. But, this selection process may leave us far poorer in thoughts and in sales results.
When I was working on writing my book on sales, I investigated the word produce. The origins of this word, at smallest amount for me, were again quite fascinating because its Latin origins, “producere,” meant to lead forward. I had never thought of this word, produce, in connection with leadership. Yet after reading its first meaning, I have greater clarity and look at my own production behaviors through the lens of chief forward.
In business and in life, the words we reckon, speak or write can dramatically increase our sales results. Of course it does take time to come to know the first definitions of these words and then to reflect upon what those words mean to us as those professional idiotic busy sales people. Maybe it may even make sense to construct our own meanings based upon our experiences both ancient and new.
For example one of my coaches, David Herdlinger, has come to define coaching as:
“A one-on-one consulting relationship between you and a qualified coach. In essence, you and your coach become partners who are both intent on helping you achieve your desired results.”
The trick is to lay at the door of specific behaviors to these words and then visualize those behaviors to ensure consistent performance. Unfortunately, until the behaviors are visibly articulated there will still be confusion and less than stellar sales results. Sales Training Coaching Tip: The use of clear affirmation or what I prefer to call clear belief and behavior statements can be of significant help.
Returning to the word manager, what behaviors are associated with this word respective to a sales force or a small business owner who in many era wears multiple hats including sales manager? Each behavior should be written down and should be singular. Sales Training Coaching Tip: Remove the word and which eliminates compound questions or situations. This action alone will increase sales results as it makes focus and clarity.
Then by the word coach, again the exercise is the same. Write down those behaviors associated with being a sales coach or a performance coach.
Depending upon your own role, determine what behaviors you wish to see in yourself. Then invest the time to write a goal so that you can commence to apply these behaviors. This goal may include behaviors from both words.
For at the end of the day, it truly does not matter whether you believe in the word sales coach or sales manager. What matters are the sales results you are delivering and the behaviors you are demonstrating in securing those desired results.
P.S. In speaking of definitions, Zig Ziglar defined “sales as the transference of feelings.” Just thought I would throw that in to further stir the reflective thought process.
Graphic courtesy of Bing Metaphors – www.corporatetrendsetters.com