A good vocabulary is one of many tools a good salesperson leverages to communicate effectively. However, here are four words we may be better off forgetting when making an IMPAX presentation. Or more specifically, when doing the customer overview section of the presentation. The four words to forget are: clearly, obviously, certainly and definitely.

Why are we suggesting throwing these words out? Because in the wrong context, they could erode the tone you are trying to create. When delivering this section of the presentation, we are working hard to come across as humble, and we use wiggle words including: it seems, perhaps, a few, about, approximately and maybe. Instead of saying, "You have six key objectives", we say, "You seem to have a number of objectives, including". Instead of saying, "The most critical issue you are facing is" we say, "One of the important issues you are addressing may be".

By doing this, we avoid a perception of arrogance, and even give ourselves the chance to be wrong, and not have it destroy our credibility.

These four words; clearly, obviously, certainly and definitely, can prevent us from sounding humble. Here are some examples of sentences using these words:


"Clearly, your company is focused on cash management above all else."
"Obviously, the strongest element of your competitive advantage is your track record of innovation."
"Certainly, the utilization of new technologies is one of your primary strategies."
"You are definitely perceived by your customers as a conservative company."


These words are powerful and compelling in the right context, and are easy for salespeople to use. Unfortunately, they don't leave us any room for error. All of the above statements may be accurate, but just in case, and to avoid being perceived as arrogant, let's use the wiggle words and leave these 4 words out.