In a recent Tip of the Month (March, 2006) we shared the basic flow of an IMPAX presentation - Them, Us, Fit and Action. The "Them" stage refers to the initial stage of the presentation where we share with the decision maker what we've learned about their business and direction.

When salespeople first learn about this presentation flow, they often ask the question "Isn't it risky to present to an executive about their own company?" Our answer is, "Yes, it can be risky, so we have to do it right."

How do we do it right? First of all, we do thorough research so that we really know our stuff. This will take care of most of our uneasiness. The second thing we do is present our understanding in a confirming and humble tone. We don't tell the customer about his business, we confirm what we've learned. This is unusual for most salespeople, who are taught to be confident and assertive.

In order to create a humble tone, we need to use indefinite words or phrases, or "wiggle words". Examples of these include, "some, about, many, perhaps, could, it seems, maybe, a few, approximately...

Using these types of words and phrases makes a huge difference. Compare these two sentences:


"Your top business issues are..."
"Some of your pressing business issues seem to be..."


The first sentence is authoritative and could be perceived as arrogant. It also could get people to try to find errors or gaps in your research. The second sentence is humble, and leads an executive to feel that you know a lot about her business, and may have a lot more to share.