50: 7 Words To Avoid In All Business Conversations & What To Use Instead

Can the words you choose truly shape your business success? Discover the transformative power of language in our 50th milestone episode of the Designer Within Podcast. I'll unveil how the words you use can either build bridges or create barriers in your professional relationships. Learn how to replace phrases like "cheap" and "budget" with more positive alternatives such as "less expensive" and "investment expectations" to foster confidence and professionalism. This episode is packed with insights on refining your vocabulary to enhance client interactions and elevate your business communication skills.

In this special episode, we also explore the art of choosing positive language, offering practical tips for incorporating solutions-focused phrasing into your daily conversations. Avoiding negative connotations can make a significant difference in how clients perceive your capabilities. Additionally, we delve into the importance of mindful listening, effective communication techniques, and the value of seeking feedback to build trust and rapport with clients. Tune in for personal anecdotes and actionable advice that will help you master the subtleties of client communication and achieve greater professional success.

Chapters

• 0:00 Words Matter in Business Conversations
• 13:57 Choosing Positive Language in Business
• 18:11 Effective Client Communication for Success

Transcript

John McClain: 0:00

The words that we use can convey confidence. They can convey empathy, professionalism, most importantly, or they can unintentionally and this is important unintentionally create barriers and misunderstandings, which no one wants when they're running a business. Hey y'all, you're listening to the Designer Within Podcast, episode number 50. I'm John McClain, and welcome to the Designer Within podcast, the business-minded podcast created for creative entrepreneurs by a creative entrepreneur that's me. I know firsthand the challenges, but also the victories that can come with our careers, and I'm here to sip and spill the tea with you. It's time to dive deep within yourself and redesign your own business and your life from the inside out. Together, we will uncover secrets and share valuable insights. So prepare for a transformative experience, my friends, because it's time to unleash the designer within. Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of the Designer Within. This is big number 50. 5-0. I cannot believe that I have recorded 50 different podcast episodes since we started, so we're coming up on one year, but I thought let's stop before we get to one year and celebrate episode 50. So that is what this is.

John McClain: 1:21

I do want to thank all of you who have found the podcast, those of you who have found the podcast, those of you who have been here since the beginning. It means so much to me to know that you listen to little old me in your earbuds on your walk at the gym, doing your laundry, doing the dishes, whatever. Thank you so much for just being a part of this podcast. It really, really does mean the world to me and I hope that it's helping you. I hope that it's helping you grow. I hope that it's helping you be a better designer, a better business person. Maybe you've learned some things from me and the guests along the way that you can actually apply to your business. So that's the whole purpose of this.

John McClain: 1:56

As you might know, podcast production is lengthy. It takes some time to put together the episodes, to edit the episodes, all that marketing, so this does not come easy for anybody. But I love to carve the time in my schedule to help everybody out. So I just want to thank you for being a big part of that. So on that note, let me officially welcome you to episode 50. Yay, on this episode. It might be a shorter episode.

John McClain: 2:21

I'm not really sure. I haven't really written too many things out. I have some notes, but I want to talk about words and how words matter when we are talking with a prospective client, a current client, or even when we're talking to our team or anyone else that we have in relation to our business. I just want to talk to you about how the words that you choose do matter and words that I specifically like to avoid when I'm speaking with clients and when I'm speaking with anyone, because I just don't like these words. I don't think they have any business being in the business vernacular. So let me explain what those are to you, why I don't like them and how we can maybe finesse them or replace them with a different word. We're going to talk about words to completely avoid and I'm going to offer you more effective alternative to you instead.

John McClain: 3:07

So, whether you are in the direct sales to your clients, whether you are on the customer service side of helping your clients out, this really does expand and it doesn't really just pertain to the interior design industry, but it definitely does pertain to us. But it can also apply to any industry, because anyone who is running a business is in the industry. A skill no matter if you want to admit that or not, I do want to say effective communication really is the cornerstone of any successful business relationship. The words that we use can convey confidence. They can convey empathy, professionalism, most importantly or they can unintentionally and this is important unintentionally, because I know a lot of you are saying things and you don't even think of the consequences that they have, but they can unintentionally create barriers and misunderstandings which no one wants when they're running a business. Today we're going to explore some common words and phrases, as I said, that might be doing more harm than good and provide you with the alternative to use in your client interaction.

John McClain: 4:09

The first word that I loathe and that I never, ever want to bring up with a client is the word cheap, and I hate the word cheap. Cheap has no place in any sales conversation. Cheap instantly says something to me about the quality of what I'm receiving, about the quality of what I'm talking about. Some people only see it as price, I see it as low quality and it's just a very limiting word, it's just a very negative word. So if you're showing a mirror to a client and you can say here's option A and option B. Option A is this price, option B is cheaper. Instantly that client is going to think, oh, that's cheaper quality, that's cheaper made, that's manufactured in a different way that I'm not going to like Versus if you just said option A is this, option B is a lesser price but the same quality. So just having those two differentiation there lets the person know that this is not a cheaply made item, it just costs less. So my recommendation to you is to take the word cheap out of your vocabulary and use less expensive, less costly, anything that pertains directly to the price of that item, versus having any sort of connotation to the quality of that item.

John McClain: 5:21

Another word that I do not like is the word budget, and that word I feel is really ingrained in interior designers, for instance. We always say hey, what is your budget? What budget are you looking at? To me, budget again has that connotation of low quality, low expectations of it going to last, and I just want to always remove that word budget. It just feels. Again back to the word cheap. It feels cheap and very limiting to me.

John McClain: 5:48

When someone says what is your budget, I much prefer to use the word investment. So instead of saying what is your budget for this project, I rather would say what is your investment expectations for this project. See how that really sort of changes the conversation and lets them know that the money that they are spending is going to have a return on their investment, is going to have an ROI, versus just saying what is your budget, budget, budget, budget, budget is limiting. Budget says only numbers. Investment, to me, says that the money that they are spending is going to go towards something valuable, it's going to go long term, versus just only speaking to the price of that, whereas the word investment says this is something that I care about enough that I want you to invest in. So when you're speaking to a client and you're asking them do they have an amount in mind for their project? I find that if you use the word investment in their mind they go to the fact that, oh, this is an investment in my home, this is an investment in my family if it's design that we're speaking about, and this is just an investment in my future. So always try to use the word investment instead of budget. I changed that years ago and it has really made the difference in the client's perception and also how my team also sees what we are presenting to clients as well. I just try to take that word budget out of every conversation that I ever have with a client, because it just instantly lowers the bar.

John McClain: 7:11

Another word that now this is small, but I prefer to use that and it has helped me is the word contract. So contracts sound very formal, which it is. I know that the form that the client is signing is a formal agreement, but contract to me sounds very one-sided. It does not sound like there is mutual benefit for both parties. Instead of the word contract, I prefer to use the word agreement. So any form of document that I show to a client, I always use the term agreement. So I say, king, I will send over your agreement tomorrow. Have you read your agreement? Let's set up a time to review your agreement. Versus, say, here is your contract. I think it disarmed the client instantly and they can see the fact that you are agreeing to work together. It also says that you are looking for a cooperative arrangement. You're not just looking for a one-sided contract that they are signing, you're looking for an agreement of both parties, and I let clients know.

John McClain: 8:05

Another word that I use is partnership. I use the word partnership a lot when I'm speaking with my clients because I want them to know that this is a partnership, that we are working together for a successful outcome, and part of that is a solid agreement. That agreement sets the foundation for the outcome. So consider using the word agreement instead of the word contract when you're speaking with your client. This also, by the way, this could go into any situation where you have an agreement that is necessary. It could be if you have a licensing deal that you're pitching. It could be if you are signing a vendor, anything where there is a signature of mutual parties. And again, I'm not an attorney, of course. I'm just telling you what I like to use. You can choose what you want, but I love the word agreement because, again, it shows a mutual interest in both parties coming together to agree to something.

John McClain: 8:53

Another word that I avoid using in my firm and I've never used this word since the beginning of my firm when I was a solopreneur was the word I. I feel like I is very limiting. It also does not foster that partnership that I mentioned earlier. It does not say that, oh, this is a partnership that we're working toward a common goal for your project. It just sounds to me that there is less collaboration when I use the word I, also if you use instead the word we always from the beginning. So if you area one-person show. If you have two people, three people, I don't care.

John McClain: 9:28

I've always used the term we when referring to something that's going to get done on a fine project, because using the term we shows that you have other people surrounding you to help your company, to make it better, to help that client, to make that project better. Whatever you are servicing that client for, by having a team of people around it just shows that client that they have more people in their corner versus just yourself. Using the term we also creates a positive perception about your company that you are a bigger operation, that you are not just limiting. And I can tell you, when you are working with a client who has a $5 million home, a $6 million home, they're going to feel much more at ease when they know that you have more people working with you and you're not lying. By the way, you do have other people working with you. Even if you are the only person sitting in your office, you do have so many other people on your side. You have your vendors, you have your trade people, you have your warehouse delivery, you have the delivery people. Anybody else that you're working with in your company creates that we concept, so try to stop using the word I only when you're speaking with clients and always use the word we. It will give the client a much more settled feeling in dealing with you and working with you and your company and they'll just feel much more comfortable knowing that you have a team of people who are helping you accomplish the goal of making their project.

John McClain: 10:49

Another word that I don't ever want to use is the word problem. Using the word problem just instantly send a negative message out to someone. When you say that there is a problem like hold on, there's a problem here. No, you need to rephrase that and to use a word such as challenge or opportunity and, by the way, I know this might sound a little silly to change the word problem, because we all know that a problem is a problem, but it is that client's perception of how, again, you're going to deal with that. And if you look at this as just a challenge that you can overcome versus a problem that may or may not be overcome, the client will feel much more at ease in your hand if they know that this is just a challenge. You have seen this before. Let them know that you have worked through this before. You have worked through other challenges, even if it wasn't one as specific as that. But this is just a challenge and you will overcome it and you can even use the word opportunity. We know this is a challenge, but this is also an opportunity to explore other options. We see this challenge in not being able to move this wall, but it's also an opportunity that we can arrange your kitchen in a different area. But it also is an opportunity that we can arrange your kitchen in a different way to possibly work even better for your family. So just turn that challenge into a positive solution, into a opportunity, and a client will feel much more at ease, versus if someone just says oh my God, it's a problem, I can't believe this is happening. This is a problem, problem, problem. And as we are designers, we should also pass this message along to any tradespeople that we're working with, any general contractors. Always let them know to avoid using these words because it can alarm the client for no reason whatsoever. So replace the word problem with challenge, for no reason whatsoever. So replace the word problem with challenge and I think you'll find that those challenges and those warmer problem are overcome and turned into opportunity and the client feels again much more secure in your hand.

John McClain: 12:47

Another word is discount. I hate the word discount Again, discount has that negative connotation. It has that negative meaning. It's saying, oh, this is a discounted item, which means it's probably not as good as a regular price item. So the word discount allows people to take that term, just like many of the words that I'm mentioning today, and come up with their own definition to it. So when you say the word discount, you probably instantly think a discount bin. I do. I think a discount bin, a discount rack at a clothing store, something that's just cheap, that no one wants anymore. No, instead of the word discount, I want you to use the words savings or a special offer, something again that just relates to the price of it, that doesn't relate to the quality of that. So, for instance, you can say you're actually able to put all of these fabulous light fixtures in your house because I have a volume buying power with the client, so I get a much bigger savings and I'm able to help you and pass some of those savings along to you. So do you see the difference versus saying this is discounted, it's cheaper, it's less money, so you're going to spend less on it. There's no benefit to that whatsoever. They instantly go to the price. Oh, there must be something wrong with it.

John McClain: 13:57

And the whole point of these is that, again, you don't want to allow someone to put their own negative connotation on a word. So if you can avoid that word altogether and put a more positive word in there in place of it, you're going to find that your client and anyone else that you interact with will react much, much better. Something else and this is small, but I don't like the word unfortunately. They're instantly let down automatically.

John McClain: 14:19

When you say the word unfortunately, it sounds as just exactly what it is there is an unfortunate situation, there is a less unfortunate situation, and I just really don't ever want to use the word unfortunately. So instead of saying unfortunately, we can't do that, you can say something like in my experience, this has worked better, and here is what we can offer you as an alternative solution. So do you see the difference in that when you just take that mind, shift from saying unfortunately to rephrasing it into a positive situation, and it's not lying, you're not misguiding the client. You're not misleading the client. You are just avoiding again the negative connotations that come along with certain words. So try to avoid the word unfortunately. I know it's easy to put that in there, but if you just rephrase that into here is another solution that we can provide to you. You can leave that word unfortunately out altogether.

John McClain: 15:10

Along those same lines is the word difficult. I don't like the word difficult. That just sounds like it might or might not be able to be accomplished, that you might or might not be able to overcome it. So, instead of difficult, try to use the word challenging. That word sounds like you are facing that challenge, but you're going to also pair it with a proactive approach. So, for instance, instead of saying this is super difficult to do, I don't know that we can do that, instead you can say this is challenging, yes, but we are ready to handle it. It is nothing that we haven't seen before. This is a challenge that we can overcome, much like another challenge, and you can bring out an example of a past situation with a client and let that current client know this is how you overcame this other challenge and you're avoiding that work difficult and replacing it with a challenge that can be overcome.

John McClain: 16:04

And this is why I tell you all try to have some stories in the recesses of your mind. I always think about Joan Rivers and she has that she had that card catalog system where she would pull out and there'd be a joke and she could just pull that card out and then there would be a written joke on it. So she would kind of store all of her best jokes, all of her best work in this card catalog. Try to have a card catalog in your mind of past projects, of past situations that you can instantly relate to a client. So if you're working with a client that has children, think about situations where you have designed for family. Think about how you have chosen the right fabrics, how you've chosen a specialty rug, how you have overcome a challenge when dealing with that demographic of a client. And if you go into that meeting and you go into that, by the way, even if it's just a consultation go into that consultation with a few of those challenges in the back of your mind, because what you're doing is you are overcoming that objective that that client may present to you before they even present it, and you can say, yeah, that could be a challenge. And here is how we have done it in the path. Here is what we have done in the experience of our company and in the experience of myself or my team or my trade people, whatever to overcome that challenge. So it's just a rephrasing, it's just a minute change, but it makes all the difference in the world when you're speaking with a client because you want them to have trust in you. All right.

John McClain: 17:21

So those are the words that I would recommend either avoiding or tweaking, as I said, with the alternative that I gave you. And before we close out, I want to give you an example of ways to implement the into your practice so that you can start to use them in your daily interaction. So here's just a few notes that I made. First of all, practice makes perfect, practice using these alternative phrases until they become second nature. So use them with your family, use them with your husband, with your wife, with your mom and your dad, whomever, but use these terms and start using them on a regular basis so that you really just take those other words out of your vocabulary and you're only using the instead. So practice makes perfect, practice using these alternative words and practice for moving, at the same time, those words that have that negative connotation to them.

John McClain: 18:11

Mindful listening is another way to implement this, and here you're just paying attention to the language that your clients are using and you mirror that language with positive phrasing. So listen to your client. If they speak in a certain way, if they're communicating with you in a certain manner, try to be that chameleon and relay that back to them in a way that is positive to them. So, words that they are saying, you can pick up on those words and know that those are words that either gives them comfort, that gives them security, that gives them trust in you. And then start using those words in your conversation with your clients, not only in that very first interaction, but throughout the entire time that you're working with them. Your client will feel more at ease and they're again going to build that trust factor in you.

John McClain: 18:55

Feedback Ask for feedback from people. So if you're speaking with your team, with your spouse, whomever, ask for feedback on your communication style. Just ask them Say hey, did that come across as pushy? Did that come across as something negative? Ask them how it's being perceived and then tweak it based upon that.

John McClain: 19:13

Years ago I used to do direct sales. I had an advertising publication and I sold advertising to different people and I was helping a friend out with her own franchise one day and I was helping her get some ads to sell and I remember we were sort of regrouped at the end of the day and we were kind of comparing how the day went. And she said, yeah, how was your day? And I said it went great. I had a lot of, you know, good interactions and positive reactions to the publication and hopefully there'll be some new clients coming on board. And she said, yeah, there was one person that actually called me and told me that you were pushy. And I was like, oh my gosh, I don't ever want to think of myself as being pushy, but what it made me do was to stop and think about the manner in which I presented the information and perhaps I didn't give the client time to you know, interact, ask a question, to basically be a part of the conversation. And from that moment, that has always stuck with me that I don't want to just drive information home to clients or even to you guys. Now, I don't want to do that. I want to be the person who is a collaborative conversation.

John McClain: 20:15

Conversations are a two-way street, so just ask for that feedback, ask people how they're perceiving what you're saying. Is this resonating? And maybe even if you're with a client, you can just simply say does that make sense or did I explain that well enough? You have any questions? Make sure that they are on the same page with you and that they do understand what you're saying. But when you talk to someone closer to you, such as your team, your family member, if you're doing a discovery call, for instance, have someone listen in on your discovery call to say, hey, did you hear anything in there that I said that was off-putting or could be misconstrued or thought about differently? Ask other people in your life what they think about that. So have someone monitor your discovery call.

John McClain: 20:55

If you go on a consultation and you bring someone with you, have someone basically audit your consultation and make sure that you're not saying things that could turn the client away and make them not want to work with you, because those initial moments of speaking with someone are so, so critical. You don't want to have any word again that can be misconstrued or taken in a different way. You want to make sure that you keep everything in a positive, forward-moving area. And, lastly, just continuous improvement. Keep learning and keep adapting.

John McClain: 21:25

As I said, as you work through these, you're going to find ways to change it. It is an ongoing process. You're not going to be great at it in the beginning and you might find certain words that you don't want to say still slipping into your vocabulary and into your daily speech. But you can start to notice those and make a difference in that, if you want to really figure out what you're doing right and what you're doing wrong, you could actually record yourself. So record yourself doing a consultation, record yourself doing a discovery call, record yourself interacting with a vendor. Put the phone in your pocket, hit it, run record. Of course, do it legally. You're not going to put this out anywhere, it's for your own use. But you can record yourself just to make sure that you are saying what you want to say and what you intended to say. And that other word didn't sort of slip in there. All right, that is what I have for you today.

John McClain: 22:23

I hope this has helped you on words that matter. Remember the words that you choose can significantly influence your client relationship and your overall professional success. By making small adjustments to your language, what we talked about today you can create a much more positive, collaborative. That key all of the words that I have told you to avoid, I think, are anti-collaborative, that the words that I want you to replace them with, or the term or the phrase that I want you to replace it with, is a much more collaborative word or term and it's just going to give you much more success with your client. So I hope this has helped you. Write those down, practice using them Again. It's not going to be overnight and you're not going to be penalized for using the bad word, but you can start to change the message that you put out into the world and once you start to do that, you're going to find yourself just in casual conversations, also saying things differently and speaking with your friend at a cocktail party, at a dinner, whatever. You're just going to find yourself avoiding using words, and probably there are so many more in addition to what I've brought to you today.

John McClain: 23:22

There could be words that you are specifically using in your own language that are vague or to easily be misconstrued and taken in a different way than you intended to use them. So do an audit of the words that you use. Do an audit of your sales calls of. Do an audit of your sales calls, of your consultations, of your discovery calls, of your client interaction, of your vendor interaction, and just really hone in on a better communication style. It will make you a better salesperson, it will make you a better business owner and it will also draw more clients to you. Because once you start to do that in person, you're also going to find the way that you speak on social media, the way that you speak on your website, the way that you speak in an interview. It all changes and then that perception of you also changes and before you know it, it is on autopilot and you're just speaking in these terms, naturally and easily, and everyone is on the same page and there's little room for doubt when you're being very clear in your message. So use words, make your words matter and get out there and make a difference.

John McClain: 24:19

Thank you so much for listening today on this episode of the Designer Within. And remember, as I always say make changes on the outside. Sometimes you have to start within. Thanks so much, everybody. Thanks for sticking with me to the end of the Designer Within podcast. It means the world to me. If you're ready to dive deeper into the topics that we've discussed here, be sure to check out my online coaching and courses program, designsuccessacademycom. Here I will teach you everything you need to know to run your interior design business, from starting the project all the way to the end, including marketing and pricing your services for profit. And for more information on this podcast, including how to be a guest, or my design services in general, go to JohnMcClainco. That's JohnMcClainco. See you soon, friend.