In the past I've written about how words aren't that important.  Here are two such articles:

http://www.omghub.com/salesdevelopmentblog/sales-performance-stop-worrying-about-the-words-you-say

http://www.omghub.com/salesdevelopmentblog/effective-selling-is-less-about-the-words-and-more-about-how-you-say-them

But today, I'll play politician, reverse my position, and talk about why words are very important.  I've written about the importance of words before too.  http://www.omghub.com/salesdevelopmentblog/tabid/5809/bid/101263/Specific-Words-are-So-Crucial-to-a-Sales-Conversation.aspx 

When it comes to words, there was probably nobody more clever than the comedic genius George Carlin.  The video below is the funniest and best example of his use of words.  Watch that and then we'll talk about how the same premise applies to sales.

It seems to me that the same thing that George talks about has happened in sales.  Today we have phrases like:

• Sales Velocity
• Sales Enablement
• Chief Sales Officer
• Chief Revenue Officer
• Unique Value Proposition
• Buyer Journey
• Sales Process
• Sales Methodology
• CRM
• Elevator Pitch
• Positioning Statements
• RFP's and RFQ's
• Scope of Work
• Consultative Selling
• Sales Model
• Quantification
• Qualification

Have we complicated this process or what!  Salespeople are now called any one of the following:

• Sales Consultant
• Account Executive
• Major Account Executive
• VP Major Accounts
• Representative
• National Account Manager
• Distribution Manager
• Manufacturer's Representative
• Product Specialist
• Inside Sales Representative
• Field Sales Manager
• Territory Sales Manager

Things were much simpler when we were all peddlers!  We sell.  Some of us are better than others.  Some of us have a more difficult sale than others.  Some of us have a more complicated sale than others.  Some of us enjoy the challenge more than others.  But when it comes right down to it, all of us are peddlers.

"The more you can simplify what you are saying, the better your chance that prospects will understand what you are selling." Dave Kurlan

Don't miss these:

Barb Giamanco interviewed me for the first edition of this fall's Sales Hardtalk series.  You can listen to the podcast on selling value here.  Shimon Abouzaglo, President of the Value Selling and Realization Council, also interviewed me about selling value and specifically, how you can develop salespeople to become value sellers and hire salespeople who already have the ability to sell value.  You can listen to that presentation here.

The October issue of Top Sales World is available today.  You can download your issue here.