5 Words Potential Business Partners Want to Hear

This post was guest blogged by Alan Johnson, the author of The Online Business Handbook.

Now that I’ve referred to 5 of the words which can and will drive potential business partners away, let’s look into 5 of the words they like to hear:

1) Certainly

I have previously explained why the word “maybe” makes you seem uncertain and, as a result, it’s fairly clear what effects using the word “certainly” will have. By using it, you will basically let potential business partners know that you are determined to generate win-win situations for all parties involved and such an attitude can “certainly” get you far.

2) Now

While using the term “later” will make you seem like a person who always wants to delay things, using the word “now” will have quite the opposite effect and a potential business partner will understand that you are not afraid to take action.

And guess what: that’s exactly what they are looking for and a person who is perceived as always being willing to take action will always have an edge.

3) Best

If you have the habit of saying “average” too much, it should come as no surprised that people who are interested in quality above everything else will not exactly be thrilled to work with you. The same way, if you use the word “best” often enough (of course, that doesn’t mean that you should go overboard), others will understand that you believe in yourself and will definitely look into a potential partnership with you as a result.

4) Learned

Do you always use the word “excuse” when trying to justify something you’ve done wrong in the past? If so, then you will, without a doubt, be perceived as a person who is afraid to assume responsibility and that is simply not an option. If, on the other hand, you admit your mistakes and explain what you have “learned” from them, things will definitely stand quite a bit differently.

Business partners don’t expect you to be perfect because everyone with at the very least a small trace of common sense knows that something like that is simply impossible and, on the other hand, making it clear that you have had a lot to learn from your mistakes will indeed work in your favor.

5) Value

As I have explained in my previous article, if you use the word “cheap” too much, thinking that it represents something potential business partners want to hear, you will notice that the effect will be quite the opposite of what you had initially expected.

No, potential business partners aren’t exactly thrilled to work with someone who labels his or her offer as “cheap”, so that this attitude won’t get you far. Try to explain how you can provide “value” as often as possible, as it will help potential partners understand why working with you can and will prove to be a decision you will not regret. Using the word “value” will make it clear that you are interested in establishing a partnership where everyone will have something to gain and that is always the way to go.

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