101 words and which build rapport with a wider spectrum of people.
Everyone experiences the world through their own five senses. We see, hear, feel, taste and smell the world. Something may look right to one person and yet it may feel right to another. The key to building deeper rapport with others is speaking words that are sensory specific. When asking questions this is particularly helpful.
A person may have a problem but not be aware of it simply because of the way you asked it. I asked a prospect a question and then said “ are you seeing or getting any of that in your business”? and he said no. Yet when I asked him if he had a sense that it could be happening he said yes. He just simply could not see it and was not feeling it but it was there.
Below are a few phrases and questions that you can begin to use to engage different styles.
See phrases
What would that look like?
How does that look to you?
Can we sit down and let me show you a few options?
Is this clear?
Let’s paint a picture
See, look, we can do x y and z can you imagine how that would look?
Hear phrases
How does that sound?
Lets talk about your options.
Does that ring a bell?
Tell me more…
Is anything that you heard me say clicking for you?
Feel phrases
Can we touch base tomorrow?
Lets walk through your options.
Is anything about your plumbing grating on your nerves?
Lets try to get our arms around this idea.
Let’s talk about the HVAC leads I use to get by canvassing. Once I learned to use sensory specific words it helped me get more appointments. When prospects would stand in the door and look interested I started weaving in the main three senses in the next question. Here is what I said. “I can see that you are somewhat interested. Look... all I think we’re going to do is sit down and talk, look over your options, and get our arms around the idea. If it looks good fine if not we’ll just forget it. How does that sound?” And they started saying…. “ sounds good” Bingo appointment.
Below is a large list of sensory specific words. Begin to use some them in your daily conversations.
Visual | Auditory | Kinesthetic | Digital | |
An eye full | All ears | Boils down to | Sence | |
Appears to me | Audible | Bounce | Understand | |
Birds eye view | Blabber mouth | Catch | Process | |
Catch a glimpse | Buzz | Connection | Know | |
Clear | Call on | Come to grips | Decide | |
Color | Double talk | Feel | Experience | |
Dark | Drumming | Firm foundation | Sequence of events | |
Dim view | Earful | Concrete | ||
Enlighten | Echo | Grab | ||
Envision | Express | Get | ||
Eye to eye | Hear | Get the point | Taste | |
Flash before me | In tune with | Get arms around | Sweet | |
Focus | Listen | Grasp | Bad taste | |
Foresee | Loud | Hand in hand | Bitter sweet | |
Glance | Manner of speaking | Handle | ||
Graphic | Noise | Hard | ||
Hazy | Noisy | Touch on | Smell | |
Horizon | Purrs like a kitten | Hit on | Rotten | |
Illustrate | Rings a bell | Sink teeth into | Smells fishy | |
Imagine | Roar | Impact | ||
In light of | Silence | Pain in the neck | ||
Look | Sing | Rough | ||
Looks like | Sounds like | Sharp as a tack | ||
Make a scene | Speak | Smooth | ||
Mental picture | Static | Solid | ||
Observe | Tell | Tender | ||
See | Out spoken | Underhanded | ||
Show | Voice an opinion | Exited | ||
Stare | Whispering | Pull some strings | ||
Tunnel vision | Utterly | All washed up | ||
Visualize | Harmony | Tired | ||
Well defined | Let’s talk | Walk through | ||
Click |