How Swearing Impacts Sales During Video Calls (Episode 134)

This episode contains swearing. Just to let you know, kids, if you're in the car listening, tell Dad and mom to turn it up, baby.

[00:00:12] A happy new year to everyone and welcome to the Video Made Simple podcast where we refashion the perception of video and change how you do business. I'm your host, Chris Schwager, and if you have caught yourself swearing on video calls and wondering if you've breached some ethics code, this episode will enlighten you when and how it can be appropriate to swear in sales.

[00:00:33] Okay. Let's start off. How swearing impacts sales?

[00:00:36] Do you still wear a tie, a jacket? Assure to your meetings? Well, I don't, and the last three years I've become more and more casual , despite the fact today that I am wearing a jacket, however, I just feel in the mood. Casual attire comes with a casual attitude and sometimes casual behavior and language.

[00:00:56] According to research, sales professionals swear during 20% of their calls to buyers, and it's helping them close deals, but it's not that clear cut. Why do we swear m*therf*cker ? And why does it capture our attention? Swearing is an important form. I love swearing. I'm a swearer. It's an important form of expression for people as a way to get in touch with our emotions. Like a response to pain. Emotional reaction to a painful situation. Instead of thinking of swearing as harmful, it's more meaningful to us, what communication goals does swearing achieve? Swearing at the right moment in a sales call can produce a positive result.

[00:01:40] You can't make a statement anymore emphatic than by dropping an F-bomb. Swear words, add emotion and urgency to otherwise mutual sentences. So when is the best time to swear on video calls? When the other party swears first. A sales rep is four times more likely to swear on a sales call if the buyer curses first.

[00:02:06] And here's the real stat here. 8% increase in close rates when sales people and a buyer curse on calls versus no cursing at all. What does it mean? . When buyers curse, they are letting their professional guard down a sign. That means it's okay to drop formality in social expectations and show their true selves.

[00:02:31] The derivative of that is that you are showing more vulnerability, more authenticity that you are human, and that the true pain of the situation is that it is frustrating, it is annoying. It's complicated, or it's painful enough that it warrants swearing. I believe it helps build rapport and shows who you are. Not the corporate side, not the conservative side. This is who I am. Take it or leave it. Don't let it get in the way of effective and clear communication though. Right, and this is my point. I'm not out just saying, Hey, poo bomb, shit, poo fuck, can't, whatever. If it doesn't enhance the message, don't add it. Right?

[00:03:12] It kind of goes with the same principle that we have about communication over creativity. It's the same thing. Don't let it get tangled up. And you know, a great example is Gary Vaynerchuk. I mean, he is a, a hero. He is somebody that, uh, I follow for, for many years, and he made a strategic choice to cultivate an authentic brand with a heavy dose of Jersey boy or swearing effective because it's true to his personality.

[00:03:38] When asked, why does he curse so much? And this is what he said.

[00:03:42] Lady: You curse so much for a guy who doesn't need to.

[00:03:45] Gary Vaynerchuk: Because I only believe in authenticity. It's how I talk. Like when I think about do I care about my employees, it feels more like in my brain and my heart and my soul. Do I give a fuck about my employees more than do I care about my employees? That's how my, that's for my brain and heart to my mouth. I am willing to deal with the ramifications of me being my full self.

[00:04:07] Lady: Do you curse at home?

[00:04:08] Gary Vaynerchuk: A ton.

[00:04:09] Lady: In front of your kids?

[00:04:09] Gary Vaynerchuk: Yep. I'm just not devastated to go into my fourth grade like teacher and, and Mrs. Thompson's like, you have a real problem. I'm like, what's that Mrs. Thompson? Your daughter curses. I just don't see that as a real problem. Me and Mrs. Thompson just don't see the world the same way. Again, I'm the byproduct of Mrs. Thompson telling me my whole life that I would be a failure. Mrs. Thompson thought that a D in science was going to be my downfall, just like she thinks saying fuck is her downfall. I don't agree.

[00:04:38] Chris Schwager: Okay, so now you've heard it from Gary. Swearing works best when it naturally fits your personality and when the situation allows it, and also because you are swearing for the fun of it and without offending anyone. Read the room, read the person, and if you swear and receive negative reaction, you might have to try this. Uh, couple of techniques that I learned in my tender as a professional speaker.

[00:05:05] One, check that they're okay with it. That's the first thing. You cannot just steamroll over when they've got a bad taste in their mouth about hearing you swear.

[00:05:14] Two, justify the reason for swearing or if it hasn't landed the way that you expect it. Again, stop, reiterate, emphasize, and make sure they're okay before you progress with your video call or your presentation.

[00:05:30] Three, the worst case is you gotta apologize. I really haven't apologized before because I usually get away with it pretty well because I have the right context to swearing. Um, particularly if it's stopping the flow of the meeting or interrupting the message you're trying to send. You've gotta address that you do have to address an in the steps one and two haven't worked. Simply apologize and move on. I swear. Brendan doesn't. I don't try to protect my kids from it. They're gonna hear it. They're gonna see it. It's in the dictionary, and it's not like I'm walking around the house going, fuck, fuck, fuck every day of the week, right. It has context and I expect that they would use it in the same way contextually. Okay. And I think that's important .

[00:06:17] Now, nobody likes kids swearing, but this idea of protecting them from it, I think is not something that we do in our parenting style. Okay. To protect them is, yeah, eventually it's all gonna come out in the wash.

[00:06:30] And it's interesting. It can make things easy to listen to. As far as I'm concerned. It can be the best icebreaker, it's color. It's my belief that it's, um, part of who we are as imperfect human beings, and it's just much more interesting. I would rather cut to the point with a swear word. Then dance around a topic with a waffly message.

[00:06:55] Messaging is a vital piece of the puzzle, and knowing the right words to use can help your scripting. If you want more personalized coaching around this, then be sure to leave us a message and let us know how we can help. Do you swear in sales videos? Check out the DIY Video Program that comes with scripting sessions, and script templates to help you deliver the message people will want to watch.

[00:07:19] Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to this channel where you'll get weekly video made simple ideas to present your videos like a pro. That's all for this episode. Thanks for listening again, and see you next week.