I’ve decided to have a bit of fun with this post.  It was inspired by the CEED workshop I attended last night – Entrepreneurial Trinity by the Phone Lady.

Mary Jane Copps is the Phone Lady and she trains people on how to communicate on the phone whether you are the receptionist, customer service, sales people or business owner.   It was a great workshop, Mary Jane had some fantastic tips, as well as helping many of us figure out an effective way to make a sales call.

Sales Call, not something I really think of myself as doing as a virtual assistant – and most in the class were thinking – Not the Cold Call! But really, these skills can be used for times when you have to “sell” your services to others; returning inquiries about your services, meeting new people who ask “what do you do” or any time where you need to talk about you and your business to others.

One big tip Mary Jane had was a word that she wants everyone to stop using.  She told us to take it out of our conversations where we are selling our service or business.  And this is where the “fun” part of this post begins.

The first person to guess the word (leave it in a comment her on the blog) will win a prize.  I’ve teamed up with a colleague, Maria Erman, of Maria Erman Photography, she is donating the prize -a print of Fisherman’s Cove here in Nova Scotia.So…. what’s the word?  And it does only have 4 letters. Here are three hints to help you with your answer >> please post a comment with your answer and if you are the winner (1st correct posted answer), I will contact you for an address.

1. It stops people from listening to anything that follows it.

2. It diminishes the meaning of the words that follow it.

3. It is a roadblock to your conversations, your business and sales – and we all use it a lot.

The first person to guess it correctly , before March 20, 2009, will win the scenic print from Maria Erman Photography , mailed to you at no cost. Everyone is welcome to join in the contest – except for my family members and those who attended the CEED workshop this week.

Enjoy, and let the guessing begin.  I have to say it is an often used word, but it really does have the effects that Mary Jane talked about. Once you know it, you’ll think… hmm it really is not a necessary word. Good Luck!

(If you were one of the people who attended Mary Jane’s workshops this week at CEED, sorry, but it wouldn’t be fair for you to play – maybe next time

*** Okay, apparently some people need a hint, so let’s play hangman!

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