How to Speak Your Buyer's Language and Sound Like an Insider.

Speak your buyer's language and you sound like an insider. Here is how to learn the words your market uses and the things buyers really care about.

Will Koning

Founder, meritt

meritt illustration: market & context fit

Buyers can tell in seconds if you get their world. Use their words and they lean in. Use vague, generic lines and they tune out. The good news is this is not about being clever. It is about doing a little homework so you sound like one of them.

The mistake most people make

Most people sell with the same flat script to everyone. They use big, fuzzy words that could fit any company. They never use the buyer's own industry terms. So the buyer thinks, "This person does not really know my job." You sound like an outsider reading from a card. And once you sound generic, the buyer stops trusting you.

What good sounds like

Good sellers sound like an insider. They drop in the right industry words at the right time. They speak to the things this buyer actually loses sleep over. It feels natural, not forced. The buyer relaxes because you clearly understand their patch. That trust is what gets you the next meeting.

There is a simple test for whether a word is theirs or yours. If you would have to explain it to the buyer, it is your word. Your company's internal name for a feature, your team's shorthand, your category label - none of that is their language, even when it means the same thing. Say it their way and you disappear into the conversation. Say it your way and they have to translate, which is work, and work is where interest goes to die.

How to do it

Build a one-page word list for the market

Write down the terms this market uses and the job titles your buyers hold. Keep it to one page so you can scan it before a call.

For meritt buyers, I note words like pipeline, ramp time, and quota, plus titles like VP of Sales and Head of Revenue.

Listen to a real call and steal the words

Play back a recorded call in this market. Note every word the buyer uses that you would not have said yourself. Those are the words to borrow.

On the call she kept saying 'rep churn,' not 'staff turnover.' Now I use 'rep churn' too.

Tie each word to what they care about

A word is just noise unless you link it to a real worry. Next to each term, write the problem it points to. Then lead with that problem, in their words.

'Ramp time' really means new reps take too long to sell. So I open on that, not on features.

Swap your company's words out for theirs

Go through your usual opener and circle every word that came from your company, not your buyer. Product names, category labels, internal shorthand. Replace each one with the term the buyer actually used.

We call it a 'signal-based scorecard' inside meritt. The buyer calls it 'the thing that tells me who to interview.' So that is what I say.

See the difference

Weak

Hi, we help companies improve their hiring process and boost team performance across the board.

Strong

Hi Sam, most heads of revenue I speak to are fighting long ramp time and rep churn. New hires take months to hit quota, and the good ones leave. Is that what you are seeing?

Same offer. The strong version uses their words and names their real worry. That is why Sam keeps listening.

How you'll know it's working

You have got this when you use the right industry words and speak to what buyers care about. After your next few calls, ask yourself: did I sound like an insider or a stranger? Did the buyer nod along, or did they look lost? When buyers start saying "exactly" and "you get it," you are there. Curiosity about their world is what makes the difference, and it is a skill you can build call by call.

Questions people ask

How do I learn my buyer's language?

Build a one-page list of the words and job titles your market uses, then listen to a recorded call and note the terms buyers say that you would not. Borrow those words on your next call. The goal is to sound like an insider who knows their world, not a stranger reading a generic script. This is part of meritt's market and context fit skill set.

Why do buyers stop listening when I sound generic?

Generic lines could fit any company, so they signal that you have not done your homework. The buyer thinks you do not really understand their job. Once that trust is gone, they tune out fast. Using their own industry words and naming a real worry shows you get their world, which keeps them on the line.

What is the fastest way to pick up industry words?

Listen back to one recorded call in your market for about ten minutes. Write down every word the buyer uses that you would not have said yourself. Those are the exact terms to borrow. It takes five to ten minutes and gives you a real starter word list you can use on your very next call.

Is it bad to use jargon with a buyer?

Used right, industry words are not jargon to your buyer, they are their normal language. The key is to tie each word to a real problem they care about, not to show off. If a term does not point to a worry the buyer has, drop it. Speak their words to build trust, not to sound clever.

What if my company uses a different word for the same thing?

Use the buyer's word, every time. Your internal name for a feature is a label your team agreed on, not language your buyer has ever heard. When you use it, they have to stop and translate, and that small effort costs you their attention. Keep your company's word for internal chats and mirror the buyer's word back in the call.

What if I have no recorded calls to learn from?

Then read instead of listen. Mid-rating reviews of the tools your buyers use, the job ads your target company is running, and any earnings or investor update all carry the same language, written down. It is slower than a live call but it works from a standing start, which matters if you are new to a market or new to the job.