My 3 biggest pet peeves I hear TV Account Executives and TV Sales Managers say every day:

1. “Right of first refusal” – in other words, you get to turn this rotten proposal down before anyone else gets to turn it down! How about “Right of first acceptance” or “First right to renew” instead?
2. “I know how busy you are – thank you for your time” at the start to a meeting – in other words, I probably don’t have much value so I need to thank you in advance for wasting your time! How about starting the meeting with what would interest your client – phrases like “there is a multi-million dollar opportunity we have uncovered” or “your goal is to increase market share by 1% and we have discovered a way in which you can” or “let’s talk about selling more F150’s” or “it appears you have some new competition moving your way and we may be able to help you keep them at bay” or something that lets your customer know her time is about to be well spent.
3. “I’m just checking” as a voicemail, email or conversation starter. In other words, I have nothing new to say, I’m all out of knowledge, I’ve given you everything I’ve got so it’s your turn to tell me something. How about being additive? Letting the customer know you are still thinking about her needs? How about being a wealth of information and a continuous resource? How about “I found this article addressing the same issues we talked about” or “here’s a campaign in (another market) you may be interested in” or “what issue did I not address that remains a concern for you?” You are there to continually add to the relationship, not to check in on them!

Done ranting for today! I’m sure there are others that bug you – please tell us what they are. Your turn to rant!!