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When trying to make a sale with a customer it’s always a good idea to avoid industry jargon and to match the customer’s speech in order to build rapport. In an attempt to sound more business like or professional salespeople may use the term ‘vehicle’ as in, “How long have you owned the vehicle, sir?” In your everyday vernacular, how often do you use the term ‘vehicle’ or  ‘automobile’ over ‘cars’? Very rarely, I suppose. Most people tend to use the term ‘my car’ or ‘my truck’ when referring to their four-wheeled pride and joy.  Another example of professional talk vs. everyday vernacular is the use of ‘pre owned’ rather than used.

Using these trade jargon may not make them head for the hills, but it may make the interaction seem more like a sales pitch rather than a friendly rapport — that hopefully ends in a sale. Mirroring the customer’s language is essential in making the sale face to face. Does the same hold true when you’re trying to make the sale in the online realm?

I used Google’s Keyword planner tool to find out how some sales lot trade jargon compares with its everyday counterpart. Here’s what I found.

Cars vs. Vehicles & Automobiles

Used vs. Pre owned & Pre-owned

In conclusion, it looks like the everyday terms of ‘cars’ and ‘used’ is widely more popular than its trade jargon counterpart online. So when it comes to writing ad copy for PPC or coming up with SEO keywords you want to target, it’s better to stick with everyday talk if you want to reach the most people.