YOU ARE THE MESSAGE

YOU ARE THE MESSAGE

When talking about sales processes, tonality has its place at the top of those matters. It deserves that place because of the way our logic centers process information. As much as we might like for words to be the only thing that counts - they aren't. We communicate across a broad spectrum using our eyes, face, pitch, tone, and the little grunts and groans acknowledging a statement. If they are not all consistent, then we come off as inauthentic. Untrustworthy salesmen don't sell.

1). Context:

The majority of human communication is nonverbal. A large body of evidence points to how words, body language, and tone of voice account for 7%, 55%, and 38% of effective communication respectively. When we tie this back into sales, you start to see why there is not a magic script that cracks the code to consistent closing. For instance, read this sentence aloud adding emphasis to the italicized word.

I didn't say he hit his wife.

I didn't say he hit his wife.

I didn't say he hit his wife.

I didn't say he hit his wife.

Same seven words. Four very different meanings.

2). The right foot:

The weight of a good first impression is hard to understate. If you get it wrong, not only is the potential sale likely to implode, but any hope of getting it back on track rests on needing to have eight subsequent good encounters. And that is a chance you will rarely get. Understand that the prospect's subconscious mind will form the impression of how experienced and trustworthy you are in less than the first ten seconds. Logic would tell you that there is no combination of words that you could spit out in less than 10 seconds to create that interpretation. So what would? Your ability to subconsciously convince with tonality and consciously convince with words. There is no one right way of doing this, and explaining it is difficult to boot. Don't be boring. A monotone voice will smash someone's attention span while making you sound scripted and uninterested in their problems. The message needs to match the tone - these two can not be incongruent.

3). Be genuine:

On some level, to be successful in sales, you have to be able to relate to a prospect. It is just one of those things that is nearly impossible to fake. Being able to convey true empathy and sympathy allows you to really dig out the motivation and build lasting rapport. You also need to be genuinely convicted that you have an amazing product. If you truly believe in it, you don't have to worry about most of the intricacies of sales. They will take care of themselves. If you do not believe in it, selling will become an unethical concept. A customer will pick up on that a mile away. Should that be the case, the only solution is to find something you do believe in.

4). Practice practice practice:

Like almost anything, the only way to improve is by putting in the reps. Ideally, you can do this with a colleague, batting the hypothetical ball back and forth. Additionally, if you are using a script, reading it aloud can be incredibly beneficial as a warm-up or a cool-down. Finally, record your calls. This is where the substance is. How you perform when there is something on the line. Listening to your calls (at least one good and one bad per business day) will produce much of the results that you are looking for.

"The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said."

-Peter Drucker