Voice - the tool

[WinoBlues]

Do any of the trainers teach how to use your voice in sales? Especially but not limited to phone sales.

In F2F there are many other subtle tools from your shirt, case, looks, posture and so on in F2F. In phone sales you have none of that. You have your voice. You can have the best script with magic words (doesn't exist), however, if you voice cadence or tone is off it could land negatively.

Inflection is important in both F2F and phone.

So, I was going through my news feed this morning and a news caster was trying to make a benign story interesting. Phone chargers = meh. What caught my attention was his tone and pace changes and almost pauses. I listened to it without looking at his semi dramatic hand and facial expressions also.

 

[Todd King]

There are a lot of things that come across the phone that one may not realize. You didn't watch his hand movements, etc, but they came through silently. Inflection is aided by talking as though the client is right in front of you. Use your hands, make facial expressions, etc.

Also, "If you don't mind my asking" goes a long way when trying to get info from the potential client.

Edit: I forgot to say....SMILE!

 

[somarco]

When I think about news readers, some had very distinctive speech patterns that almost DEMANDED your attention.

Huntley-Brinkley - Chet Huntley would put me to sleep with his patter, David Brinkley had a clipped pattern with perfect enunciation and inflection. You never wanted to miss a word.

Walter Cronkite leaned into the camera, sometimes took his glasses off, if he did you better pay attention, he is going to say something important. You could hear the excitement in his voice when talking about rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral . . . and the almost reverent tones when announcing the death of JFK.

Harry Reasoner was always smiling, like he knew a secret and might share it with you.

Andy Rooney's voice made you think he was making up a funny story, when in fact he was saying what bugged him and probably bugged you as well.

Paul Harvey had a voice for radio. Booming baritone, mid-western accent and pregnant pauses.

People tell me I sound younger than my years and they don't detect a southern accent even though I have lived in the south (TN, AL, GA) all my life. I don't try to sound like someone else, it just happens. One thing I was told early on was to change my facial expression when talking, either F2F or on the phone. That one thing translates to your voice and creates changes in speed, volume and inflection.

Good thread. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Life Hawk]

Paul Harvey had a voice for radio. Booming baritone, mid-western accent and pregnant pauses.

Miss him... such a great story teller.

 

[Markthebroker]

I haven't smiled and dialed for years, and probably never will again. Depending on what I was selling and who I was calling, I was reasonably good at it. There were a few things I found consistently increased my conversion.

-Confidence/mood - obviously.
-If I was sick, or had too much coffee, or hadn't slept. Anything that seemed to remove me from my ordinary state of mind and switch things up increased conversion.
-If I picked a random irrelevant word and tried to work it into my conversation somehow, like oven, fingerpaint, banana, aluminum foil, or jackrabbit. I know it sounds wild, but it kept it interesting for me while I was banging the phone for 8hrs, and seemed to increase conversion.

 

[goillini52]

Paul Harvey had a voice for radio. Booming baritone, mid-western accent and pregnant pauses.

 

[somarco]

Wow (Paul Harvey, BX) . . . thanks for finding that and sharing.

 

[goillini52]

Wow (Paul Harvey, BX) . . . thanks for finding that and sharing.

I remember when I was a kid. Bankers Life White Cross was one of the sponsors for his radio show. Now you know the rest of the story.

Bankers Life | Retirement and Income Solutions

 

[goillini52]

 

[goillini52]

Who knew that Paul was a stoner?