Sales can be made or lost simply down to the way we communicate. Of course, a successful sales person should know that it is far more important to listen than it is to speak, however the ability to talk is vitally important during a sales conversation – understandably.
The way in which we speak can help to make or break a sale and is something that so few of us put into god practice. I have worked with sales coaching clients whom have a much greater intelligence than I, understand the sales cycle very well and have a passion for sales and yet struggle to sell; and sometimes this is down to the voice and how they use yours.
In this article I aim to share with you my top five tips in which you can use your voice to help you to sell more and to achieve sales success into 2019 and beyond!
Take Your Prospect on a Journey
There are few things less exciting than going on a fast car ride, a fast rollercoaster or listening to fast tempo music. The same can be said for your voice. The faster the tempo of your voice the more inclined you will get your prospect excited to join you on that conversational journey. Increase the speed of your voice and the words you are using to build up your conversational excitement and use this to build up the desire in what you are saying.
Put the Brakes on
Asking for the sale is the most important part of a sales conversation. Sure, you can sell and describe all of the benefits and go through the pricing plan with the prospect and yet if you do not ask for the sale then you will simply rarely make a sale. Some people get nervous at this stage and actually speed up, but this once again just joins along in all of the excitement that you have already built, and you can skip over the minor details. At this stage you want to slow down on the words that need emphasising which will help to highlight the point you are trying to make. The change in tempo will also ensure that the prospects attention is regained, and they too can start to allow decisions to be made.
Watch the Volume
No one likes being spoken to. And no one likes people raising their voice. Sure, a loud statement can help to grab someone’s attention and to emphasise points but sometimes this can be too harsh for the smaller details to be heard. A great trick is to lower your voice at the key aspects and near enough whisper certain parts of your sales pitch that you believe should be highlighted. When we whisper we do two things; we attract the prospect closer so that they have to listen both physically and mentally. The prospect will listen harder to ensure they understand what you are saying. Also, you will give the impression that you are telling them a secret, something that no one else should know. This will help to develop a strong rapport with your prospect and will also suck them in for the most important parts of your pitch.
Stop Talking
As we mentioned earlier, when asking for the sale many of us can get over excited and can actually talk ourselves out of the sale. Have you ever pitched someone, asked for the sale, and then felt the need to try to justify the pricing, or try to go over again why the prospect should buy from you? This is a big ‘no no’ in sales. When you do this, you over take your prospects thought process. You stop them from making the decision and enter into a new conversation, and then you then have to re-ask for the sale! So you have done a full circle.
Next time you ask for the sale, or finalise your pitch, just stay quiet. It can
be very hard to do, and may feel a little awkward at first, but you will see
your sales increase dramatically. So, what you expect to hear is:
“So, Mrs. Prospect, if we get you signed up now that will cost you £140.”
Stay quiet.
Wait for your prospect to speak. This returns the power to the prospect to say yes
and will give them a chance to ask further questions or offer objections if
needed.
Breathe
Goddammit, Breathe!
Our voices are powerful tools. And yet the engine
that truly powers our voice is our breath. Breathing correctly will give us the
chance to put the above voice tools to good use, will reduce stress and will
allow us to remain in complete control of the sales conversation.
