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TEMPDIGEST
Slow Down, You're Movin'
Too Fast· · ·
What is the most important change I need to make, as I talk with
my prospects on the phone instead of face-to-face?
Slow you speaking speed.
Salespeople say they do not like the phone because they cannot read
the prospect's body language. The lack of visual cues leaves them
feeling blinded and wondering what to say next.
These comments are well founded. Why? "Fifty-five percent of an
interpretation of face-to-face conversation is determined by nonverbal
cues, 38 percent by our voice and 7 percent by the words themselves."
Roger Ailes documents the research for these statistics in his book
You Are the Message.
Adapt to the Loss of Visual Cues
More than half of face-to-face conversation is communicated through
the eyes at the speed of light so that you "hear" your prospects
with your eyes and ears. When talking on the phone, you lose the
visual cues you are so used to and therefore communicate with less
information than you are used to relying on. You "hear" only with
your ears at a far slower speed, the speed of sound.
Beware of Too Many or Too Few Words
In a desire to make the most of their ninety seconds of phone time
with the prospect, sales pros freeze or quickly spew out words in
hopes of dazzling the executive so that he or she will want to schedule
an appointment. The impression that is unintentionally made is similar
to the irritation and frustration you feel when someone rapidly
fires his name and number onto your voice mail especially annoying
when he does not enunciate. It could be Ed McMahon leaving a voice
mail saying you have won $50 million and to call him at (800). .
.1414. All you can scribble down is Ed Mc. . .won $50 mil. . .frustrated
and irritated--not the unforgettable impression a sales professional
intends to make.
Engage in Focused Conversation
Look at your phone calls from your prospect's point of view. You,
the caller, speak as though the prospect is looking at you. In reality,
the prospect is listening to you and processing your words much
slower than face-to-face communication. As a result, you unintentionally
build in resistance before the prospect even knows what you are
calling about. You forfeit all control of the conversation by telling
all you know without asking questions of the person on the other
end of the line. The prospect is being talked at instead of engaged
in focused conversation with a clear purpose.
Adapting our communication style to the telephone requires a heavier
reliance on the quality, tone, pitch, variation, pace of our voice.
. .and the need to slow down. Slow down enough to breathe and listen
to your prospect. Slow down so your prospect can process the words
you are speaking.
Paul Simon, musician, songwriter and vocalist, sang a song n the
60's that started out with the words, "Slow down you're movin' too
fast, you've got to make the morning last. . ." This is a great
tune to remember when making phone calls to keep your voice at a
nice, s-l-o-w pace.
An inexpensive way to check the pace of your voice on a phone call
is to call your own voice mail. Leave your name, phone number and
the purpose of your call. Then, listen to your voice mail message
and honestly ask yourself, "Based on the message you just left,
would you do business with you?"
SOURCE: Secrets To Scheduling The Executive-Level Sales Call: how to
win over the million-dollar decision-makers
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