How to Improve Your Tonality to Quickly Build Rapport Sales and Selling |
- How to Improve Your Tonality to Quickly Build Rapport
- Want to go to new sales job but afraid of failure?
- What tools are you using ? (CRM, marketing automation...)
- Advice on choosing company
- Selling to doctors. Address them by first name?
- Looking to go from politics to sales.
- I need an advice regarding Business Development career
- When trying to make a sale, is it important to make small talk with the client, or ask them about themselves, etc.?
- Tips for POS (point-of-sale) systems sales?
- An industry comparison / journey post
- Transferring to SaaS Account Executive Role
- Taking your contacts from one business to the next?
- Strategy based on org chart
- Good Companies for AI/Machine Learning Sales?
| How to Improve Your Tonality to Quickly Build Rapport Posted: 23 Feb 2018 03:40 PM PST Your tonality has the ability to command attention and inspire your audience, or bore and put them to sleep. While you can't change your voice (unless you're a damn good impersonator), you can change the way you articulate and pronounce phrases, which will help in sales and life. This article aims to provide an analysis of what actually comprises tonality, and how you can adjust yours to improve your sales calls and meetings. Why is Tonality so Important?Tonality is a crucial aspect of communication as it portrays a person's character through a non-visual medium. Using tonality correctly allows you to build rapport quickly; you appear confident, high value, intelligent and an expert in your field, which attracts attention and allows you to influence others. Developing rapport is the foundation of effective communication and relationship building. Aldo Civico, who holds a Ph.D. and worked in conflict resolution for 25 years, stated, "...without rapport there is no one interested in the message you want to communicate or the service you want to provide. Without rapport, there is little chance to influence or to persuade others." Tonality transcends the specific words you say. It's an emotional signal that frames the logical side of a conversation. This is important as emotional cues register faster than logical ones, and decisions are actually based on emotion, according to this article. As an extreme example, think about how you communicate with a baby or an animal. I'm willing to bet you speak in a funny high pitch voice. It doesn't even matter what you say; if your tonality is positive and happy, the baby will often laugh and the animal will usually come to you for a pat. Exact words spoken aren't likely to be understood by the animal (apart from trained words like sit, stay, etc.). But ask the dog how his day was, and he's not likely to respond. If you yell at the dog, your tonality will probably upset him, and he'll probably react accordingly (sheepish, or even aggressive back). They may forget what you said — but they will never forget how you made them feel. —Carl W. Buehner I believe this sums up tonality very well. Tonality AnalogyComparing tonality to music, how do you feel when ACDC or Bon Jovi come on the radio? While their lyrics are very powerful, ignore them for the moment. What emotions do the songs evoke? The pitch, volume, pace and articulation all contribute to a certain "feeling" that aims to excite the listener. Contrast this with the music played at a massage parlour (the legal ones): they want to you to be in a relaxed state, so they play slow, soothing music. Both have their benefits and their place. Apply this to sales. Different Aspects of TonalityTonality is comprised of multiple parts. Each of these can be altered depending on the situation to maximise the desired response. For example, being loud and boisterous to someone who is more shy and reserved is unlikely to feel comfortable around you, and hence you'll struggle to build rapport. There is no one "perfect" tonality for every situation and person, but rather a framework that you can tailor to particular personality types. Pitch The pitch of your voice is how high or low your voice is. Women naturally have a higher pitch voice than males, and lower pitches are actually perceived as more masculine. No matter your natural pitch, people make the mistake of not varying their pitch when talking, which is perceived as "boring." A "flat" pitch is called a "monotone" and is often the fastest way to lose rapport with someone, which means they'll disengage from the communication. We've all been forced to listen to a teacher, lecturer or guest speaker that talks with a monotone. I bet you struggled to stay engaged with someone like this and started day-dreaming or mucking around. Instead, to maximise attention, the best speakers vary their pitch with inflections depending on the particular part of a sentence. This also conveys enthusiasm and excitement no matter the topic being talked about. For example, the pitch will rise for keywords in the sentence, so they stand out. This is akin to italicising particular words in writing so the reader understands the importance. Here's the important keywords when pitching my software: "The reason I'm calling is because we help salespeople improve their confidence on the phone, and I thought you might be interested too." Interesting tonality also includes raising and lowering pitch at the correct times. When you ask a question, your tonality should inflect upwards progressively. This allows people to subconsciously understand that it is in fact a genuine question, and invites an answer. Alternatively, a sarcastic or rhetoric question often has a lower pitch. When making a statement or assertion, the most powerful tonality is to inflect downwards progressively. This shows you're confident in your statement because you say it with conviction, rather than seeking approval for it. An example of poor tonality is "teenage-white-girl-speak" where their pitch actually confuses the listener. They'll make a statement but inflect upwards as if it is a question. This short Family Guy video sums it up. Consequently, it is difficult for someone who speaks like this to build rapport. They're often labeled "unintelligent" and hence, low value. Luckily, this is easily corrected. Volume The volume of your voice will be perceived on a scale from shy (quiet) to aggressive (loud). Similar to pitch, having a singular volume is not effective, and can be counter-intuitive for building rapport and relationships. If you're too quiet, people may struggle to hear you, and others may even speak over you, which isn't good for asserting yourself socially. A quiet voice is often associated with calmness, intimacy or secrecy, but lacks the ability to command attention and enthusiasm. Conversely, if you're constantly too loud, you appear volatile, arrogant, confrontational and maybe even crazy. While you'll attract attention, you will struggle to build trust and influence people's opinions because it's often in a negative light. People are more attracted to internal confidence rather than external arrogance. This is achieved when you're emotionally unaffected by shit tests and objections, and possess an abundance mentality. Being constantly loud is counter-intuitive to this. Using a variation in volume for different phrases and words can be very useful at both commanding attention, conveying enthusiasm AND ensuring calmness and comfort in the prospect. "Hey John! This is Michael from SalesWolf, did I catch you at a bad time?" I start slightly louder with "Hey John!" to command attention, then soften the volume with "This is Michael from SalesWolf," once I've got his attention in order to build trust (using a downward inflection). Finally, while still calm, my pitch inflects upwards as I ask the question. This shows I'm confident and clear in my intentions, not seeking approval from the prospect. The goal is to be in control of the communication. Volume also comes in handy when talking about the benefits of your product/service, as you want to build up the excitement. However, as you transition to closing the meeting or sale, your volume should lower to calm the situation down to a more intimate level. So the prospect has gone from excitement of the solution, to being calm and comfortable about the next steps. Pace The pace at which you speak contributes to how well someone understands you, and hence, your persuasiveness. According to Lisa Marshall, a communication coach to leading brands, stated that multiple studies found faster rates of speech are associated with higher perceptions of competence, extraversion, and social attractiveness. Similarly, listeners rated competence and social attractiveness higher for speakers whose perceived and actual speaking rates were similar to their own, compared to those whose rates they believed to differ from their own. The National Centre for Voice and Speech states that the average person in the US speaks at a pace of roughly 150 words per minute, which is 2.5 words per second, and the recommended speed for audio books. Now, if you talk too fast, it can sound rushed and become stressful to listen to, as you may appear nervous or agitated. The brain will be unable to process all the words, meaning your message will not properly received. This will make it hard to build rapport and influence people. Alternatively, speaking slowly will mean your statements have a greater chance of being understood, but will annoy your audience as they want the information faster. Like low pitch, speaking slowly will bore the listeners and they may disengage from you. Lisa writes, "We speak more rapidly if we are in a hurry, or saying something urgent, or trying not to be interrupted in a conversation. For many people, nervousness or excitement will also increase the rate of speech. Conversely, we tend to speak more slowly when we are tired or bored." Articulation Articulation is the ability to physically move the tongue, lips, teeth and jaw to construct speech sounds, which then contribute to words and sentences. The greater one's articulacy, the easier it is for them to convey basic needs and desires, as well as expressing views in complex conversations. This contributes to building rapport and relationships. Unclear speech can negatively impact social interactions as listeners struggle to comprehend what you're saying. The more difficult it is for someone to understand, the greater the chance of misinterpretation. The most efficient form of communication is when there is zero ambiguity between participants. This is known as "all being on the same page," and is achieved fastest when people can clearly articulate their objectives and opinions. Additionally, the user of "filler" words such as "um, ah, like" and "you know" weaken your credibility. If you continually use these words, the audience may perceive this as a lack of preparation, lack of knowledge, or lack of passion. Either way, it reduces your ability to establish rapport and influence the listeners. Improving TonalityImproving tonality is surprisingly easy, so don't feel like it's a daunting task. First, write out scripts instead of winging it during your sales calls. Imagine yourself as an actor: they learn the script and then bring it to life by delivering it in the most effective way possible. They inject charisma into the words, but you also see their expressions visually. Without the visual aid while speaking on the phone, tonality is even more important to engage prospects and clients. Next, separate questions from statements so you can adjust your pitch for both. Highlight keywords that are most important in your script. Your pitch will elevate on these words. Check your volume – do people constantly ask you to speak up or repeat what you said? Or do they tell you to "use your inside voice?" Experiment with varying volume at parts where you need to capture attention and also instil trust. The best way to improve is to record yourself so you can listen objectively. This will also allow you to manually count how many words you're saying per minute, and adjust accordingly. Speed up if you're saying less than 120 words per minute, and slow down if you're spittin' words like Eminem, or more than 180 words per minute. Finally, critique yourself on your articulation. Are you pronouncing words clearly and eloquently? Another great thing about having scripts and objection responses is that you can learn them, meaning you'll be much more confident in the words you speak. This will reduce your need to say "um, ah, like, etc." because you'll be less nervous and won't be caught off guard. In turn, this will increase your credibility and ability to build rapport quickly. I'll leave you with a video on tonality. I've found that Leo articulates much clearer than the real Wolf of Wall Street, based on interviews. Notice how he varies pitch, volume, and pace to very easily establish rapport and influence the prospect. He starts strong, raises his pitch when he asks questions, and emphasises the keywords, which builds up an excitement. But then he changes tact. He reduces his volume, pitch and pace as he explains the price of the share to draw the prospect in and create comfort and trust, before increase tonality as he discloses the potential monetary gains! I realise this is exaggerated, but it's a fantastic way to learn. Enjoy the best example of tonality (in my opinion) right here. TL;DR - statements and questions require a different inflection, avoid monotone. Your volume should vary, and there's a "sweet spot" of speaking at 150 words per minute, or 2.5 words per second. The more articulate you are, the more clearly you can express your views. All of this contributes to building rapport as quickly as possible. [link] [comments]  |
| Want to go to new sales job but afraid of failure? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 09:14 AM PST Hey all - I've been at my current company for 6 years now and it's the first corporate job I've had where I've sold anything at all. The company is huge and my first year as an AE (roughly 3 years ago) was phenomenal but the last two years have been from mediocre to bad as far as performance goes. It's well known in this company that the patch makes the attainment and I've had some pretty rural areas not known for their affinity to SaaS so it's been rough sledding. I don't foresee any change this year in that area and have been looking to jump ship but since this is my very first AE job and the last couple years haven't been what I wanted them to be I'm worried about jumping ship and failing somewhere/getting fired quickly for that failure. Any words of encouragement from other sales guys who have made these jumps? I think I just need to finally go for it and not let my anxiety stop me from growing. [link] [comments]  |
| What tools are you using ? (CRM, marketing automation...) Posted: 24 Feb 2018 07:26 AM PST Hello, At the moment, I am an eCommerce manager. Soon, I'll quit this job to become an independant digital strategy consultant. The sales world is new to me, and the tools are too. I'm currently looking for the best tools to help me through my adventure ! So far, I've tried Hubspot free CRM associated with MailChimp. It allows me to have a CRM, newsletter and marketing automation for free. I wonder what kind of tools you guys use, maybe something is better than what I've figured. My budget is around 50€/month for the beginning. Thanks [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 24 Feb 2018 12:05 PM PST Hey guys, I am trying to break into the Saas industry. I was wondering if there is anyway to sort out the best companies to work for ( except glassdoor). I mean: how to choose a worthy (one that trains you WELL) company ? [link] [comments]  |
| Selling to doctors. Address them by first name? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 12:03 PM PST Wierd question but do you address them by first name or Dr. Last name? [link] [comments]  |
| Looking to go from politics to sales. Posted: 24 Feb 2018 11:36 AM PST I'm brand new to the sales world working for my families company which deals with imported aftermarket auto parts but would like to go a separate way. I worked in campaigning, lobbying, etc. before but have really lost interest in that whole arena. I feel like I have the personable skills that will transfer into sales pretty well. My question is what sales industry would you go into if you were starting over today? I would love to work for a company that actually trains their sales people and is selling a good product/service. Thank you in advance. [link] [comments]  |
| I need an advice regarding Business Development career Posted: 24 Feb 2018 04:20 AM PST Greetings, I have been working online with a Oil & Gas company in another country for 4 years, I was a member in the business developement and I had alot of tivial tasks like contacting other companies, registring company with other companies and collect data from the internet.. etc, Now Am a business development office but I don't feel that the name match my work, in the past 3 years I am: • Responsible for organizing and submitting bids • Researching organisations online to identify new leads and potential new markets • Contacting potential clients to establish partnerships, joint bidding and meetings • Planning and overseeing bidding process • Negotiating and renegotiating by phone, email, and in person • Coordinate between 3 comapny branches Do I have the typical Business Development Officer resposibilities or not? because am currently searching for another job and Am planning to take the PMP training and test, so would PMP certificate will help me or it seems away from my carrer? Thanks in advance [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 23 Feb 2018 07:44 PM PST My particular line of business is web and software development if that makes any difference for this question. [link] [comments]  |
| Tips for POS (point-of-sale) systems sales? Posted: 23 Feb 2018 03:08 PM PST Bartender/server here interested in breaking into sales. There's one thing I've gotten very acquainted with in my restaurant career: various POS systems and how essential they are for a restaurant/retail success. Anybody do POS sales? Does it pay well? Can a noob do it? Thanks for any info [link] [comments]  |
| An industry comparison / journey post Posted: 23 Feb 2018 03:48 PM PST Hey guys, Long time lurker and love the threads and knowledge being shared here. I just wanted to post my experience/story and give those that are new to sales or have/are considering pharma/B2B/SaaS sales an inside look. It's a journey post and provides insight from working at several companies. I graduated 5 years ago from University (6 in June), and started in a pharma company as a Territory Manager. $55K base, company car, on plan for $80K, seemed like a great overall job for a new grad. I had experience in University selling cars, I could interview well, etc which is why they chose me. Got laid off after 3 months which sucked (this industry is famous for them). This industry was a joke, and was full of hot blondes who have worked for 25 different pharma companies, working 20-25 hours a week, while having zero business or sales acumen. I was not impressed. Top performers made $120K if you were specialized (IE, oncology). Decided to go work for a company that has great training and a reputation for hiring and mentoring leaders out of school, so I joined a billion dollar uniform rental company in outside sales. Unreal training, tough industry, product differentiation was minimal, pricing between competitor companies is extremely savage and $0.05 difference could mean losing the sale to a 'price focused' buyer. However - I learned tenacity, following a sales process, and I got quite good at it. $79K in year 1, 109K year 2, 120K year 3. Was promoted several times from outside sales to Team Leader position. As an FYI, others in my company in the top 10% are making $150-175K with the top 3 reps in most regions making low 200s. Midway through year 3, I was promoted to National Account (Enterprise) sales (youngest in company history). Now I am selling enterprise programs to National providers across multiple states, etc. OTE jumps significantly. Made $190K last year and $230K is my target for next year (very attainable). Meanwhile, I have friends in med device who are making $150K grinding it out with insane hours. I work 35-40 hours per week. I have an assistant account manager who manages my day to day accounts, so I can just find and sell these large enterprise accounts. However, I have a good friend who works at Google, and another at SF.com - these companies pay insanely well for AE positions. My average deal size is $1M+ and my friend makes 80% of what I make selling $50K deals in SaaS. My friend introduced me to someone else who is now selling multi-million dollar enterprise deals for SAP and he cleared $700K! So as we speak, I am considering SaaS roles (interviewing at F500 software companies as we speak), even though I may have to go backwards to an AE role (from enterprise). So in summary, if I had to do it again, I would have started with SaaS, as comp and industry have more upside. But in all honesty, the uniform business has treated me extremely well and I cannot complain. Hope this is informative for those looking/in different industries. Feel free to PM me if you have questions about these industries. TL:DR, Pharma was a joke, uniform business is good if you're killer, if you're young and want a good career path and best money for sales = SaaS [link] [comments]  |
| Transferring to SaaS Account Executive Role Posted: 23 Feb 2018 02:18 PM PST Hey, everyone! I have a question for people that came to SaaS sales from other industries. Is it possible at all to skip an SDR position? I am an AE at Xerox and have been most performing rep in my division over last two years. Prior to that I had a 6 months SDR internship in a start-up. I'm Currently looking for a change and what I came across in SaaS is that recruiters tend to tell me that I don't have enough experience in the industry, thus their clients might consider me for SDR position and I should be aware of that. How would one tackle this objection. I do want to change, however stepping into SDR position will be a step-back for me, I am positive of that, as I love to close and perform demos and I've been through the grind already. Should I tell recruiters that I'm not interested in SDR positions whatsoever? How would you position yourselves when talking to them and would you rather speak with companies directly? Cheers and good selling! [link] [comments]  |
| Taking your contacts from one business to the next? Posted: 23 Feb 2018 12:59 PM PST I may be switching jobs from a high end car dealership to new home sales, and have the chance to cultivate my book of business(names, phone numbers and emails) to bring with me. I am wondering if it's ethical to do so, both from an employers as well as the clients view point. I would likely send a short email saying I now work for company Y just letting my clients know this. I did not sign any non compete clause or anything, and I of course do not want to have any run ins with CASL legislation here in Canada (anti spam). What are your thoughts on something like this? As I'm fence sitting on the idea [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 23 Feb 2018 12:30 PM PST Hi r/sales, When doing my initial prospection into an account I usually start by examining the org chart to decide who I should be reaching out to first. In the type of sale that I'm involved in decision makers could be anyone from Director, VP, or C level in the following functional groups: Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Operations, IT, and Finance. I should mention there is an emphasis on Operations, Manufacturing, and IT (we sell cloud ERP solutions for manufacturers). My question to everyone is how they strategize their sales touches based on the org chart. Do you go bottom -> up, top ->bottom, or everywhere all at once. What I'd like to try doing more is working from the bottom, up getting necessary information related to qualifying the opportunity, and using that to position a really warm/value adding call with the D, VP, and C levels. anyone have any luck trying that strategy or another varient? Thanks! [link] [comments]  |
| Good Companies for AI/Machine Learning Sales? Posted: 23 Feb 2018 01:42 PM PST Title. I've been interested in AI assistants, esp. in the sales world. Does anyone know good companies to sell AI/machine learning as a service? Bonus points if they're based in the Southeastern US [link] [comments]  |
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