How You Say What You Say

Good morning!

Suppose you were talking to a friend who had just seen a movie that you are considering dropping 10 bucks on and you asked, “How was it?” I think you’d agree there is a huge difference between hearing “It was good” in an enthusiastic tone versus hearing “It was good” monotone. One answer makes you want to go see it and the other begs the follow-up question, “I guess you wouldn’t recommend it, huh?

I was talking recently with a salesperson and asked him how his sales were going. His answer started off with his voice at a rather high pitch as he reeled off a couple of wonderful success stories and two more prospects that carry his high expectations.

But then …

My client’s voice changed entirely. Dropping down about half an octave, he shared his thoughts about his overall sales volume and potential. The difference between the beginning and the end of that conversation was so striking, I had to stop mid-sentence and point it out. Clearly, his heart was full of fears and concerns to the point where you almost didn’t listen to the words because the delivery said at all.

Your clients can hear everything you are thinking regardless of the fact that you don’t share all of your thoughts. They can hear your victories and your defeats. They know that your sales manager delivered a desperate message in the sales meeting this morning. They sense that you are a successful and confident salesperson despite the fact they have no idea what the numbers are.

New salespeople are taught to “fake it until you make it.” That is, put on an air of success for it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. But even when success comes, there are still moments of doubt and dread and when those moments permeate through to your voice, they are laid out for everyone to hear. As such, let me help you out with a few thoughts:

• You are the best at what you do.
• Your sales are going to explode this year.
• You work for the best company out there and people would be crazy not to want to do business with you.
• You love your customers and you love what you do.

Fake it until you make it and then when you make it, fake it so that you don’t break it.

Hey! Check out the new book: Who’s Making Money at Digital/Inkjet Printing … and How? Now available today on Amazon.com along with The 25 Best Print Sales Tips Ever! Series.