The 3 "V's"

As sales people we have 3 tools to use when persuading a customer. I call these tools the "3 V's". These stand for Visual, Verbal & Vocal and all three contribute to your success or failure. Visual is the message you send by your appearance, how you dress, your posture and body language and especially your facial expressions. A great smile is a worth a lot of money in increased sales. Verbal is the "V" that most people think about. These are the words you use. Think about what you are saying, keep your language simple and customer focused. The 3rd V is important to all sales people, but is critical to telephone reps. Vocal is how you use your voice. Do you sound confident and knowledgeable? Are you coming across loud and clear? Do you modulate your voice to hold the customer's interest? These all have an effect on the outcome of a sale. I suggest videotaping yourself role playing with a friend or coworker and then honestly critiquing how you appear on a call. I have even studied theater to learn how actors control the 3 "V's". The more you think about how you behave in these three areas, the more you will be able to control them and the more you will be able to control the outcome of the call.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Sounds good to me

As sales people we make our living with our voices. While most sales people think a great deal about the words they use, they give little thought to how they use their voices. Expert sales people vary their vocal speed, the volume of their voices and insert pauses to help communicate their message. I suggest you listen carefully how actors in movies, on TV and especially in commercials/infomercials use their voices. If you speak rapidly and in a relatively high pitch you convey passion and excitement. By lowering your voice and speaking slowly with frequent pauses you sound more authoritative. Listen to your clients verbal patterns and try to match them. Research indicates that this enhances communication and understanding.

The best way to learn to use your voice effectively is to rehearse. I started my sales career as a telephone sales person. Since my voice was my only way to get through to customers, I would practice my presentation and record it. I would play it back and experiment with different words and different deliveries until I was satisfied with the sound. This gave me a real edge over my peers who tried to get by simply be smiling and dialing.

Paying attention to how your voice sounds will make you a better sales person. Learn to control your voice and you will have more control over your income.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling

Thanks Jim Busch