BECOME A PERFORMER
Please appreciate that Prospects and Customers want to be entertained. They don’t want to be bored by someone who is only educating them. They would much rather talk with and listen to Sales Pros who are exciting, dynamic, and enthusiastic, rather than boring. They want and need more than just the facts and figures in order to make a decision. Granted they need the features to back up their decision, however the decision making process is pure emotion, and not common sense, logic, or rational. A quick note of caution would be to learn how to sell with emotion without getting emotionally involved. First, work at developing your Voice. It’s a magical musical instrument that can be played in at least two octaves. There are even voice exercises that will permanently lower the tone of your voice. Learn to speed up to create urgency or slow down where every word drips with emotion. Learn to raise your volume to make a point or speak quietly to create a little mystery or intrigue. Most importantly, learn to listen and adapt your style of speaking to closely mirror your Prospect or Client. Be willing to be a chameleon and either slow down or speed up to match their speaking style. It’s called Pacing and it’s absolutely critical to your success. I know we wouldn’t say this, however when we refuse to Pace ourselves, we might as well be saying this to a Prospect or Client; “Before I get all cranked up, I need to tell you that I talk to everyone exactly the same way. If you feel comfortable with that, fine. If you don’t, I don’t really care.” None of us would ever dare say that however we imply that each time we refuse to listen and adapt to their style of speaking. When we mirror their speech pattern, 95% of people will have no idea that we’re doing it. All they know is that they feel extremely comfortable communicating with us. Needless to say if they speak slow and you speak fast, you’ll be a threat to them. On the other hand if they speak fast and you speak slow, you might put them to sleep. Please appreciate that these are Communication Skills that will help you become more proficient, no matter what your calling is in life. You can educate Prospects all day long and all you end up with will be a bunch of educated Prospects. Learn to put the emphasis on one or two words in each sentence that will stand out and be remembered even if the Prospect misses the rest of the words. Either raise or lower your volume on those words, or repeat them, or pause just before or just after the words. I’ll go so far as to suggest that if you can’t find one or two words in each sentence that should be emphasized, the sentence probably isn’t needed. Some people have to work on their diction, enunciation, and pronunciation, to be better understood. In fact, if you will practice slowing down to the point where you are pro-noun-cing li-ter-al-ly e-ve-ry syl-la-ble of e-ve-ry word, once you get it down that good, you can speed up to bursts of about 480 words a minute and still be completely understood because you are still pronouncing every syllable of every word. It’s interesting because the #1 fear of people is not falling off a Building, or drowning, or anything traumatic like that. The #1 fear people have is Public Speaking. I challenge you to join Toastmasters or the National Speakers Association, or at least get up in front of a few Kids and teach Sunday School. Through the years we’ve found that once you overcome that fear of Speaking in Public, you’ll never ever be intimidated by a Prospect or Customer for the rest of your life. The bottom line is that we need to sound different then, more interesting then, more creative then, more exciting then, more entertaining then, the other 95% of the people trying to sell them something or at least communicate effectively with them. And by the way, if you do Business face to face, never look someone in the eyes. I know we were all taught to keep eye contact, however some people have the ability to look right through you and/or intimidate you. From now on, look directly between their eyes at the top of their nose. It will appear that you are keeping eye contact but you really aren’t. Here’s another Advanced Tip. Learn to make the word sound like the word, and here’s what I mean. Go to the Dictionary and highlight descriptive words, adverbs or adjectives, or whatever they’re called. Then practice making the sound of that word and eventually adding the facial expressions, and yes, even the body language to go with it. If you say “Exciting” make it sound “Exciting”, etc. Some pros even go to school to learn accents or dialects so they can help their Prospect or Client feel more comfortable. And by the way, the best accent is a true English accent, from Britain, Australia, or South Africa, because they are mesmerizing to listen to. The second best is a good old southern drawl, because it’s very relaxing and non-threatening. Next, work at developing your language. We are blessed with the most beautiful and descriptive language in the World, yet we butcher it something terrible. We continue to use worn out phrases like; “How are you today?” that’s been around for so many years that it actually turns people off. Why not say; “Can you hear me OK?” or “Am I pronouncing your name correctly?” ü We use too many words such as; “The reason I’m calling is” instead of just telling them. Why not say; “I’m calling to introduce myself and share something very important that I knew you would want to know about”. ü We say things like; “Let me ask you a question” instead of just asking it. ü We use weak, weasel, and whiney words such as; “I’d like to ask you a couple of questions if that’s all right”. Why not say; “I need to gather some brief information so I can determine how best to be of service to you, fair enough?” ü Instead of using a negative word like; “I’d like to take a few minutes of your time”, please appreciate that no one wants you to take anything from them. They might be willing to invest or set aside a few minutes to learn about something that could benefit them, but they don’t want you to take anything from them. Probably one of the worst words is “think”. We invariable say things like; “I think you’ll really like this” instead of “I know you’ll really like this” or “I feel confident that you’ll really like this.” The worst possible use of the word “think” unfortunately is part of most Salespeople’s Closing arsenal, & in fact it’s their favorite Close, which is “Well, what do you think.” 9 out of 10 times when you ask that dumb question you’ll get this in return; “Well, I think I want to think about it some more.” Please be willing to learn 5 or 10 Closes and at least replace the “Think About It” Close. If nothing else, at least use Trial Closes like; “How does this look?” or “Based on everything we’ve discussed, how does this sound?” or “Does this feel good?” By the way, Trial Closes are great because they only ask for an opinion, however if they give you a strong enough response, you’ve just made your Sale. Also avoid using Buzz Words specific to your Industry, unless the other person uses them first which is an indication they know what they mean, or unless you’re willing to stop and explain the meaning. Whenever we use a word or phrase that the other person does not immediately recognize, we loose them mentally for the next 10 to 20 seconds while they’re trying to figure out what it meant. Constantly be looking for emotional Words and Phrases to add to your repertoire. Invest some time with a Dictionary & Thesaurus and learn at least one new descriptive, emotional, or power word a day. During my 15 years as a Trainer and Speaker, I was always asked for my personal collection of power-packed and emotional words and phrases. This is the first time in history that I’ve ever released “my personal stash”. Here are some examples of Motivating Words:Absolutely, Amazing, Approved, Attractive, Authentic, Bargain, Beautiful, Better, Big, Colorful, Colossal, Complete, Confidential, Crammed, Delivered, Direct, Discount, Easily, Endorsed, Enormous, Excellent, Exciting, Exclusive, Expert, Famous, Fascinating, Fortune, Free, Full, Genuine, Gift, Gigantic, Greatest, Guaranteed, Helpful, Highest, Huge, Immediately, Improved, Informative, Instructive, Interesting, Largest, Latest, Lavishly, Liberal, Lifetime, Limited, Lowest, Magic, Mammoth, Miracle, Noted, Odd, Outstanding, Personalized, Popular, Powerful, Practical, Professional, Profitable, Profusely, Proven, Quality, Quickly, Rare, Reduced, Refundable, Remarkable, Reliable, Revealing, Revolutionary, Scarce, Secrets, Security, Selected, Sensational, Simplified, Sizable, Special, Startling, Strange, Strong, Sturdy, Successful, Superior, Surprise, Terrific, Tested, Tremendous, Unconditional, Unique, Unlimited, Unparalleled, Unsurpassed, Unusual, Useful, Valuable, Wealth, Weird, and Wonderful. Here are some examples of Conservative Words and Phrases:No Nonsense, Precise, Individualized, Established, Responsive, Do-a-ble, Straight Forward, Fail-Safe, Complete, Pragmatic, Flawless, Proven, Winning, Down to Earth, Noteworthy, Definite, Stable, Step-by-step, Shrewd, Practical, Dependable, Trust Worthy, Timely, Nuts & Bolts, Tested, Simple but Effective, Real-Life, Elegant, Clear Cut, Personal, Comprehensive, Preeminent, Enhance, Safe, Significant, Savvy, Self-Evident, Measurable, Hands-On Now for some of the better Aggressive Words and Phrases:Dramatic, Hard-Hitting, State of the Art, Profitable, Blink of an Eye, Extraordinary, Inevitable, Formidable, Innovative, Unprecedented, Sweeping, New, Critical, Winning, Competitive, Energizing, Hard Headed, Jam Packed, Improve, Exclusive, Valuable, Heavy Duty, Ultimate, Penetrating, Indisputable, Bona Fide, Stunning, Eye-catching, Definite, Tremendous, Provocative, Original, Immediate, Gratification, Satisfaction, Sensational, Latest, Monumental, Trail-Blazing, Instant, Automatic, High Tech, Imperative, Tough, Fresh, Exhilarating, Full, Complete, Expanded, Thought Provoking, One and Only, Strategic, Unforgettable, Special, Unbelievable, Disguised, Perfect, Crucial, and Critical.
And last but not least, ALWAYS STAND UP WHEN MAKING A PRESENTATION.
Stan Billue, CSP has been called the most Ripped Off, Respected and Referred-to Sales Trainer alive. He has built a 30 year reputation as a recognized expert in Sales Training, Telemarketing, Motivation, Mentoring, Marketing and Copy Writing. He’;s been a student of successful Business Owners, top Sales Pros, and imaginative Entrepreneurs, an hour a day for 30 years and doubled his own Income each year for 5 consecutive years selling over the Phone. Stan has taught more 6 and 7 figure a year Income earning Mega-Buck Sales Pros than any other Trainer. His power-packed Audio and Video programs are sold in 45 Countries.