Especially where the sales knowledge is great and the sales process is perfectly declined, there is often a serious problem: the voice unconsciously sends disturbing signals. Because even if the words are well chosen and rehearsed, many salespeople do not notice that their voice sends a completely different message.
Double messages through unconscious signals from the voice
Whether we like it or not, our customers perceive all the unconscious signals of the voice sensitively and react to them immediately – and not always pleasantly:
- For example, if you feel pressure to sell, your customer will hear it and react in a wait-and-see or negative manner.
- If you recite a learned "sales success formula", your voice signals feigned interest.
No real interest in the customer? Don't have your own conviction about the quality of the product or the service? – This does not motivate any customer to listen to you.
Voice in sales: The tone makes the music
The background is obvious: Modern brain research shows that the limbic brain, which controls emotional reactions, always reacts earlier than the mind brain. This emotion comes across in the tonality of the voice. The vernacular says "The sound makes the music". It is therefore economically worthwhile to pay closer attention to the effect of the voice.
The first step is to be aware of the levers that the voice and manner of speaking in the decisive moments. The following factors have emerged from the "classic" know-how of voice training, many years of experience in sales and management tasks as well as the latest additions to brain research:
- Emotions: recall positive body patterns in the interlocutor
- Provoke reactions of the mirror neurons
- Attention: activating energy pathways in the brain with special voice frequencies
- create an acoustic field of security and trust
- take the lead with vocal alpha signals
- Channel customer perception to benefit aspects through Sense Focusing®
- Influence rhythm and clearly call for closure
Five essential voice moments in sales
In the near future, I will give you tips for the 5 most important stages in the sales pitch, what you need to consider vocally and how you can best prepare or use your voice in each case. You will receive the first tip today.
The five situations are:
- Acquisition: Voice reveals everything
- “Gern präsentiere ich Ihnen …” – Die Stimme als Repräsentant des Unternehmens
- Oh no, a complaint! – Convincing in conflict discussions
- The salesman as a good listener? Actively listen to the voice of the customer
- With the alpha voice purposefully to the end
1. Acquisition: Voice reveals everything
Every day it proves bad telephone acquisition anew: The audibly routine tone of the greeting in the start of the call alone leads to a quick "No, thank you!". But how does the door to a customer's keen interest open? Research shows that the brain processes language relatively slowly. It took 0.2 seconds to understand words from the speech sounds. This is exactly where the opportunity lies, because the voice sound works much faster. Adjustment is not possible. Does the voice unconsciously address the listener as a potential commission or bonus bringer? Or does he hear real interest in his person and his needs? Only when the so-called "natural tone" of the voice becomes audible can relaxed, well-founded conversations with lasting results arise.
Aus dem Eigenton heraus zu sprechen, erzeugt eine besondere Qualität des Gesagten. Denn der Eigenton ist jener Ton ist, der mit dem geringst möglichen Energieaufwand des Körpers erzeugt wird. Nicht umsonst wird der Eigenton auch als “Wohlfühllage” der Stimme bezeichnet. Das erzeugt Vertrauen und Zuhörer empfinden ihn als besonders wohlklingend.
Übrigens verwenden Sie diesen Eigenton der Stimme bereits mehrmals täglich. Führen Sie sich nur einmal vor Augen, wie Sie am Telefon Ihrem Gesprächspartner signalisieren, dass Sie noch in der Leitung sind. Meist wird es Ihnen gar nicht bewusst sein, doch immer wieder geben sie ganz selbstverständlich ein scheinbar unbedeutendes “mmhhh” von sich. Dieses “mmhhh” klingt in der Regel aus dem Eigenton.
How do you make the Eigenton available to you when it matters?
- Machen Sie sich die “Wohlfühllage” Ihrer Stimme im ersten Schritt möglichst oft bewusst; schaffen Sie eine Referenz für Ihr Ohr. Brummen Sie bei jeder nur denkbaren Möglichkeit ein wohliges, kurzes “mmhhh”! Ob beim Essen, beim Telefonieren oder im Zwiegespräch – horchen Sie dabei ganz bewusst auf den Klang Ihrer Stimme.
- Beobachten Sie auch, wie sich die Tonhöhe verändert, wenn Sie von dort weg anfangen zu sprechen. Sie können das auch ganz gezielt ausprobieren, indem Sie zuerst “mmhhh, mmhhh” von sich geben und danach einen Satz beginnen. Können Sie an die angenehme Wohlfühllage anknüpfen?
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