The last couple of weeks, I’ve been doing sales training with several companies that have salespeople who spend a considerable amount of time on the telephone.
We’ve had some great conversations around the role body language plays.
Yes, you read that right: Body language and the role it plays with telephone calls.
If you spend any amount of time on the telephone, you must use a headset — one that allows you to stand up and even walk around, if necessary.
I’m not recommending one specific type. All I’ll say is that you should make sure it’s high quality.
We project body language far more on telephone calls than we realize.
The level of confidence we project on the phone is much higher when we’re demonstrating solid body language. It’s simple — When you have good posture and are able to talk with your hands, it’s amazing how much stronger your voice is and how much more confident you feel.
I’ve talked about this before and it would seem quite basic, but I’m amazed at the number of salespeople who find this foreign.
Your voice is far more influential than you think, and the slightest change in tone, pitch, volume, etc. can dramatically alter how your customer or prospect receives your message.
The ability to stand for phone calls changes the level of energy you have. Standing alters our stomach muscles and the level of oxygen we receive in our lungs, which in turn strengthens our ability to speak confidently.
The ability to stand and talk with your arms is one reason why I do not advocate attempting to drive and conduct a customer call at the same time. Not only is it dangerous to you and everyone else on the road, but you simply can’t control your body language as much.
Don’t kid yourself: Hands-free calling is not the answer, especially when you consider the background noise in the car that will be distracting for you and your customer.
Do yourself a favor and leave yourself a voicemail message using your headset. Listen to the level of quality. If it’s not 100%, then without hesitating, get yourself a better headset. It’s your business!
And remember: Your customer can “see” you! What level of confidence and clarity are you projecting?
Copyright 2014, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Selling: Win the Sale Without Compromising on Price.
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