It’s not what you say…It’s how you say it!

When you’re talking with someone, there are only three types of verbal communication:

(1) Questions (2) Statements (3) Commands

When you ask a question, what does your voice do at the end of the sentence? It goes up at the end. Why is that important to know? I’ll get to that in a minute. When you make a statement, your voice stays consistent all the way through the sentence. When you give a command, your voice goes down at the end of the sentence. Go ahead; listen to the voice in your head as you read the rest of this.
Questions are my personal favorites. Questions accomplish more than people give them credit for. Questions make people think. Questions control the focus of a conversation. Did you know that when the brain is asked a question, it has no choice but to think of the answer? How much does 2+2 equal? You all stopped and figured out that 2+2=4 before you could move on and read the next sentence. So, whoever is asking the questions is controlling the focus of the conversation. In sales, that is key. Those of you who are regular readers of mine know that I use the 80/20 rule when it comes to selling. The customer/prospect should be speaking 80% of the time and the salesperson only 20%. Of the salesperson’s portion, 80% of the speaking should be questions. The most successful salespeople have studied and practiced how to make statements and commands into questions so that the customer thinks the thought in his or her head rather than being told by the salesperson.

Controlling your voice is so important on a sales call. Have you ever heard someone answer a question with a factual response, but his or her voice went up at the end? My kids do it all the time when I’m helping them with their homework. Unfortunately, so do millions of salespeople. And when they do, the customer loses confidence in them. This is a skill to be learned and practiced. If it were as simple as putting it in writing and magically everyone would know it and use it, I’d write another book and retire.

Make a Difference EVERY Day!
Mark Papadas
Mark Papadas is a renowned Sales Trainer, Motivator, and Author who has shared the stage with legends like Brian Tracy and Zig Ziglar. He is best known creating the R.A.P.I.D. Sales Method™ and his signature sales workshop – Their Lips are Moving™. (www.markpapadas.com) In addition to his work in the business community, Mark is also a nationally recognized children’s empowerment expert and author of the highly acclaimed book “10 Secrets to Empower Kids and Awaken the Child in You” as well as President of The I AM 4 Kids Foundation – a recognized 501c3 charity committed to providing its personal empowering programs to public schools across the U.S. at NO COST to the SCHOOLS.