Communicating For Sales Success

It's amazing how we can be so unaware of repetitive and filler words we sprinkle throughout our conversations. People judge us by the way we communicate, and all things being equal, it's likely a decision maker would prefer to deal with a well-spoken, articulate salesperson versus somebody who injects "ums" and "ahs" between most sentences and says things like "Do you know what I mean?" all the time.

To discover how you are doing, try recording your side of a phone call with a hand-held digital recorder while speaking with prospects and customers. You can then listen to yourself while driving to sales calls. I've done this many times, and it has been extremely helpful.

To illustrate, let me share a story with you. A few years ago, I was interviewed on the radio about a book I had written. The segment required I respond to live calls from listeners. I taped the session and listened to it later. Imagine my embarrassment when it was pointed out that I said the word "absolutely" 37 times in a 35-minute session! The point I'm making is, if you don't record yourself, it's unlikely you'll ever be aware of what you need to correct. By the way, I hardly ever use the word absolutely anymore. Absolutely not.

When listening to your recordings, check for the following:

• Are you speaking too quickly or too slowly?

• Are you interrupting the other person?

• Are you using vocal variety to convey energy and impact where required?

• Do you sound conversational and natural?

Here are some examples of filler words you should identify and eliminate while listening:

• "Do you know what I mean?"

• "To tell you the truth..."

• "Basically"

The Bottom Line: Until you record yourself and objectively listen to your recordings, you will never be 100 percent sure you're coming across as confidently and articulately as possible. Is it worth your time to do this exercise every now and again? Absolutely!

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