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My Sales Process, Strategies and Tactics in Your Voice

  
  
  
  

Dave Kurlan is a top-rated speaker, best-selling author, sales thought leader and highly regarded sales development expert.

Our son has this comedy routine by John Pinette down cold.  He heard it once and can now do it for anyone.

There is just one problem.  Our son is 8 and weighs all of 67 pounds so even though the routine is hysterical, it becomes very obvious, very quickly, that it isn't his own material and it isn't about him because it's not in his voice.  It's not credible.

When salespeople go through the sales training process (real sales development, not a seminar), there is a danger that they will extract tactics that worked very effectively in the context of the demonstration, but that might not be appropriate for the context in which the salesperson chooses to use it.  And just as often, when the salesperson applies the tactic it doesn't sound like them. 

It is extremely important for your salespeople to utilize the strategies and tactics in the context of the sales process that was introduced - AND IN THEIR OWN VOICE.  They can't ever stop sounding like themselves!



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Posted by Dave Kurlan on Mon, Oct 18, 2010 @ 05:08 AM

COMMENTS

A good point Dave. I noticed that when some salespeople use a technique they sound clumsy, as if they're speaking 'their lines'. Perhaps its because they're emulating someone they heard as opposed to being themselves?

posted on Monday, October 18, 2010 at 7:52 AM by Bruce

And the moment it becomes clear that they're imitating someone or something else (a sales trainer, a colleague, a seminar script, a sales book)the prospect stops listening and fully engages their "Sales Defense Shield." When we work with salespeople they often get so worried about "following the script" or saying things "just right" that they forget to put it in their own words and imbue their own personality. We remind them that only seven (7) percent of the message they convey comes from the words they use (38 percent comes from their tonality and 55% comes from their body language and other non-verbal cues). So even if they mangle the words or it doesn't sound like the role play example they saw during training, if they deliver it in their own voice with confidence and presence they'll be fine. 
 
There's a lesson in here for sales managers and vice presidents of sales as well. We often see sales leaders get frustrated when their team "doesn't do it like I would..." Well, not everyone is going to have their same style. What worked for them when they were in the trenches may not work for the people on their sales team. That's why mapping the sales process and managing to each milestone (or base in your Baseline Selling system) is so important. Manage to the outcomes required for each milestone and coach them how to get there with the understanding that each salesperson can get to the next step in the process their own way (and it doesn't have to be exactly like the sales trainer or the sales leader). Thanks for the insight!

posted on Monday, October 18, 2010 at 9:03 AM by Mike Carroll

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