Sunday, October 23, 2016
Communication Skills - So What If I Speak Fast
A lot of us speak quickly when we are on the phone with our customers or clients
Sometimes it is because we have so many calls in cue or because we feel pressured to get on to the next call. Whatever the case, it is a habit that can cost us business.
Why?
When we speak too quickly, customers can assume that you are just making a perfunctory call. You really don't care. Someone told you to call and query him or her. They can also feel that you are trying to pull something or that you are giving them the "bum's rush." It can make them angry.
Problems that speaking quickly can cause
When you speak quickly, it affects other vocal issues. For example, speed affects the clarity of your words. Literally, the lips, teeth and tongue can't get into the right position in your mouth.
Customers expect to hear the words as they learned them. If you are slipping over syllables or eliminating them all together, customers start focusing on what you just said, versus what you are currently saying. They feel like they are translating a foreign language. It affects comprehension. Also, if any of your customers are not native born, English-speakers, it may be difficult for them to make any sense out of what you are saying.
Speaking quickly also affects the tone of your voice. It is impossible to sound friendly, sincere or empathetic without pausing. Your voice may even be a monotone. If the voice is a monotone, the customer concludes you are disinterested. Who wants to do business with someone who is disinterested?
Ways to slow down
First, you should get yourself into the mind set that when you are at work; you need to put on you "cash voice," the voice that earns you a living. On-air personalities speak a lot slower on television than they do when they are with friends and family. They know that if they speak quickly, viewers will be complaining, and they will lose their jobs. What on-air personalities learn is the value of pausing. In fact, they pause a lot. They pause not only at the end of sentences and clauses, but whenever they want to emphasize a point or idea. They know that they more they pause, the more their listeners understand.
To get comfortable pausing, use your voice mail system to give you feedback. When you send internal voice mail messages, press "review" before you press "send." If you hear yourself speaking quickly, redo the message until you are satisfied.
Get feedback from family members when you are at home. Ask them to tell you to pause more or to remind you that you are mumbling. Fast talkers also mumble.
If you have a child, read out loud to your child. Children demand that you really get into the story. They will tell you to slow down because they want to enjoy the story. As you drive down the street, use your car as a laboratory. Say out loud what you are seeing and over-enunciate each word. No one will hear you. Over-enunciating will get you used to saying every syllable in the word.
While speaking quickly is a habit, it is not a habit that helps you to develop relationships with your customers. The more you pause, the more they feel you care. The less likely they are to become upset.
A one or two second pause can make a huge difference. Put on your "cash" voice and see what a difference it will make.
All the best with your communications!
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by effectivecommunication.com.au
Monday, October 10, 2016
Leadership Skills - Inspire Your Team To Win
The following statement is one of the greatest secrets of effective leadership:
"We shall no longer strive for our own way but commit ourselves, honestly and simply, to inspiring others to develop the power to be their best."
Hardly the stereotypical spirit of the legendary, tough-minded CEO!
But if leadership is a challenge for you, then you must begin to lead by that statement. If you are constantly dealing with others not measuring up to your self-compared expectations, if you are pushing your team members down rather than pulling them up, and if you want overall better performance from your team, now is the time to close the gap.
Are you holding others back, or are you inspiring them to win?
Leadership is all about influence and motivation. Neither happens naturally, but they are both the results of intentional leadership decisions.
As a leader, you must recognize that your role is not a title. Leadership is a position. You must realize that people came to work NOT to make you successful, but to become more successful themselves. You must understand that the team is more important than you are and that the team needs to receive the credit for your success.
How does a leader deploy these truths?
Follow these ideas:
Leadership Is Influence
People always do things for their reasons, not yours. Leaders must develop an environment that helps team members thrive, while still moving them to higher levels of “followership.”
Master Motivation
Recent studies provide several big motivators for higher levels of performance: significant contributions, goals and quota participation, positive dissatisfaction (knowing you can do better), recognition, and clear expectations. The same studies tell us that the big demotivators include belittling, manipulation, discouragement, lack of personal growth, and a condescending leader.
About 50 percent of your leadership challenges will dissipate when you raise the bar and close the gap in the areas of influence and motivation.
All the best with your leadership!
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by effectivecommunication.com.au
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Sales Skills - 10 Best Sales Questions to Use When Talking with a Prospect
One of the best things any salesperson can do is develop a list of 10 questions they feel comfortable asking.
The questions have to fit your personality and your market and allow you to move the process forward.
Below are 10 of the best sales questions you can use. The questions are not direct closing questions, but rather questions that will get the prospect to share more information to help you focus on the solution the prospect desires.
Not each question will be appropriate for every occasion. The critical issue is to be comfortable asking them so when the situation is right, you’re also ready:
1. Why?
2. Can you tell me more about...?
3. How have you made decisions like this in the past?
4. What is the outcome you’re looking for?
5. What is the size of the risk if you don’t make a decision?
6. What are the issues you’re facing today?
7. What happens if you don’t make a decision to invest?
8. Who else is involved in the decision making process?
9. What is it you like best about what we’ve been talking about?
10. What is stopping you from making a decision?
Each of the questions is designed to get the prospect to share more and to allow you to then ask a follow up question on what they just shared with you. Questions one and two are specifically designed to do just that.
The more we engage the prospect with questions in a way that allows us to use our personality, the more comfortable the prospect will be in answering. It’s when we ask questions that come across as scripted or threatening the customer will shut down.
Use these 10 questions as a starter for you, and over the coming weeks modify them to fit your personality and style. You’ll find yourself being far more effective in getting the prospect to open up.
Posted in
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by effectivecommunication.com.au
