Tonality may be the most important factor in cold calling success. Tonality is related to how you sound when you speak as opposed to what you actually say. There are three kinds of tonality, Rapport Seeking, Neutral and Rapport Breaking tonality. Using the wrong one can seriously hamper your ability to sell effectively.
Most sales people feel a natural tendency to speak with a Rapport Seeking tonality when interacting with prospects. This tonality is characterized by a high pitch or upward inflection.
It’s most easily observed when you see someone you know interact with someone they perceive to be higher status than they are. Picture a brand new sales person making their first cold calls. It sounds as if they’re almost singing the words to the prospect over the phone. This conveys lower status to the prospect. It will make them perceive you with lower value, and make it difficult for you to engage with them as an equal.
A more neutral tonality is where you want to be. Think about how you speak to a childhood friend. How much more natural the tone is. There is generally no upward inflection in your voice, it conveys a sense of confidence to the prospect you’re speaking to. It positions you as someone with some authority. Making your job of selling much easier.
The video at the top of this article walks you through examples of both rapport seeking and neutral tonality.
Make sure you’re listening to your cold calls to understand whether you’re using a rapport seeking or neutral tonality. This is one of the easiest ways to get better results without even making a change to the script, the objection handling approach or the people you’re speaking to.
Meet with our founder
Want to meet to discuss what an outbound engine would look like in your business?
