Elicit particular emotions with sound

Basically, if you make a sound you will elicit an emotional response in any other human being who can hear you. This is a survival instinct we are all programmed with and it works at a basic level - if I shout at you, you will probably recoil and a quite a sophisticated level too - the conclusion of this blog will explain more.

The Eureka moment for every good telephone sales consultant is that they don't have to keep making the same sound, they don't even have to make their own sound. Their power comes from a range of 18 particular sounds that can be blended into millions of minute variations.

In the 18th Century, we developed an ordered Agricultural economy then in the 19th Century, we moved into the towns following the industrial revolution. Then we evolved and experienced the technological revolution and we now do pretty much nothng in the 21st Century based upon our service economy. Shakespeares prediction has come true and we are all finally actors upon a stage. So let us act, let us embrace our humanity and share ourselves thoroughly with each other. Do not restrict yourself to a limited number of sounds. Expand your (sound) vocabulary and begin to relise your power to elicit an emotional response in others.

I have recently started working with a Christchurch, Dorset based supplier of promotional goods. They have a mangament dedicated to happy and fulfilled employees, a comfortable open plan environment, a white board noting daily and monthly targets, strict time/cover management and an excellent computer system to manage the whole process. I was impressed. At first, the management structure seemed to be quite rigidly hierachical but they cleverly mix sales, administration, accounts and the big cheeses together and it works. Their problem is a common one. The sellers are taking a good number of incoming enquiries and partly becasuse of the volume, are simply "taking the orders". There is the occasional flirt with cross selling and upselling but no real rapport and as we all know rapport is what turns a one off sale into a relationship where you become the trusted and preferred supplier.

You do, of course, have to win permission to build rapport and you do this by engaging using an audience specific language but I am going to say it again; it hardly matters what you say, what matters is, how you say it.

My workshop has given the boys and girls at Hotline a few new voices but I am hoping that the coaching I am doing with them over time will introduce them to a whole new world of sounds which will allow them to manage their customers with great ease so that their sales calls can be enjoyed, the customers buy for emotional reasons and come back for more time and time again.