Christmas is just around the corner and I’m so excited. For this season of giving, here are some of the amazing cold calling tips that will surely be useful if you ask questions when selling. Well, let’s be truthful, who doesn’t.

“It’s called early teenage talk, Mike!”

A teenage expert said to me when I asked about the annoying habit I’ve observed from my teenage son when talking to his peers.

“It’s called teenage talk”.

So what’s this irritating habit that causes this cranky old man to moan?

It’s the tone of voice my son uses, a constant rising tonality of every sentence. It starts off normal then his voice rises at the end of a sentence. This would continue for hours. You may have noticed that from others, too.
It’s not going to harm anyone, of course. And I should let it pass and move on to focus my attention on more important things. But you know what, it’s actually important in sales. More important than people think.

The thing is: communication is more than just choosing the right words. For the last 30 years, many scientific studies have shown that face to face communication is comprised of three parts: the words, the way you speak those words, and body language.

The tone of your voice has a very significant influence on the meaning, more that we ever imagine.
Straightforward really.

• A flat tone of voice expresses a statement.
• A falling tone entails a command.
• A rising sentence indicates a question

Try it. Say something like “This is the best time”. Say it with a rising tone, falling, or flat and you’ll notice the big difference and the impact of each tone you use.

If we apply this pretty little gem in sales, you’ll be amazed of its practical use as sales cold calling tips. We all like practical things, right?

First, when asking a question to a customer, about her needs and pains perhaps, convey your question in a more palatable way like raising your tone a little bit. This would make the question more pleasing to the ear and simply avoid the trap of sounding like interrogating your customer.

Second, if you want your client to do something, drop the tone of your voice a bit. It will sound like this, “So Jon, you want to go ahead with the process then?” It should sound like a question but may also be understood as a subtle command. Try this one. It works like magic and you’ll soon proceed with paperwork to close the sale.

Why do many teenagers talk with rising tones? I still don’t have any idea. Perhaps they want an immediate reaction to everything they say. So they raise the tone on every sentence to make it sound like a question, as well as a command. Or maybe my teenage son just wants to irritate a grumpy old man.