Eliot, a 10-year sales veteran, was having major issues with creating rapport during his sales calls. He felt certain that he was properly executing the first two steps of the Sandler Selling System, which establish strong communication and set clear expectations, but he reported that his prospects nevertheless remained “aloof” and “detached.”
When we quizzed him about the strategy he was employing to strengthen the relationship with his prospects, he clearly and accurately explained everything in which he had been trained: the science of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), primary sensory dominance, and all the elements of a strong up-front contract. Yet something still wasn’t clicking for him. He wanted to know: What was he missing?
The mystery was soon resolved. During a coaching session role-play exercise, we determined that Eliot was inadvertently using tonal qualities that made his prospects feel very “Not-OK.”
Eliot’s vocal tones were sharp and dominating when he made his points. He was coming across as aggressive, which was shutting down his prospects. We advised him to lower his tonality one half-octave below his normal speaking voice … and also to act a little “Not-OK” at the beginning of his sales call.
He did. The results were extraordinary. As Eliot struggled (on purpose) in front of his prospects, using a vocal delivery that was half-an-octave lower than his natural speaking voice, people opened up and began to rescue him—instead of building their defenses and fighting him.
The role-playing helped us determine he was using the skills taught in his Sandler Training classes literally—as they were laid out on the page—without implementing the subtle nuances necessary to soften his approach. Coaching helped Eliot determine the delicate balance that he needed to establish in order to be more successful. Knowing the right answers was not enough.
There are two big takeaways here. First, make sure your vocal tonality isn’t turning people off. And second, take advantage of coaching to personalize what you’ve learned. Many salespeople apply Sandler strategies and tactics “right out of the box” without personalizing them to the specific selling situation.
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