When talk is gold

Imagine standing behind the counter in a store. Is the line of people in front of the store shorter than it used to be or perhaps even disappeared? Ask yourself a similar question if you work in business to business (B to B) selling – are there customers out there knocking on my door by their hundreds to see me and buy products or services from my company? Or is the reality that very few indeed actually ring me?

If that is the case then you as the salesperson must capitalise on every sales opportunity with every customer by improving how you communicate with the customer. You now need to move from fulfilling orders to pro-actively persuading people to buy yyour products and services and that of course is much harder.

To do this a salesperson must be concise about the value he/she can provide to the customer. They need a Value Proposition which is clear and concise and above all - customer-oriented.
In order to achieve this you must be able to shift views and attitudes. Not only do you need to construct a logical and coherent message, but also deliver it with empathy, true feelings, and conviction.

In this context you can ask yourself three critical questions regarding your message:

* Am I speaking directly to my listeners or in generalities?

* Which feelings in my listeners am I talking to?

* Where do I want to take my listeners emotionally and by what means?

The importance of emotional expressions in oral communication, and the powerful impression an emotional expression leaves on the listener, has always been known and acknowledged. Cicero the Roman could bring down men of power with his words, but he did not only restrict himself to speeches at Forum Romanum. He developed the theory on strategic use of feelings as a tool, and his tools have been used diligently by many of the greatest persuaders, past and present.

The prerequisite for success with emotions in communication is that you know what you are doing. It can be learned. And then it takes practice, practice and more practice.

A message delivered with emotion and conviction to the right persona at the right time in the right way will be like the proverbial pen being mightier than the sword!