Leaders frequently find themselves involved in sales and negotiations processes.  Skills, beliefs, thoughts, and fears all affect one’s ability to persuade, respond to objections, and arrive at a final course of action.
Our ability to communicate effectively, authentically, and with passion is at the heart of sales.
Language has the power to create energy and is also a powerful expression of energy. While a word is just a word, our society, the dictionary, and our experiences attach meaning to words. Therefore, energy is attached to words.

Becoming mindful of language means that you can not only notice the energy of a given message, but it means that you can more readily change your language to meet an audience where they are… pick up on the keywords and phrases that they use (and how they use them and say them), and you’ll begin to get a great sense and understanding for how they see their world and the labels that they use.

As we develop rapport with our potential customers – the first very important step of the sales process – and throughout the cycle, here are some points to remember. These concepts will enhance one’s abilities as communicator and increase the probability of a great outcome:

BODY LANGUAGE
Ninety-three percent (93%) of the message is conveyed through physical attributes. The tone or sound of the voice (38%) and the body language/presentation style (55%) communicate powerfully. Words are only 7% of the impact upon an audience.

Body language also affects the energy of communication even when not communicating in person.

TONE OF VOICE
The tone of our voice impacts our message and our audience whether we are interacting in person, speaking over the phone, or recording a message, such as voice mail or a taped/recorded presentation. Tone of voice becomes even more important in those situations (e.g., phone, voice mail) where the audience/other person does not have the benefit of observing body language.

ENERGETIC PERSPECTIVE
Words and the energy behind them are important to the power of a message. They affect how an audience receives a message and is consequently motivated to action. Words also conjure up and create energy inside of the person who is speaking the words.

By becoming aware of the energy of language, a leader can become more effective in creating highly anabolic communication that inspires growth, development, creativity, and opportunity.

LISTENING
Listening with an open mind (a beginner’s mind) creates a foundation for creativity, intuition, and wisdom to flourish.  Not listening decreases and drains energy for both the listener and the person being listened to. The person being listened to feels limited, slighted, and less important. The listener is distracted – this alone distorts and decreases energy.

Listening can be a challenge because:

1. We have less training and practice in listening than the other forms of communication.  Listening as a mode of communication is used 40% of the time yet our formal training is very minimal, if any.

2. By comparison, writing, which is used 9% of the time, is where we’ve all had at least 12 years of formal training (grades 1 – 12).

3. We can take in information faster than it can be spoken. The average person’s rate of listening is 400-500 words per minute. The average person’s rate of speech is 110 – 160 words per minute. So when we are listening, our minds can wander with its excess capacity. As a result, we can get distracted or lose focus.

When you are clear, without catabolic beliefs and fears, and become conscious of the different ways we communicate, you will more easily attract and connect with your desired clients and motivate them to buy your products and service.