If you lost your voice, could you still sell?

I recently heard a story about a sales rep that lost his voice due to an acute infection on his vocal cord. A person losing their voice is not entirely remarkable in itself, however this sales rep was still able to sell and very successfully. This got me thinking about what I would do if I lost my voice. I confess that I rely on my voice heavily and I am sure if you are reading this article you would agree with same. As a sales person our voice is one of our most important assets, however it is not our only one.

Almost 100 years ago silent movies were a very popular form of entertainment. No one today would imagine entertainment without the luxury of dialogue and elaborate sound effects. One of the most successful actors today is Johnny Depp and he was very aware of how silent movie actors were able to successful communicate without words.

Charlie Chaplin is one of the most famous of the silent movie actors that was a master as non-verbal communication. Johnny Depp studied Chaplin and others to understand their movements and facial expressions.

Depp used what he learned in the famous movie franchise “Pirates of the Caribbean” playing the role of Captain Jack Sparrow he used his body language and elaborate facial expressions to enhance his performance. Sales people can use the same techniques to transform every aspect of their sales career. Here’s how…

Tomorrow you wake up and you have lost your voice, what next? Talking on your cell phone in the car on the way to the office is out. So your commute to work is going to be much quieter.

Greetings

Without a voice you will have to greet people and customers much more warmly than likely in you have in the past. Making eye contact will need to be your focus when you first meet someone to create an early connection with the person. Shaking hands warmly and extending your non-shaking hand to grab the elbow of the arm you are shaking will hold the persons attention. These non-verbal communications will be your only tool to send a positive message.

Presentation

Once you have greeted your customer you will need to conduct your sales presentation without speaking. The best way for you to present will be to use a PowerPoint presentation to take your customer through your sales presentation. To stop your customer flipping ahead in your presentation you will want to share the presentation making sure you hold the printed deck and control the speed of presentation.

Follow-Up

If your customer has asked questions during your presentation you will need to document the follow up items before concluding your meeting. Back at the office email will be your best tool to answer the questions and respond to follow up’s.

I am hoping this is just an exercise in examining your other attributes beside your ability to speak. I’m not endorsing not speaking during your next sales call just be aware of the non-verbal ways of communicating and how you can use them to your advantage.