Are You Credible? Are You Sure?
March 15th, 2011 // 7:25 am @ admin
If you are in sales (if you are in business, you are in sales), then you know the importance of credibility.
Credibility is what buyers evaluate first when they decide whether or not to buy from you. Here are some of the places buyers size up your credibility:
- On the phone when setting an appointment
- During your sales presentation
- When meeting you at a networking event
Not only do buyers size you up, but referral partners do as well. If you belong to a networking group such as BNI, each time you do a sales manager minute or a 10-minute presentation, your credibility is being tested.
To appear credible you need to look and sound confident, believable, focused and relaxed. Buyers will subconsciously evaluate you in less than 10 seconds so you need to be prepared.
For your appearance, that means being dressed appropriately for the situation, having a relaxed posture, keeping your hands still (no fidgeting), smiling and having a firm handshake. Your goal is to appear strong but open and inviting.
It is fairly easy to assess whether your appearance is credibility enhancing. Just ask anyone you trust to rate you on a scale of 1-10 on the above items and you’ll know where you need to make changes.
But what about your voice? How do you evaluate the tone of your voice? How do you know if you’re really coming across well, that you sound believable, confident and focused?
For years sales organizations have used videotaped role plays to test salespeople’s credibility value. Unfortunately, that takes time and a qualified tester to complete.
I’ve recently worked with a company that has used technology to solve the voice credibility testing problem.
SalesMirror uses voice analysis technology to “read” your tone and assess your level of credibility on scales of confidence, stress, believability and concentration. You simply go online, set up the questions you want to be asked, call into the system and answer the questions. The technology does the evaluation and sends you an immediate report online. Check it out, it is really cool. You can even use it to practice an upcoming presentation and make sure you nail it.
If you prepare properly for your calls, appointments and meetings you will see results. Isn’t it worth a few minutes of preparation in order to close more sales?
Category : Blog &Find A Job &Selling