VOICE-INTELLIGENCE VS. VOICE-EMOTION

So as to avoid the pitfalls of stereotypes, a salesman must project their voice in such a way that it causes the customer's attention to be drawn towards the product and away from everything else. This applies to the art of telemarketing mainly. Although in a physical situation the salesman's voice needn't be an issue, other additional factors can create multiple barriers to a sale. For example, the salesman must now draw the customer's attention away from their physical self, and other physical surroundings, towards the product. In telemarketting, the first barrier is one's voice, the secondary barrier are one's words, the third is one's product. To accomplish drawing the attention of the customer toward the product as opposed to anything else, the salesman must add the element of curiousity in his presentation. For in order to be further interested in the product, the customer must desire to find out how it applies to their own lives. In telemarketing, the creation of curiousity can only be acheived through voice projection. Curiousity is sacrificed when the salesman's voice is able to be read by the customer. The customer must not be able to fit the salesman into a stereotype, first and foremost, or it will increase the obstacle of selling.

Emotional undertones in a salesman's voice may work if and only if the customer feels that the salesman's emotions send a positive vibe to them. In other words, the customer must find it personally valuable to listen to the voice of the salesman. The problem with this however is that positivity tends to be exclusive. Some customers receive positive vibes from the salesman, others do not. Opportunistic customers might see a weakness in the salesman's voice and therefore use it against the salesman. For example, if the salesman is happy, some customers might respond angrily. If the salesman is sad, some customers might respond coldly. If the salesman is nice, some customers might respond meanly. If the salesman is confident and self-respecting, some customers might respond condescendingly or patronizingly. At best, the customer might simply respond with a bland, "no" and have little to do with the salesman and his pathetic product afterwards. At other times, it works, but as I said, positivity is exclusive. We shall give the label of "voice-emotion" when speaking of voices that utilize emotional undertones.

Certain salesmen find it very difficult to make sales because their voice-emotion works for only a small fraction of the customers. Others find it good on some days, bad on others. Whilst even fewer tend to exude a natural positivity in their voice-emotion. Positive voice-emotion salesmen. This natural positivity in voice-emotion is the underlying factor to why some salesmen are naturals at selling while others must search for their own "niche".

There are also customers who gain positivity from listening to negative voice-emotions. A customer might agree with the sound of a foreign accent or weak voice, but will never care for them in their personal lives. Such negative voice-emotion salesmen are "just what the doctor ordered" to make the customer feel advantaged, or privileged. Although this may seem prejudiced, it plays a great role in the profit of sales. Negative voice-emotion also include aggressiveness. The customer can be uplifted by being pressured. Psychologically, aggressiveness can create happiness as much as sadness or anger. Which is why it is the most risky of voice-emotions.

A non-voice-emotion is voice-intelligent. That means that the salesman's voice is not recognized as possessing any apparent emotion. It can require practice to acheive this particular talent without falling into the trap of roboticism. An excellent voice-intelligent salesman is able to draw the attention of the customers away from their voice and toward the product. This guarantees a sale at all times if and only if the customer has nothing distracting them and they are listening to the salesman. With a voice-intelligent delivery, the customer finds it impossible to view the salesman's voice with like or dislike, hence this leaves the customer with only one option - to find like or dislike in the product. Therefore, the customer is now curious about the product.

From there, it is up to the script and rebuttals to determine whether or not the product is worth the look. It is not up to the product itself.

It can be said that the telemarketer is presenting a product or service at the cost of the customer's own time and attention which could be given to other, "more valuable" activities. The customer never sees that the time and attention the telemarketer is giving to them is lost because they tend to beleive it is voluntary.

If the customer feels that 1.) they have a choice to take the product or hang up, 2.) there is no advantage to having a look at the product, 3.) the telemarketer has an ounce of fear, timidity or desperation in his voice, and/ or 4.) it is an effort on the customer's part to devote time and attention to the telemarketer, then the customer will always chose "no". 1.), 2.) and 4.) are obvious, the reason for 3.) is that the customer beleives that the telemarketer is pathetic in volunteering to sacrifice his fragile ego to sell a simple product or service. Hence, when the customer says "no" they beleive they have rightfully broken the telemarketer's spirit for making such a foolish sacrifice to them. This is the customer's lesson to the telemarketer. Therefore, voice-emotion which implies humanity must be voice-intelligent if the telemarketer's voice-emotion fails to spread a positive vibe to the customer. Only positive voice-emotion sells, everyone else must make the effort to be voice-intelligent.

The first sentence of any telemarketting script is most critical of all. A telemarketer may not say a word to the customer for them to hang up because there already exists the previous bad impressions due to negative stereotypes set by past experience. How one gives wording and tone to the first sentence determines the first impression of the customer. If the first sentence can be interpretted as a negative sterotype, then at best the customer's first impression would be neutral for the sake of giving the telemarketer and the product a chance. The customer then patiently waits for this new telemarketer to rid them of the negative stereotypes set by past telemarketers. If the telemarketer fails, then at least the product must hold its own. If both fail, the customer will respond with a resounding "no". Certain words carry with them certain interpretations from a psychological perspective. Both script and voice are interdependent when it comes to presentation. The product is only interdependent with the other two when it comes to the customer's interest. If the product does not hold its own, it will fail to satisfy the customer's interest. However, if the script and voice hold their own, it may result in the sale of even the poorest product. The first sentences before the telemarketer reaches the product are where script and voice are interdependent. The last few sentences, script, voice and product are interdependent. But script and voice interdependence still takes precedence over product interdependence.

A product such as insurance has the primary purpose of securing one's future and safety.

For a customer to choose a product they must understand its value as being greater than others.

The value of any product in the face of competition is determined by:

1.] Comparing it to other products of the same kind by answering the question of how does its function measure up against other ones. One must highlight the distinction in the product's function to customers before the customer can assess the product's value. If the product has a particular function not found in others that is to the customer's advantage, then all the better.

2.] The availability of the product is characteristic of the concept known in economics as "supply and demand". If the customer perceives that there is a limited availability to obtaining the product, the customer will obtain it before it "runs away". Simple choice in wording can make the customer perceive such things more so than they actually are.

3.] Costs of obtaining the product include personal costs as well as market price.
Personal costs are mainly seen as the effort given to time and attention. The customer may sacrifice other things by giving effort to;

i. Time and attention to listen to the telemarketer explain the product.
ii. Time and attention to give the product in order to maintain its value, monitor any changes because of it and/or apply it if the customer decides to obtain it.

The market price is obviously the equal cost everyone has to pay. In the business of telemarketting, it is often second in importance to personal costs.

As we noted earlier, certain words carry with them certain interpretations from a psychological perspective. Both script and voice are interdependent when it comes to presentation. The product is only interdependent with the other two when it comes to the customer's interest. If the product does not hold its own, it will fail to satisfy the customer's interest. However, if the script and voice hold their own, it may result in the sale of even the poorest product. The first sentences before the telemarketer reaches the product are where script and voice are interdependent. The last few sentences, script, voice and product are interdependent. But script and voice interdependence still takes precedence over product interdependence.

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