Sales Question: "What can I do to get my sales reps to sound more natural on the phone when making sales calls?"

SalesBuzz Answer: By Michael Pedone
This is a problem all sales reps at one time or another have had to conquer. 
Here are three things I did to get my sales calls to sound more conversational:
1) Know the Road Map
Just like you would have more confidence driving from point A to point B if you had a detailed road map showing you how to get where you want to go, you need the same thing for sales calls. 
Knowing exactly how to execute the sales process from your Opener, to Qualifying, to Presenting, and finally to Closing is a critical step for sounding more natural on the phone. Knowing what your destination is will also better prepare you for when a prospect gives you a detour to handle.
Note: Some sales people would think that their destination is the “Close”, but if you go into a first time sales call with that mindset, you are sure to fail more often than you succeed. There are lots of little “destinations” you have to hit along the sales journey first in order to increase your likelihood of winning more sales.
2) The Best Friend Referral Mind-set
Sometimes you have to “fake it till you make it”. Meaning, if you’re nervous before a sales call, so be it. Just don’t let the prospect know / sense that you are nervous. One of the ways I learned to get passed that unnatural “tone” while making sales calls was to pretend that the person I was calling was referred to me by my best friend. Having the mindset that the person I’m calling was a relative of a friend of mine who said they may be in need of some help allowed me to quickly find the right “tone” for the conversation, even if on the inside I was still a little apprehensive.
3) Iron Sharpens Iron
Once you have your road map / sales process down (You know exactly what to say on voicemails, gatekeepers, or if you get the actual prospect on the phone), you have to role-play and practice with your peers. There simply is no faster way to get better other than role-playing with your co-workers. Just 5 minutes a day will help sales people fix improper tone. 
Just be sure your sales manager is involved to make sure the right sales techniques are being used in order to avoid reinforcing bad sales tactics.
- Michael Pedone
Michael Pedone is the CEO/FOUNDER of SalesBuzz.com. An online sales training company that shows inside sales teams how to: avoid being rejected by gatekeepers, leave voicemail messages that get callbacks and overcome tough pricing objections. Request a proposal here to have Michael teach your sales team his techniques!

Sales Question: "What can I do to get my sales reps to sound more natural on the phone when making sales calls?"
SalesBuzz Answer: 
This is a problem all sales reps at one time or another have had to conquer. 
Here are three things I did to get my sales calls to sound more conversational:
1) Know the Road Map
Just like you would have more confidence driving from point A to point B if you had a detailed road map showing you how to get where you want to go, you need the same thing for sales calls. 
Knowing exactly how to execute the sales process from your Opener, to Qualifying, to Presenting, and finally to Closing is a critical step for sounding more natural on the phone. Knowing what your destination is will also better prepare you for when a prospect gives you a detour to handle.
Note: Some sales people would think that their destination is the “Close”, but if you go into a first time sales call with that mindset, you are sure to fail more often than you succeed. There are lots of little “destinations” you have to hit along the sales journey first in order to increase your likelihood of winning more sales.
2) The Best Friend Referral Mind-set
Sometimes you have to “fake it till you make it”. Meaning, if you’re nervous before a sales call, so be it. Just don’t let the prospect know / sense that you are nervous. One of the ways I learned to get passed that unnatural “tone” while making sales calls was to pretend that the person I was calling was referred to me by my best friend. Having the mindset that the person I’m calling was a relative of a friend of mine who said they may be in need of some help allowed me to quickly find the right “tone” for the conversation, even if on the inside I was still a little apprehensive.
3) Iron Sharpens Iron
Once you have your road map / sales process down (You know exactly what to say on voicemails, gatekeepers, or if you get the actual prospect on the phone), you have to role-play and practice with your peers. There simply is no faster way to get better other than role-playing with your co-workers. Just 5 minutes a day will help sales people fix improper tone. 
Just be sure your sales manager is involved to make sure the right sales techniques are being used in order to avoid reinforcing bad sales tactics.