3 Voice Tricks That Can Make Up for a Bad Sales Script

Good Morning. Hiring managers have stopped reading resumes, and honestly, I can’t blame them. When every applicant uses ChatGPT to generate the perfect resume, every resume starts to look the same. Some companies are now rejecting candidates in 20 seconds or less just by spotting the AI tells (yes, we’re talking about the em-dash). So if you’re in the market for a new job right now, here’s a quick tip: find the hiring manager and reach out to them directly (cold email works, but a cold call’s even better). Give them a reason to give you a chance, that doesn't involve asking them to slog through another PDF. Creativity is key. Now, let's get into today's Follow Up.

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You could read a McDonald's menu on a cold call and still book a meeting if your voice sounds right.

Okay.. maybe that's a stretch. But the science is closer to that than you'd think.

A study published in the Journal of Marketing analyzed over 8,000 sales calls and found that a rep's vocal tone could predict whether they closed the deal.

And separate Gong data backs it up: the pace and rhythm of your voice has a measurable impact on whether you close the deal.

Here’s 3 vocal adjustments backed by real data that you can use on your next call.

The Journal of Marketing study found that high vocal energy (brighter tone, more volume) works best when you're selling to someone new. It creates a sense of excitement and urgency that gets first-time buyers to act.

But when you're calling an existing customer, that same energy can backfire.

Returning customers respond better to a lower, calmer tone with steady volume. It signals understanding and reliability, which is what someone who already bought something from you wants to hear.

Think about it like this:

When you're prospecting, your voice needs to say, "this is exciting and you should listen to me."

When you're working on a renewal or an upsell, your voice needs to say, "I've got this handled."

Gong analyzed thousands of B2B sales calls and found that the average rep speaks at about 173 words per minute. That's fine.

The problem is what happens when a prospect pushes back. Average reps speed up to 188 words per minute during objections.

Meanwhile, top performers stay at 176 wpm.

That 12 wpm gap is the difference between sounding confident and rattled.

When you speed up, your prospect hears nervousness. And when you hold your pace, they hear control.

Former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss teaches something similar, which he calls the "late-night FM DJ voice". Deep, soft, slow, with a downward lilt at the end of sentences. It's the voice you use when you want someone to feel like everything is under control.

Voss says top negotiators use it about 10-20% of the time, especially in tense moments, because it triggers mirror neurons in the listener's brain and literally slows their thinking down.

So next time you get hit with a tough objection, resist the urge to talk faster, drop your pitch slightly, slow your pace, and let your voice do the de-escalating.

Most sales reps people in general, are terrified of silence.

Someone stops talking, and you jump in to fill the gap. But silence is one of the most underused tools on a sales call.

The average person can only handle about four seconds of silence before they feel like they need to speak. When you get a prospect to break that silence, they almost always share something valuable.

An objection they were holding back.
A concern they hadn't mentioned.
The real reason they're hesitating.

Try this on your next sales call: after you state your price or after you ask a closing question, stop talking. I’m talkin’ complete silence.

The urge to break the silence will be strong. Let it pass.

Give your prospect the space to talk, and they'll usually talk themselves closer to a yes.

Today’s newsletter was written by Nic Conley