Speech patterns affect sales
Eastern accents, like those spoken by New Yorkers, typically have a very fast rate of speech. The southern accent, like those spoken by people from the south, is a much slower rate of speech. And, when you talk to the Midwesterner, the speech pattern is totally different. How do these different accents, speech patterns, and speaking speeds affect sales and telemarketing efforts?
There is a lot of evidence that speech speed and accents affect sales. For years, consultants have tried to analyze how accents and speed of speech impact both face-to-face and teleconsulting sales. Nothing is conclusive, but leading sales authorities agree that accents and speech speeds affect sales performance.
Many companies like to hire people with radio voices, hoping that the quality of the voice will affect sales performance. Many companies conduct speech tests when they hire people who will have constant interaction with other people. The “theatrical” voice seems to reduce resistance.
Importance of speed of speech
Why is speed of speech important? Let’s explore the reasons. Sales calls and telemarketing calls are almost always an interruption. People are having dinner or watching movies on TV. The outlook is certainly not anticipating the TSR call. While our brain, when focused, can understand 600 words per minute, it takes five to 10 seconds for the prospect’s brain to adjust to the agent’s new rate of speech. It just takes the brain a few seconds to match the rate of speech, the accent, and the message so that communication can occur.
A Midwesterner, who speaks at 170 words per minute (WPM), will have trouble communicating (at first) with a New Yorker, who speaks at 240 words per WPM. What does that mean? It means they won’t or won’t understand the name of the agent, the company, and possibly the main purpose of the call.
Why do you think many large telemarketing service offices go to Omaha Nebraska to set up their call centers? The reason:
- there is little or no accent in the middle part of America
- their rate of speech is moderate compared to southerners and new yorkers
The Ideal Speed of Speech: 180 Word Test
The Pennsylvania Bell Company measured speech rate by taking a 180-word test to measure it. This test can help train your agents to speak at the best speed of speech. It works by timing your agents as they read this test: more than a minute is too slow; less than a minute is too fast. Here is the 180-word statement from the Pennsylvania Bell Company:
Most experts agree that the ideal speech rate is between 180 and 200 words per minute. At this rate, the people listening to you will be able to hear and understand what you are saying. In the United States there are different speech patterns that are the product of geographic areas. In the northeastern part of the country, people tend to speak faster than others, while people in the southern states speak slower than the ideal pace. However, people in the Midwestern states will tend to speak the rate of one hundred and eighty words. To test yourself, write down your start and end time. Use the second hand of a watch to do this. If you read this statement in less than a minute, you are speaking too fast and you should make an effort to slow down. But if you read this statement for more than a minute, you are speaking too slowly and you should try to speak faster when on the phone.
How to improve the performance of your agents
Take one of your scripts and identify the first 180 words. Have your agents try to read them in a minute. Marking ten-second intervals will help you identify speech patterns and habits, both good and bad, in your agents. Once identified, you can begin the process of correcting the bad habits and emphasizing the good ones. Another helpful suggestion is to perform this test over the phone or in front of other agents.
