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1. Remember, it's just a game.

Imagine that you’re watching someone approach a person at a bar to ask them out on a date. If the approaching person looks visibly nervous, with a tremble in their voice and shaky hands—how well do you think it’s going to go? Probably not very well at all, right?

Prospects feel the same way about salespeople. If you approach them on the phone sounding nervous and unconfident, they’re immediately going to be turned off. Instead, we need to change our mental state and recognize that it’s all just a game.

Prospects can’t hurt us. The absolute worst they can do is simply hang up the phone. So in order to sound great on sales calls, you need to start the conversation with confidence—and banish all nervousness. Remember, it’s just a game.

2. Talk like you’re with a friend at the bar.

I listen to thousands of sales calls every year. I walk through sales bullpens and overhear what salespeople are actually saying when they're on the phone with prospects. One thing I always notice is that you can immediately tell when a salesperson is talking to a prospect as opposed to someone they already know.

How can you tell? Well, when salespeople are talking to prospects, they tend to go into a high-pitched, excited sales voice. Their vocabularies suddenly improve and they use fancier words.

If you want to sound great on sales calls, then you must not do this. Instead, it's key that you avoid using an excited voice and fancy jargon altogether. You want to talk to prospects just as you would speak to a friend at the bar.

3. Take your time and pause.

When salespeople actually get a prospect on the phone, they tend to get excited and start speaking really quickly. They don't take any breaks because they're so afraid that the prospect might hang up the phone. But what this actually does is send signals to the prospects that you're nervous. It's like watching a movie with bad acting. They’ll just want to get away.

You need to take your time and pause if you want to sound great on sales calls. Instead of saying, "George, let me tell you the five reasons why I think you should consider our product,” slow it down and say, "George, did I catch you at an okay time?" Let them respond and then move on. Have a slow, consistent cadence just like you're talking to a friend.

4. Match their tone.

The thing about sales calls is that your voice and tonality are literally the only things your prospect can notice about you. They can’t see you physically, they don’t know what outfit you’re wearing—so your tone really matters.

You don't have to be exactly right on, but you want to modulate your voice to generally match what they sound like. This will help you sound great on sales calls no matter who you’re speaking to.

5. Stand up.

It's so easy to sit down at your desk, slump your shoulders, and make those dials. It's not something you're looking forward to, so you're just slumping through. Instead, if there's any way to do it, stand up when you're on the phone. It comes through that you’re breathing with a full breath, using your diaphragm, and you’ve got more energy. When you stand, you start talking as if there's someone right there in front of you.

So in order to sound great on sales calls, stand up at your desk. If you can prop up your laptop or your computer or you have one of those cool stand-up desks like I have, then great. Stand up any time that you're speaking to a prospect or you're on an important phone call. It makes a significant difference.

6. Use a hands-free headset.

This is technical and simple, but it makes a big difference. If you're on the phone and you're holding the phone to your ear, you're limiting your motion. Always use a hands-free headset. Chances are you already do that, but if you don't, make sure that you do.

Even if it's just the earbuds that go with your phone, that's fine, but make sure that you have a hands-free headset that you can speak into that has a solid microphone in your ear already. That way, you can just do whatever you want with your hands. You can even move around if you'd like. Having free range of motion will have a surprisingly big impact on your ability to sound great on sales calls.

7. SW³N.

If you've been following my content for long enough, you probably know what SW³N means. Some Will, Some Won't, So What? Next.

It's so important that you have a good attitude about making calls. They're not all going to go well and that's fine. Prospects can't hurt you, they can't attack you, they can't do anything to physically harm you.

Don't worry. If a call doesn't go well, get right back on the phone and make that next dial. Some Will, Some Won't, So What? Next.