Jordan Belfort - Straight Line Persuasion - Mastering Tonality

What is the most important thing you should master in sales?

Tonality - using tonal and language patterns enables you to bypass/destroy any conscious obstacles/limiting beliefs in your clients mind, and speak straight to the subconscious, which is infinitely more powerful for persuasion.

Why is tonality so important?

Because it allows you to establish that you're an authority/expert, that you're sharp as a tack, and enthusiastic - these traits will enable you to take full control of the sale and close.

What is the hidden language of influence?

Tonality.

Your verbal communication is composed of two different attributes that determine it's meaning. These two being:

1. What you say

2. How you say it

The latter (how you say it) being 90% PERCENT of actually "what" you're saying. Words only go so far, it's "HOW" you say things, that matters.

Saying "Hi" with a happy tone means something way different than saying "Hi" with a agitated tone.

When you use the proper tonality - what part of the client do you speak to? The logical side, or the emotional side?

The emotional/unconscious side - which is ultimately more powerful - when you speak to someone's "gut" - you're speaking to "them" - not their brain.

What is the MOST POWERFUL tool you can learn/use as an influencer/salesman?

TONALITY - this will enable you to speak to your clients "gut" - bypass any logical barriers, and establish the big "3" extremely quickly.

(enthusiastic, sharp as a tack, and an authority)

On top of the "big 3" attributes you establish within the first 4 seconds of the call (enthusiastic, sharp, expert) - what is not included in the big 3 that is one of the most important things?

THAT YOU CARE - without this attribute established, you will not be able to develop rapport, maintain control, etc.

If the client doesn't think that you care, what happens to your chances of closing?

They disappear - without the client knowing you care, you cannot develop rapport, control, etc. - and this leads to the client not closing.

You wouldn't do business with someone who doesn't care.

What is it that you create in the client that truly closes the sale?

An emotion - it's truly the emotion that you create in somebody that closes the deal.

Don't disregard logic though, you need to establish a case in both the emotional (more powerful) and the logical side of the person - without a logical case, you'll have a harder time closing.

What will people buy based on?

Emotion first, then the client will justify it to themselves with logic.

People are emotional beings, as much as we like to think we make decisions logically, a lot of what it comes down to is how we "feel". Once we know what we feel, we try to justify it with logic.

So if I want to buy headphones because I feel like listening to music in a more fulfilled manner - I may justify it to myself logically (even if it isn't logical) that I need the headphones for something.

What do people buy with?

Emotion - and they justify their emotions/buying decisions with logic.

Do you ever stop using tonality in a sale?

NEVER - you're constantly using effective tonality throughout the entire duration of the sale.

Think about it, the clients emotions don't just start and end at the opening - they go through different emotional states throughout the duration of the sale and you need to use tonality to ensure those states are where you want them to be.

If you read the words off a script like you're reading the words off a script - what does that do to the clients perception of you?

It changes their perception of you to someone who is lousy, unenthusiastic, and a "grunt" - if you don't read the script like you're "alive" - the client won't think you are, they'll see you as a robot and will not be invested. You will not form the monumentally important "big 3" - and will be entirely ineffective.

Within the first paragraph of the sales script - what are you doing besides the "big 3"?

That you care about them (have their best interests in mind), that you're a reasonable person, and that you're TRUSTWORTHY.

What are you doing in the first paragraph of a sales script?

You're essentially laying the "ground work" on which you can build your "big 3" attributes - and well as the fact that you care and you're trustworthy.

Is the first paragraph of the sales script going to persuade them right away? No. But it will give you a great basis in which you can build those attributes on that will enable you to close the sale.

What is pacing and leading?

Pacing and leading is the process of first:

Pacing:

This is when you establish to the client that you're "like" them - you do this by mimicking the way the person talks, stands, their appearance, etc. - this builds rapport on a subconscious level because people are more likely to like/trust people that are similar to them - because they understand them.

Next is Leading:

Leading is simply as the name implies, you are "leading" them through the steps/path needed for them to perform an action.

What is the "pacing" part of pacing and leading?

When you establish to the client that you're "like" them - you do this by mimicking the way the person talks, stands, their appearance, etc. - this builds rapport on a subconscious level because people are more likely to like/trust people that are similar to them - because they understand them.

What is the "leading" part of pacing and leading?

Leading is simply as the name implies, you are "leading" them through the steps/path needed for them to perform an action.

What is the difference between average people and influencers?

Average people talk "average" - whereas influencers talk like "influencers" - if you talk like you're average, you're going to be average - but if you talk like a winner, like an influencer - you're going to be an influencer.

To be extraordinary in sales, what must you do?

Tonality - you need to talk to people to capture their imagination within the first SECOND of the sales encounter.

How do you create scarcity without explicitly (aka stupidly) saying it's scarce?

With tonality - a bottled whisper will say much more to a client that a product is scarce, than it will directly saying it in a monotone voice.

We all already use tonality - but what does Straight Line teach you to do with it?

To be deliberate - to create the right emotions in the client at the times where they'll matter the most. You want to be as EFFICIENT as possible with your tonality - you want to use your techniques where they'll matter the most.

What are you doing in a sale to maintain control besides rapport, enthusiasm, etc.?

You take out as many variables as you can in the equation - to get rid of the things you can't control in the sale - and focus entirely on the things you CAN control.

Once you write your sales script, do you stop there?

No - a script is always a work in progress - you always improve the script until it's "perfect" and you have nothing else to improve. This takes time and testing. +

When you speak an imperfect script word for word - what do you end up sounding like?

A novice - written English is different from conversational English - and if you read the written language word for word, it'll sound unnatural and won't let you establish control, rapport, or a mutual authority understanding. You'll sound like a stranger.

How do you establish familiarity in a sales call?

With natural sounding tonality and language patterns - if you sound like you're reading a script, you'll sound non-human and unfamiliar.

What do you not want to come off as in a sales call?

Unfamiliar - you don't want to sound like some robot reading from a script because that's not going to speak to anyone emotionally.

You want to capture familiarity in a sales call, you want the client to feel as though they know you - like a friend to friend.

When you sound unfamiliar - the first thought in the clients head is "who the hell is this salesman calling me?" - suffice to say, this is not what you want.

If in the first couple seconds of the call - you don't speak with the right tonality, what happens to the clients focus and confidence/perception of you?

It goes down - your tonality and delivery of your words define who "you" are in your clients mind.

If you do not nail the tonality of the first 3 words of the sales call - what happens?

Your client gets the perception that you're a "Sergey" - or a bad salesman - whereas if you use the right tonality - you'll establish the "big 3" and they'll think much higher of you and will be interested. Nobody wants to do business with "Sergey".

When you first talk to the client, what are you doing?

"Entering their world" - you're new to them, and their first impression of you will be paramount to establishing that you're enthusiastic, sharp, and an authority figure.

If you don't nail the initial introduction, you're going to be fighting a uphill battle of a negative perception.

You want them to think you "have something" - that you're not just some joe-shmoe with a dead end job.

What are most people's world full of?

Boredom and tediousness - when you enter a client's world with excited-ness, positive energy, and confidence, your client is going to listen to you and want to be influenced by you.

When you come into a clients average world with excitement and positive energy, they'll want to listen - whereas if you enter with boredom and tediousness, they'll reject you because it's "more of the same".

If you don't/can't do what you ask your salesmen to do - what should you do?

Not ask them - if you won't do what you're asking them to, they won't respect nor listen to you, and you will be ineffective as a leader.

If you haven't gotten to where you want your salesmen to be - you won't be able to guide them there.

What is the difference between ineffective salesmen and people who close?

Ineffective salesmen don't establish that they're enthusiastic, sharp, and an authority - whereas CLOSERS establish this as quickly as possible and use that groundwork to close the sale.

What is the art of "not blowing it"?

ESTABLISHING THE BIG 3 EFFECTIVELY - essentially understanding that the sale STARTS the second you begin the encounter.

If you don't do these, you blew it.

What is a declarative?

A down-beat (lowering of the voice) at the end of a word that basically means "who gives a shit?".

You don't want to accidentally be using this because it will lead to yourself downplaying what you're saying. It will turn into just "information" instead of something important.

What does it mean to Infer a Micro-Agreement?

To raise your voice at the end of a word to basically say "right? you remember?".

You're basically saying "right?" without explicitly saying it - and it will make the client want to agree.

When you infer a micro-agreement, what happens in the clients brain?

Their internal dialogue basically asks itself "should I know this?" - and it will make them question whether they do - this will basically short-circuit their brain into thinking "I probably did/know". You're saying it with the expectation of a "yes".

What is a tone of mystery?

You basically create a sense of mystery in your voice to get the other person to critically think about and recall what you're asking.

This is different from a micro-agreement because you're not implying a "yes" - you're deliberately asking "did you know?" You're getting them to think "did I? do I?"

You're basically forcing them to think about something you ask them in an almost scandalous voice.

What is an advantage of using a micro-agreement?

You short-circuit the clients brain to essentially get them to agree (they feel like they should/do know) - BUT, you're also leading them onto your next words.

When you use a micro-agreement properly, you're basically getting the client to think "yeah, and?" - they want to know what's next and it gets them invested.

When you continually use micro-agreements, what happens in the clients brain?

He keeps saying "yeah" - and it's in human nature to stay consistent with their own behavior - and this will lead to even more "yeses". The more you get the client saying yes, the more likely they are to continue saying "yes".

People want to stay consistent, and if you've got them saying yes a whole bunch of times, you've essentially got them "in the loop" - and to break the "yes train" would essentially put them "out of the loop" - which is not a positive social behavior and is programmed into humans to avoid.

So if you put someone "in the loop" - they'll agree with you even if they haven't/don't, because they don't want to break consistency and be "out of the loop"

What is a physiological trigger?

Essentially different things you can do with your body to capture specific tonalities.

For example:

If you want to have a tonality of "tone of mystery" - squinting your eyes like you're closely analyzing someone/something will trigger that tonality.

Or, if you want to sound absolutely certain, it may be clapping your hands as you talk - pointing your fingers, etc.

What do you want to avoid doing as an influencer?

You want to avoid drawing out words that do not sound natural in conversational English.

For example:

If the sentence you're speaking is:

"You attended a conference last week at the Marriot Hotel for one of our top Forex traders?"

If you draw out the words like "for one of our" in a way that doesn't sound sharp - you will not sound natural - but if you say it quickly and "to the point" - it'll sound natural and sharp.

How do you always want to talk like as a influencer?

Like you KNOW what you're talking about, you always want to sound enthusiastic, sharp as a tack, and like an authority - and people with those attributes do not talk slowly and boringly. You're IN A RUSH - your time is valuable (don't be a douche).

When every word you speak is spoken in the same tonality and in with the same "beats" or rhythm, what does that do for clients you're selling to?

Puts them to sleep - when you expose the brain to same (unexciting) stimuli repeatedly, it grows exhausted and tunes out.

So, when you speak in the same, predictable and boring tone (like you're reading a book in class) - the clients brain gets tired of the stimuli and will stop listening.

What does habituation mean?

A decrease in responsiveness when introduced to the same stimuli multiple times.

For example:

When somebody tells you a joke, and you find it funny - your initial responsiveness to the joke will likely be high - it will result in a laugh most likely.

Whereas if somebody kept telling you the joke, you may have found it funny the first time, but it will likely devolve to a giggle, a nose puff, and then nothing at all upon continued exposure/retelling.

Same thing goes for when you're speaking to a client - if you speak with the same tonality and pacing throughout your entire encounter - your client is going to grow bored of your voice because the tonality and the pacing is constantly being habituated - and will not respond to it after repeated exposure. (similar to game design in the sense that, once the brain stops detecting new patterns, repeating the same pattern over and over again becomes boring).

Whereas if you talk with altering tonality and pacing - your speech and influence will be much more interesting because you're constantly feeding new and varying stimuli into your clients brain - this leads to a much more engaging conversation/sales encounter in their eyes, and they will be much more likely to buy.

"A simple drum beat is boring, it's when you add hi-hat variation and kick drums that it becomes interesting - you can say a lot more with altered pacing and tonality"

What do you want to be doing with your speech patterns?

Stressing important parts of the sentence, whilst grouping together (getting to the point) the other filler words. You don't want to be stressing words that do not matter, you want to stress IMPORTANT words.

For example:

"you stayed last night at the Marriott hotel?"

with zero stressing - and zero "getting to the point" - gives all the words the same monotone, unimportantance - whereas if you spoke like the following:

"you STAYED lastnightat THE MARRIOTT HOTEL?" - with the lack of spacing being grouping together (getting to the point), and the capitalized words being stressed words - the sentence becomes more interesting and has greater meaning to the client - because you're stressing what's important, and getting to the point constantly.

When you lower/drop your voice when speaking, what does it imply to the client?

That what you have to say is a secret - and that it's scarce. This will lead to intent listening from the buyer.

For example:

"Now the reason for the call today John" without a whispering or lowered tonality, will not cause them to hang on your words and listen intently.

whereas if you spoke the same sentence in a lower, almost "did you know?" tone, you grab the buyers attention cause it almost sounds scandalous, and like you could hook them up with a deal that's almost unfair. Who doesn't want something valuable that's scarce and a "secret"?

What is one of the most powerful tonalities you can learn to imply scarcity and really "grab" the clients attention?

The "secret" tonality, where you lower your voice to sound like what you have to say is super scarce, and that it won't be around long - it almost sounds like you're "letting them in" on something - this is immensely powerful because who doesn't want to hear a secret? Who wants to miss out on something amazing that is scarce?

If you want someone to listen to you, what should you do? But if you want someone to really listen, what should you do?

Yell if you want the client to listen to you, but if you want them to REALLY listen to you, lower your voice - when you lower your voice, you imply you have a secret, and that it's scarce. Remember that scarcity is one of the most influential of the 7 principles of persuasion, people don't want to "miss out" - and they always want to have something nobody else has.

Why do you not constantly want to sound "sharp as a tack" and loud at all times?

Because it becomes boring - but when you bottle that enthusiasm with a lowered "secret" voice - your client knows it's going to explode out of you at any moment and they want to listen to what you're saying. And they get excited as well.

When you first demonstrate that you're sharp as a tack, and then you BOTTLE that enthusiasm, what does your client do?

They respect you and listen to you more, because they know at all times, you're sharp as hell, and that you can release that energy at any time.

What does it mean to "Imply the Reasonable Man"?

It basically means to say "fair enough? I'm reasonable, and you're reasonable, why not give this talk a shot?" with your tonal pattern at the end of a question.

What is the advantage of using the "reasonable man" tonality?

It essentially disarms the client, if you imply that you're a reasonable guy, and that they're a reasonable guy, you shoot down any barriers the client will have to objecting. You basically say "we're both reasonable men, let's talk about it".

Throughout your sales scripts, when you are using the "imply reason-ability" tonality?

Whenever you want the client to say to themselves - "yeah, this is reasonable" - whenever you want the client to throw away any objection they may have because it's obviously reasonable - you get them to say to themselves "this is reasonable, I'm a reasonable guy and he is too, this makes sense, I agree"

What percentage of communication is words?

9%

What percentage of communication is tonality and body language?

91% - how you say something with your body and voice speaks way more than the actual words you speak.

When you "hold back" your enthusiasm, your expert state, etc. - what happens?

It becomes known by the client, and they know at any moment, you can release that energy (of being an expert, the enthusiasm, etc.) - and control the conversation. It ENABLES YOU TO CONTROL THE CONVERSATION EFFECTIVELY. They know you "got it" - and they don't want to piss you off or challenge it.

What are transition words?

Words like "Well, But, Now" - these let you change your tonality and essentially "pause" to move on to your next set of emotion creation.

What do transition words enable you to do?

It allows you to "flip" your tonality, and pause to create a new emotion - so, if you're selling someone and you know there's an objection coming up, you can transition and address/change the emotion of the upcoming objection. You can use transitions to contrast pain with pleasure, etc.

It enables you to manage emotions effectively.

What is closing at it's core?

Managing the client's emotion, to create a set of specific emotions that leads to the "ultimate" emotion that you want them to have.

When changing tonalities from high to low or vice versa, what is it important to do?

Leave yourself room to change your tonality's pitch - if you're always talking low, you're going to struggle to get any lower, whereas if you talk high, and then change to low, you're going to have the space to go back up again, and then back to low.

LEAVE YOURSELF ROOM TO CHANGE YOUR TONALITIES.

What do you want to do with your transition words in order to increase the effectiveness of the next piece of tonality?

Use the transition words to contrast the tonality of the new emotions you're creating with your next tonality piece, so that it has more impact and effectiveness.

So if you're about to use a tone of scarcity, having a higher toned "WELL" transition word before the lowered voice will contrast it and increase it's impact.

When you use tonality, what are you really doing?

Creating unspoken words without explicitly saying them - so when you infer a micro-agreement, you're really just saying "right?" - or when you lower to a voice of scarcity, you're really saying "I've got a secret and you'll want to hear it"

For example:

If you say "If you've got a minute I'd love to share it with you" with a micro-agreement at the end, you're really saying "you've got a minute, right? I'm a reasonable guy, no big deal" - and everyone has a minute, so they'll say yes.

These unspoken words are ultimately more powerful than the spoken words and they go STRAIGHT to the subconscious.

When asking to close, what tonality are you using?

The "reasonable man" tone - nobody will close if you use a tone other than that, any tone other than "it's reasonable, you're reasonable, and I'm reasonable" will not trigger that thought in their head and they will not close.

How does tonality fit into the straight line?

It's EVERYTHING - the straight line is really just TONALITY - and the structure in which to use the tonality most effectively. To move somebody's emotions in a way to where you ultimately want them to be.

When writing sales scripts - how should you use tonality?

In a way to un-explicitly say something that must be said.