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Communication Styles - Week 5

This document discusses communication styles and their importance for salespeople. It identifies three main communication styles: passive, aggressive, and assertive. Passive communication is characterized by avoiding expressing opinions while aggressive communication violates others' rights. Assertive communication clearly states needs and feelings while respecting others. The document recommends that salespeople focus on listening to customers, focusing on solutions, reading body language, matching customers' tones, and properly greeting and departing from customers in order to communicate effectively and improve sales.

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Melanie Cruz Convento
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51 views30 pages

Communication Styles - Week 5

This document discusses communication styles and their importance for salespeople. It identifies three main communication styles: passive, aggressive, and assertive. Passive communication is characterized by avoiding expressing opinions while aggressive communication violates others' rights. Assertive communication clearly states needs and feelings while respecting others. The document recommends that salespeople focus on listening to customers, focusing on solutions, reading body language, matching customers' tones, and properly greeting and departing from customers in order to communicate effectively and improve sales.

Uploaded by

Melanie Cruz Convento
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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COMMUNICATION

STYLES
Understanding communication styles
Engaging customers
What is Communication Style?
• Interaction of individuals with one another through their
behaviors.
Why you should understand your communication
style?
• To achieve greater self-awareness
• To develop more effective interpersonal relations
• To develop greater sensitivity to and tolerance for other’s
styles
Fundamental Concept

Individual differences
exist and are
important
There are three main styles of
communication
• Passive Communication
• Aggressive Communication
• Assertive Communication
PASSIVE COMMUNICATION
• PASSIVE COMMUNICATION is a style in which
individuals have developed a pattern of avoiding
expressing their opinions or feelings, protecting their
rights, and identifying and meeting their needs.
• Passive communication is usually born of low self-esteem.
• These individuals believe: “I’m not worth
taking care of.”
Characteristics of Passive Communicator
• Fail to assert for themselves
• Allow others to deliberately or inadvertently
infringe on their rights
• Fail to express their feelings, needs, or opinions
• Tend to speak softly or apologetically
• Exhibit poor eye contact and slumped body
posture.
Impacts of Passive Communication
• Often feel anxious because life seems out of their control
• Often feel depressed because they feel stuck and
hopeless
• Often feel resentful (but are unaware of it) because
their needs are not being met
• Often feel confused because they ignore their own
feelings
• Are unable to mature because real issues are never
addressed
AGGRESSIVE COMMUNICATION
• AGGRESSIVE COMMUNICATION is a style in which
individuals express their feelings and opinions and
advocate for their needs in a way that violates the rights
of others.
• Thus, aggressive communicators are verbally
and/or physically abusive.
• Aggressive communication is born of low self-esteem,
unhealed emotional wounds, and feelings of
powerlessness
Characteristics of an Aggressive Communicator
• Try to dominate others
• Use humiliation to control others
• Criticize, blame, or attack others
• Be very impulsive
• Have low frustration tolerance
• Speak in a loud, demanding, and overbearing voice
• Act threateningly and rudely
• Not listen well
• Interrupt frequently
• Use “you” statements
• Have piercing eye contact and an overbearing posture
Impacts of Aggressive Communication
• Become alienated from others
• Alienate others
• Generate fear and hatred in others
• Always blame others instead of owning their
issues, and thus are unable to mature
ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATION
ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATION is a style in which
individuals clearly state their opinions and feelings, and
firmly advocate for their rights and needs without violating
the rights of others.
• Assertive communication is born of high self esteem.
• These individuals value themselves, their time, and their
emotional, spiritual, and physical needs and are strong
advocates for themselves while being very respectful of
the rights of others.
Characteristics of Assertive communicator
• State needs and wants clearly, appropriately, and
respectfully
• Express feelings clearly, appropriately, and respectfully
• Use “I” statements
• Communicate respect for others
• Listen well without interrupting
• Feel in control of self
• Have good eye contact
Assertive communicator cont.
• Speak in a calm and clear tone of voice.
• Have a relaxed body posture.
• Heel connected to others.
• Feel competent and in control.
• Not allow others to abuse or manipulate them.
• Stand up for their rights.
QUIZ: What’s Your Communication Style?
• https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/quiz-whats-your-
communication-style/
COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR SALESPEOPLE
Importance of Communication Skills For
Salespeople
• Because the art of selling is so dependent on persuasive
and believable information exchange, salespeople must
be effective communicators. Great communication is not
simply what is conveyed, but how it is conveyed and how
choice, info and body language can drive relationships
and sales.
• Once salespeople elevate communication skills to a pro
level, they can improve sales and relate better to
prospects.
5 Effective Communication Skills For
Salespeople
1. Listen
2. Focus on Solution
3. Read body language
4. Match Prospect’s Tone (Mimicry)
5. Greet and Depart Properly
1. Listen
When meeting with a prospect, remember there are two
parties and that communication should go in both
directions. Don’t just talk (and risk talking yourself out of a
sale); listen – and listen so well that the prospect feels
understood and heard. Even if a prospect is reluctant to
talk, ask questions or encourage general feedback.
Listening can help you perceive:
• Answers that give insight into the prospect’s needs,
values, motivations or budget.
• Changes in the prospect’s tone or mood.
• Buzz words that signal resistance or openness to closing.
• Excitement or hostility toward the company or the
salesperson.
2. Focus on Solutions
• Modern sales training wisely teaches salespeople to be
customer-centric. Center your dialogue around the most
important customer focus: solutions.
• Find out what’s not working well, what’s missing, or what
deficiencies need improving; then show how products,
services or special options from your company can
address these matters. To improve sales, your
communication should be full of expert advice,
recommendations and resolutions so the prospect will
think of you 
not just as a salesperson but as a problem-solver.
3. Read Body Language
A salesperson can gain an advantage by 
reading body language. Interpreting how long a customer
glances at a part of the presentation, how wide pupils dilate
to show interest, whether the torso is pointing in a direction
that shows agreement or if the prospect is signaling
openness through gestures can all improve sales potential.
4. Match Prospect’s Tone (Mimicry)
Linguistic mirroring has long helped professionals in any
field where persuasion is necessary. 
Matching the prospect’s tone, words or ideology can
create trust, agreement and an atmosphere of ease.

Clashes in tone can ruin a client meeting in the first minute.


Even if the prospect endures the meeting until the end, he
likely won’t close a deal with someone he couldn’t connect
with in tone. Even if he can’t put his finger on the reason for
the disconnect, he will feel it.
Some of the common-sense basics
• if the client is laid back and relaxed when speaking, don’t
be overly formal, manic or uptight.
• If the client is super upbeat and humorous, don’t be droll
and no-nonsense.
• If the prospect is very sophisticated, you’ll want to be your
most polished.
• If he is stoic and all-business, you’ll want be serious, too.
5. Greet and Depart Properly
Whether you close a deal or not, always be warm, inviting
and sincere with the prospect, greeting them in a personal
way and leaving the same.
• People tend to remember the first impression and the last
thing you say to them, so make a good impression at both
of these points, even if you haven’t closed, and it might
inspire them to contact you in the future. Have you ever
experienced a salesperson who is all smiles and giggles
at first when she thinks she can sell you, but then
changes demeanor abruptly and rushes you out the door
when she realizes you aren’t buying today?
• Don’t be that guy or girl. You never know when the person
who doesn’t qualify today will turn into an interested buyer
in the future.
Remember…
Communicating more effectively improves sales skills
ranging from negotiating and closing to in-person
confidence and cordiality. It’s a skill we all should work on
more often.

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