I can't sing. I'm confident when I say that which means my self perception must be much more accurate than most of the contestants on American Idol. Don't get me wrong, I can do a pretty good Garth Brooks at any karaoke and not embarrass myself. I'm certainly no Sinatra.. at least not when I sing.
I really don't have much in common with Sinatra at all. I don't know if I've ever came in contact with a legitimate member of the mob, I'm certainly not democratic, and I think it's safe to say that if you compared both of our night lives his would be much more fascinating.
Although any similarities may be a stretch, what we may have in common maybe some of the hardships we've endured, but I won't bore you with those. Did you know that Frank Sinatra was picked up by Capital Records for $200 before he wrote some of his largest hits, including My Way. No one else would talk with Sinatra at the time because his image and where he already was in his career. Little did they know he was just getting started by 1950!
So what does all this have to do with sales you ask? I will spare you the history lesson and assume you know what Frank Sinatra sounds like. The whole reason I point out that all sales professionals should try to be like Frank doesn't have anything to do with his slick image but everything to do with his rythmic delivery.
I believe one of the reasons that Frank's success continued to soar after the 50's was the quality of this ability to tell a story. To pause and place emphasis on key phrases within his 'song'. To be able to deliver a rhythm that made you swing.
Have you heard someone say all the right things, but place emphasis and change their pitch on syllables that made your face cringe. We are all aware it's not what you say, but how you say it.. So say it like Frank would. Take notice of your delivery. Be cognitive of your tempo, your sticatto, your volume, and yes even your pitch can cause your message to deviate from it's intended meaning.
Eliminate the "umm" and "aaa" completely and don't be afraid to leave those pauses with an absolute silence before you continue your thought. Frank did it well, you already know the material, so just work on your delivery.
