How Jeremy Miner Mastered the $1M Sales Skill You’re Probably Ignoring

“Your tone is how the prospect interprets your intention behind everything you say.” — Jeremy Miner

If you’ve ever been ghosted by a prospect, dropped from a sales process, or treated like a commodity despite offering something genuinely valuable… Jeremy Miner says it might not be what you’re saying — but how you’re saying it.

In an in-depth interview on the neelhome show, Jeremy Miner — former top 1% income-earner in sales and now founder of the fast-growing sales training company Seventh Level — breaks down the overlooked psychology of tonality and why mastering it could be the difference between stagnation and seven figures.

🧩 The Core Problem: Selling in a Way That Triggers Resistance

Most salespeople, founders, and even everyday professionals unknowingly communicate in ways that trigger the fight-or-flight response in the brain. It’s not about being pushy — it's about using phrases, tones, or word structures that activate a prospect’s defense mechanisms.

“When your tone is off, you're literally triggering the prospect's reptilian brain... and it doesn’t matter what you’re saying after that.” — Jeremy Miner

The issue? Most sales tactics are outdated… built for a customer psychology that no longer exists.

Instead, Miner teaches a methodology he calls NEPQ (Neuro-Emotional Persuasion Questions), which focuses on aligning your tone and questions with how the brain actually makes decisions.

🎙 Why Tonality Is Your Most Underrated Sales Weapon

Miner breaks tonality down into five core tones that every salesperson must master:

1. Curious Tone

Used to express genuine interest and get prospects to open up.

• “So walk me through… what type of house are you guys in now?”

2. Confused Tone

Used to disarm, clarify, and deepen emotional engagement.

• “Wait, how do you mean by stress?”

This tone signals you don’t understand the emotional word they just used, prompting them to expand and relive their pain — a crucial step in sales psychology.

3. Challenging Tone

Used only after building trust, this tone pushes the prospect to confront consequences.

• “What happens if nothing changes?”

4. Concerned Tone

Shows empathy and humanizes the conversation.

• “I’ve been trying to schedule this tour for a few weeks… what’s really holding you back from seeing it?”

5. Playful Tone

Used to disarm, lower guard, and create emotional rapport.

• “Ah, just hanging out being the boring guy. What about you?”

Each tone, used intentionally and in context, helps you guide the conversation while lowering resistance and increasing trust.

🧠 Why Skill > Script: The Illusion of the “Natural Born Closer”

Miner debunks the idea of the “natural closer” as myth. No one is born with advanced objection handling, questioning, or tonality skills — they’re all learned behaviors.

“Your confidence level will never rise above your skill level.” — Jeremy Miner

This mindset shift is critical for wantrepreneurs and early-stage founders: If you’re not closing deals, it's not because you're not charismatic enough, it’s because you're likely using the wrong skills (or the right ones, in the wrong way).

📈 Sales Isn’t Just for Salespeople

Miner stresses that everyone is in sales, whether they recognize it or not.

• Convincing a jury as a lawyer? Sales.
• Getting your kids to do homework? Sales.
• Pitching investors? Definitely sales.

The core skill underpinning all these scenarios? Communication.

If you can’t frame your message in a way that gets others to think what you want them to think, you’ll lose — no matter how strong your idea or product.

⚠️ Your Tone Is Costing You Money — Literally

When asked why top-performing reps close 3x more than others using the same script, Miner is clear:

“It’s not about the script. It’s how you ask the question — how you sound when you ask it.”

Inconsistent tone signals uncertainty. Uncertainty triggers resistance. Resistance leads to objections, no-shows, or lost deals.

🛠 Tactical Takeaways for Founders & Closers

Here’s how you can apply Jeremy Miner’s advice immediately:

• Record yourself: Listen back to how you sound, not just what you say.
• Practice with experts: Don’t role-play with someone who hasn’t mastered tonality.
• Match tone to context: Cold calls need a familiar tone. Objection handling needs concern or challenge — not pushiness.
• Always be disarming: From emails to intros, keep the guard down.
• Sell outcomes, not your offer: Frame what life looks like after your solution — not the features of the solution itself.

🚀 The 7-Figure Mindset Shift

Ultimately, Miner’s philosophy is about raising your status in the prospect’s mind.

“Sales is not something you do to people. It's something you do for people.” — Jeremy Miner

This shift (from “closer” to trusted facilitator) doesn’t just lead to more deals. It leads to longer-lasting client relationships, higher earnings, and deeper impact.

If you're a founder, coach, consultant, or aspiring entrepreneur, mastering tone might be the single biggest lever for unlocking your next income level or finally escaping the feast-and-famine sales cycle.