Sales Tips - 5 Rules Of Improv For Sellers
Improvisation is too good to leave to chance. --Paul Simon
Ever marveled at how skillfully Improv Players respond to the seemingly unrelated suggestions thrown at them? There is no script to follow, no direction and typically only the thinnest of plots. Does this sound familiar to you? It should!
As salespeople, how often do we walk into a situation with a thread-bare plot (like an information-gathering meeting), unsure of what's going to confront us (objections, personality conflicts, budgets, etc.) and last but not least, an audience waiting to be entertained. (Yes, your client expects some entertainment for their hard-won time and dollars!)
Sellers can learn a lot from Improv Players, like how to take a curveball and turn it into a homerun. Learning to react quickly and skillfully to the unexpected can mean the difference between winning and losing the sale during these uncertain times. But there is more to Improv than just spitting out the first thing that comes to mind.
Here are FIVE TIPS I've adapted from Improv that you can start using in your sales calls today!
1. KNOW YOUR MATERIAL.
This obvious but critical step is often overlooked in our rush to get in front of a client. You must know inside and out WHAT you're saying and WHY you're saying it -- and My manager told me to is not a good enough reason! Practice your sales script. Read it out loud to the dog. Know it so well that if you had to, you could pick it up at any point within the script and run through it with ease.
2. FIRE THE EDITOR.
Nothing kills creativity faster than judgment and critique. Give that little editor in your head the afternoon off before exploring all possible options.
3. BE IN THE MOMENT.
Only by being truly in tune with the moment are you aware of subtle shifts in your partner. Silence for instance, which we are so anxious to fill, can mean: you've lost me or show me why I should buy you. Stop, pause and take in the moment. You'll be amazed at what you may have missed.
4. COMMIT TO YOUR CHOICES.
Commitment? Yikes! As salespeople we reserve the right to change our opinion based on what the client thinks, right? Wrong! See your choices through; don't be batted around by every wind. You may not win everyone over, but you'll win something that is too often overlooked in sales: self respect.
5. SAY, YES
No matter what your partner gives you in Improv, you must always reply with Yes, and to keep the action moving forward. For example, suppose your client tells you that they have never buy anything but product X. Instead of saying Yes, but you've never tried our product, (which puts them on the defensive), you reply: Yes, and that's why you don't yet have anything to compare it to. In this way you acknowledge their point as well as offer an alternative perspective without getting their defenses up.
Now you're ready to add Improv to your sales toolkit.
Think fast! And whose line is it anyway?!
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