Being On Stage

Do your salespeople realize that they are “on stage” every time they are interacting with a client or prospect?

The recognition that an actor/actress who is on stage is not necessarily doing something that comes naturally to them is important for the salesperson.  The actor is delivering scripted lines in character, which may not match up to their natural character at all.

There are two important aspects to this that will help your average performers become top performers:

First is the recognition that the salesperson also has “lines” to deliver:  the right information to move the prospect forward at that point in the sales process.  (I prefer outlined rather than scripted lines, so it flows as naturally as possible.)  Note that there is nothing disingenuous or lacking in integrity about providing the right information to move the prospect forward.  (In fact, providing false or misleading information will likely derail the process.)  The point is that your salesperson may have to say or do something that is not “natural” for him or her to do, but does it anyway because it’s the right thing to do at that time.

Second is the recognition that “the lights are on” and people are watching, so they need to be in character – they need to be spot on with their posture, voice inflections, manner, grooming, dress, and professionalism (in line with whatever those expectations are for your business and industry).  It is an unfortunate reality that a prospect can be derailed very easily by something as simple as an off-hand comment completely unrelated to the prospect or their business needs.

The salesperson must be “in character” and not stray from “the script” to avoid any of these (even small) errors that can blow up the entire sales process.

Reminding your sales staff that they are on stage whenever they interact with a client will help them be more successful and result in higher customer satisfaction.  To learn more, contact us.