“Improvisation is too good to leave to chance.” Paul Simon
Ever marveled at how skillfully Improv performers respond to the seemingly unrelated suggestions thrown at them? There is no script, no direction and typically only the thinnest of plots. If you’re in sales, this should sound very familiar to you!
How often do your salespeople walk into a situation with a thread-bare plot (i.e., an “information-gathering” meeting), unsure of what obstacles may confront them (objections, personality conflicts, budgets, etc.) or what they’re going to say?
Sellers can learn a lot from Improv performers, like how to take a curveball and turn it into a homerun. But there is more to Improv than just spitting out the first thing that comes to mind. Improv performers work long and hard to achieve the kind of lightning-quick speed and laser-like focus necessary to react to changing circumstances. And, they make the whole process look effortless and spontaneous.
With the rules of the sales game changing daily there’s never been a better time to acquire skills that will help you to be on your toes, ready to react spontaneously and skillfully to the unexpected. Learning the Rules of Improv can mean the difference between a laugh and a groan on stage, but in sales, it can mean the difference between winning and losing the sale.
5 Rules of Improv You Can Start Using Today:
1. Know Your Material
Sounds obvious, yes? But this critical step is often overlooked in our rush to get in front of a client. Before you can improvise your presentation or pitch, you must know it inside and out, forwards and backwards. You must know WHAT you’re saying, and you must know WHY you’re saying it (Hint: “My manager told me to” is not a good enough reason!) Practice your sales script. Read it out loud to the dog. Rap it to your roommate. Know it so well that you could ad-lib it or pick it up at any point within the script.
2. Fire the Editor
Nothing kills creativity faster than self-judgment. As adults we learn to edit ourselves, but often our editor turns into our harshest critic. Give that little editor in your head the afternoon off when you’re brainstorming. Explore all possible options without prejudice. Don’t let that editor stomp the seed of a good idea before it has time to sprout.
3. Be in the Moment
This Zen-like quality applies to sales as well as Improv. Staying focused on the present moment creates a heightened awareness; only by being in the moment can you be aware of subtle shifts in your prospect, both verbal and nonverbal. Silence for instance, which we are so anxious to fill, can mean: “You’ve lost me” or “I’m not convinced.” So stop. Pause. Take in the moment. You’ll be amazed at what you may have otherwise missed in your rush to get through your presentation.
4. Use Your Mistakes
Faulty power-point? Forgotten brochures? Bumbled presentations? Great! Incorporate it into your presentation or follow-up. Make it a running joke; something to make your client remember you by. The fact that we’re fallible makes it easier for people to connect with us. Quit trying to be the perfect “sales clone.” Mistakes come with the territory. So laugh at yourself. Use mistakes to give new energy to your presentation and let prospects see your human side.
5. Say, “Yes and…”
In Improv, no matter what your partner gives you, you must always reply with “Yes, and…” in order to keep the action moving forward. This is also true in sales. For example, suppose your client tells you that they never buy anything but Product X. Instead of saying “Yes, but you’ve never tried our product,” which immediately puts them in the position of defending your competitor, you reply: “Yes, and that’s why you don’t yet have anything to compare it to.” You have acknowledged their point as well as offered an alternative perspective without getting their defenses up.
By adding the Rules of Improv to their sales repertoire, you sales team will be able to act confidently and skillfully to almost anything thrown at them – except perhaps the odd tomato!
