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by John Carroll
One of
the more enduring forms of entertainment has been the circus. From huge
three-ring performances to the parades of elephants and other exotic animals,
the circus has amazed millions of people year after year. Despite all the
cutting-edge technology employed to get an audience’s attention these days,
this low-tech form of entertainment adds new fans with each presentation. My
daughter Erynn and I attended a circus performance recently and I came away
with some lessons that apply to professional selling.
1. Perfect your timing – The very first act we saw was a group
performing on the flying trapeze. As you might expect, the timing and
synchronization of these performers has to be near perfect to be in the right
place at just the right time and to catch and handle the weight of bodies
literally flying through the air.
Perfecting
your timing in selling means knowing when to move to the next step in the
sales process. If you move too soon into asking for the buying decision
without regard for your prospect’s position in the sales process, you will
likely drop him or her into the net of no sale. If you ask basic question
after basic question, sending the message that you haven’t done your homework
and that you’re wasting your prospect’s time, you may also lose the
opportunities for both the sale and a stronger relationship. You perfect your
timing in sales through practice, through the use of good questions that help
you move through the steps of the sale and by watching and listening closely
to the signs that tell you that you’ve advanced to the next stage of the
sale.
2. Get them involved – This particular circus presented a wonderful blend of drama
and comedy. No circus would be complete without a clown. Nino was the perfect
clown, trying silly things, getting himself into crazy predicaments and
gaining the empathy of the audience early and often. In his first vignette of
the evening, Nino invited a young boy to come to the center of the ring and
join him. Nino went through a series of movements, inviting the boy to do
likewise. The boy did so, uncomfortable at first and more confident with each
step. The audience showed its approval along the way and the child returned to
his seat amidst a thunderous round of applause.
Getting
them involved in selling means that you make sure your sales presentation is
something other than a solo performance. Check to see how you’re doing at any
stage of the sale by stopping to see what questions or concerns your prospect
might have. If you have a great deal of technical information you must
communicate in your presentation, take several breaks to check for
understanding and make sure that you communicate in layman’s terms for those
whose level of expertise doesn’t match yours. Most of all, keep them involved
by making the entire sales process a dialogue where your prospect speaks 50
percent of the time. If you’re taking more than half of the airtime, you may
have a detached prospect, one who is unlikely to buy from you.
3. Expect the unexpected – The element of
surprise heightens the drama of any performance. At the circus, it’s planned
that you should take some deep breaths at certain stunts. Then, when one of
the performers does something completely unexpected, your jaw drops, you
watch in amazement and feel your heart pounding a bit faster than usual.
Expecting
the unexpected in selling means that you should be prepared for your sales
discussion to take a wrong turn now and then. What do you do when your
prospect changes the subject and shares a deep personal concern with you? How
do you switch gears when an angry team member interrupts your meeting? What
would you do if a storm caused a power outage and you were counting on the
use of technology to present your product or service solution?
You
prepare for the unexpected in selling by knowing your product or service
inside and out. That gives you greater freedom from reliance on visual aids
or other technical information. Take several deep breaths before you begin a
sales discussion, telling yourself that whatever the outcome, something good
and beneficial will come from your effort. Be flexible and roll with the
punches. When you show poise and grace under pressure, your prospect or customer
will notice and you’ll make points for your professionalism, regardless of
the circumstances.
4. Put on the dog – The circus combines many
elements into its presentation, not the least of which is the glamour and
glitz of dress and stage presence. There were moments during the performance
that the sheer visual impact of ornate costumes combined with the slow,
purposeful movement of the cast created a sense of ceremony that could
compete with an international summit meeting of several heads of state.
Putting
on the dog in selling means that you consider the visual elements of
presenting yourself as well as your product or service. If it’s important
that you’re seen as a professional, you want to dress and carry yourself in
that way. Have a suit or outfit designated as your “selling suit” and wear it
only when you’re working to secure a new customer or sale. Be presentable in
all other circumstances, of course, and show the poise and manner that marks
you as the best in your business.
5. Show them that you love them – Early in
their training, performers in virtually every discipline learn that facial
expressions play a key role in their ability to convey a message or theme. To
convey the beauty of the circus performance, each and every performer included
a smile. Those smiles spoke volumes about the performers’ ability to complete
complicated movements and keep the audience as the center of their attention.
Showing
them that you love them in selling means that you, too, have a smile on your
face. You have the opportunity with each and every moment in front of your
prospect or customer to communicate both the confidence and reassurance that
good things are happening or about to happen. Your smile can calm an anxious
prospect, add credibility to your presentation and show that you are a true
professional who enjoys what you do.
6. Illustrate your story – The circus once again reinforced for me the
power of a story well told. In this case, a narrator told the story while the
large cast acted it out. The blend of effective narration with choreographed
movement resulted in a memorable tale whose impact generated grateful
applause from the crowd.
Illustrating
your story in selling means that you give your presentation every chance to
hit as many of your prospect’s sensors as possible. To sell something simply
by telling, without the use of visuals, limits your ability to be convincing.
On the other hand, too great a reliance on visuals betrays a weakness in your
knowledge as well as your confidence in what you’re trying to convey. Bring
visuals that add to the presentation rather than draw attention to
themselves. Add narration that fits the visuals. Demonstrate or “chalk talk”
with a tablet or white board one or two of your points to add motion to what you’re
saying.
Many real
estate professionals know well that the prospect’s senses play a key role in
the buying decision. That’s why they often recommend that the seller of a
home bake some cookies or other sweet delicacy just before prospective buyers
visit. The lingering aroma of those fresh-baked cookies can create such a
pleasant atmosphere that a prospect will strongly favor that home over
another lacking the additional sensory input.
7. Be a kid again – What struck me very clearly
was the ability of the circus to transform an audience of all ages into a
purely children’s audience. In other words, once the audience was fully
engaged in the performance, we were all kids, hanging on each word and
movement, wide-eyed and amazed at what we were seeing and hearing. We had
left behind the cynicism that accompanies the accumulation of years and were
ready for the next taste of delight, surprise and sheer enjoyment.
Being a
kid again in selling is the ability to see what you do through the eyes of a
child. It means having that same level of wonder at the miracle of what you
offer whether you sell paper clips or propulsion fuel. High tech or low,
there’s something wonderful about the way your product is created or the
result of what your service can provide. When we become so hardened that we
fail to connect with that, we misplace a basic part of what makes us
effective in any type of sales: enthusiasm. Bring a childlike enthusiasm to
your selling and see how contagious it is and what a positive effect it has
on your sales performance.
8. Use the spotlight effectively – With all
that goes on during the show, circus performers are constantly and quickly
moving in and out of the center ring. The spotlight helps the audience focus
its attention on what’s coming and away from potential distractions.
Using the
spotlight effectively in selling involves your ability to focus on the most
important thing to do at each moment. If you’re making a presentation to a
prospect, you focus all energy on gaining agreement rather than making your
product or service the star of the show.
If you’re meeting a new prospect, you’re asking great questions to
gain valuable information rather than telling all about yourself and your
company. If you’re just getting started in your business, you put the
spotlight on making contacts to get appointments so that you can begin
getting face-to-face with your prospective customers. By focusing on the most
important thing you can be doing at any given moment, you use your most
precious resource, time, to your advantage and make the most of your
opportunities each day.
9. Work without a net – I’ve seen high wire
performances several times. They never cease to amaze me and this was no exception.
Seven performers walked in close formation across a single wire with no net
below. Just one misstep from any of them and all would drop to serious injury
or even death. I couldn’t help but pay close attention. Others in the
audience literally closed their eyes, unable to watch the certain demise of
one or more of these professionals.
Working
without a net in selling means that you have such a mastery of your goals and
numbers, your product or service, your time management and your list of
customers and prospects that you require little support from your sales
manager. When you are known for your high results and low maintenance in your
organization, you gain the rapt attention of those who want to improve their
results as well as that of the management that sees what you do mostly on
your own efforts. You enhance your career advancement opportunities and much
more when you rely on what you yourself can do to improve your game on a
regular basis.
Be low
maintenance by putting yourself on a steady diet of positive mental inputs.
Read good books, listen to educational audio programs in your car and limit
your exposure to negative influences. If you must read the newspaper, save it
for the evening when the bad news has less impact on your day’s efforts. Ask
your manager for help when you need it and continually find ways to help
yourself. You’ll get attention by virtue of the fact that you’re not
constantly in need of it.
10. Take a bow – This particular circus made
use of miniature horses, ornately outfitted and very well trained. After a
series of synchronized movements that must certainly be unnatural to these
animals, they took a deep, graceful bow, inviting well-earned appreciation
from their audience.
Taking a
bow in selling means that you gracefully accept and acknowledge the
recognition you receive for your sales results. Whether it’s a mention of
admiration for a sale or a major award for the year’s top sales performance,
be gracious, accept the gesture and respond with a simple, “Thank you.” Sales
can sometimes be the hardest work on the planet. It can also be fun. Receive
such recognition in the spirit in which it is intended, smile and be ready to
get back to work. Your continuous improvement in the profession of sales
awaits.
John Carroll is an author, professional speaker and
consultant and president of Unlimited Performance, a