Improvisation is a facet of sales I am very familiar with. Improvisation requires thinking on your feet, and adjusting to whatever is being said around you. As a 6th grader I joined a community theater program, and have continued enjoying being on stage since. Acting, singing, and dancing are passions of mine that have helped grow me as a saleswoman, whether I recognized it or not.
I used to be a relatively reserved person, and struggled with feeling awkward talking with people and making eye contact. Practicing improve in the theater, however, shifted this area of my social life – forcing me to learn to be confident around other people, and to quickly think in the moment. I learned through theater how to make the other actors around me look good by feeding into whatever lines they came up with on the spot. Sometimes even in a musical, with about 2 hours of scripted lines, there would be moments of improve if someone forgot a line. I remember needing to do this a few times on stage – and in the moment being forced to come up with something that would logically flow with the lines, and get my fellow actors back on track.
Connecting this experience to sales, I know and believe improvisational talk is key. It shows that you as the salesperson know what you’re talking about, and that you are confident to answer any question without hesitation. I’m grateful for my experiences in theater, because I know I would not be even relatively good at selling or at improve within selling without the theater!
BoweryJE22