Improv is generally a term used associated with theater. To improvise means to
create and perform (music, drama, or verse) spontaneously or without preparation. If you have ever participated in improv, but were unexperienced, my guess is that it was a little awkward.
I remember the first time I ever tried improv. I was at a theater camp in middle school that my mother had signed me up for. I was absolutely dreading this activity. The first few people went up in front of the class and proceeded to start making up a play. Some parts of what they came up with were good and other parts were not so good. I remember the dreaded feeling when I had to go up to the front of the class and do my own improv. It was incredibly awkward and I had no idea what to say or do, but after a few days of doing this theatrical exercise I became quite good at it. I could keep a conversation going or come up with something to come next. Little did I know I would actually use or willingly remember something from my awkward middle school days.
Improv is not only used for people in theater or drama club, but we can use improv in everything that we do. Just think about the last time you had a conversation. Was every line of your conversation scripted? If the answer is no, then you used improv. In sales especially, the use of improv is very important. For example, you may have had a telemarketer call you once or twice, in which case they rambled on for a few minutes in a monotone voice describing the reasons why their company is the best. You know they have a script in front of them, which makes the whole thing even more annoying. As a salesperson, you don’t want to sound scripted and you want what you say to be genuine. People can tell if what you are saying is genuine or not. Every sales conversation you have with people will be different and you will have to improvise because every person you are trying to sell to is different. It is important to remember that improv is a big portion of your job and improv is something you should definitely get comfortable with.
BoweryJE22
This was a really great post! Improv is something everyone is scared to do, but we forget that we do it everyday! It is so important for salespeople to see a prospect as a person rather than a sale. With improv, it is easy to have a natural conversation. Loved the story at the beginning too! Great post!
it’s cool to see how improv is really part of everything we do. Even every daily conversation we have is just improv and i think we are able to be more effective in sales when we look at it like that.
Improv is everything when it comes to keeping a conversation normal and flowing. You never know, no matter how well you prepare, what the other person is going to say or ask, so being good at improv can be everything when it comes to keeping a conversation in your favor.