When preparing for our final sales conversation this semester, something I talked about with my friend Zach was about how much an effective sale has to do with effective conversation. Sales is all about communication and understanding, and the best way to get both of those things is to just be able to have a good, open, honest conversation with your client.
When Zach and I discussed this topic, we talked a lot about improvisational skills in relation to sales and conversation. We discussed the topic of improv in class, and one of the key concepts related to it was to try and make your partner look good. Sales is cooperative, and the goal is to get both parties on the same track, in a good place, where they both feel good about the direction they’re heading into. Making your partner look good goes right along with that. Being able to improvise, to go along with your client’s thought process and work with their ideas, goes a long way to making them feel good about where they are (which, many times, leads to a better sale).
Improvising in conversation is, for many people, an intuitive skill that they do not think about. When you meet someone new, you ask them questions about themselves to facilitate conversation. Most sales clientele are new, so you ask questions to try and get to know them. Because sales has a goal, you have to try and move the conversation in a way that is beneficial to you, but it is still a conversation all the same. The same rules apply. Improvising conversationally is an innate skill that we cultivate all the time, and reframing the sales process in an intuitive way can aid progression in that area.
BoweryJE22
This is such a great post! Yes, improvisation is such a big part of sales. You never know where the customer will try to take the conversation or what questions they will ask so you have to be ready for anything!