I don’t know about everyone else, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed listening in on the mock sales calls so far. I think it’s really interesting how the same types of conversations are handled so differently by people – we all have our own way of maneuvering through conversations.
Listening to these calls has made me realize a few things. The first is that it always seems easier from the outside. When I’m listening to conversations that my classmates are having, it seems like I’m constantly thinking up what I think are perfect responses to the potential customers. “Oh, I would say such and such!” “Ooh, this question would be a perfect response.”
Until I’m in the sales call myself. Suddenly it’s not as easy! There’s no pressure on the outside to perform well – it’s more of a mind game with myself, trying to see if I could find good responses or ways to steer the conversation. On the inside there’s more pressure – maybe because everyone else is listening 🙂
The second thing I’ve taken away is that selling really does take a high level of impromptuity (I know that’s not a word, but it fit well). Sellers never know what their potential buyers are going to say, so we have to be able to think quickly on the spot. Kudos to stand-up comedians, because that’s not always easy!
Finally, and maybe this is just me, but I think it’s much more difficult to conduct a sales call rather than have a conversation in person. Even with a video component like what we’ve had, we’re not able to fully read the other person’s body language. Even more, we can’t interact via body language or reflect their movements. Because so much of communication is non-verbal, I think there’s a large component that’s lacking when sales is done virtually. That being said, I’m grateful for the experience, and I’m glad we can still practice a sales call from a distance!
Just a few thoughts from your friendly neighborhood Senior.
BoweryJE22