05/25/2021
Recently I was reminded of a fantastic ad by the Coca-Cola company in 2015. A man enters into a crowded substation train, iPad in hand, ear-pods in his ears but with a lighthearted tonality to him he begins laughing out loud lightly in genuine joy.
The laughing continues and becomes stronger. As the camera is panning around the train car filming dozens of people, it's clear they have no clue what is going on, but they can't help but notice the man laughing.
Within moments, smiles begin to appear on their faces.
The laughing gets louder and becomes pure laughter. The man is completely locked in to what he is watching and is laughing like no one else is in the car with him. Everyone around him, fully attentive, smiling and full of laughter. This man was unafraid to express his joy.
A smile is more contagious than any other scary thing happening in the world today.
Don’t believe me? Go try it.
No matter where you are in your own world, when you choose to smile whether it’s to a stranger in public, your spouse or a colleague, it’s almost impossible for the other person to not smile back.
Today I want to share 4 of the most IMPORTANT principles that can immediately and effectively impact your future sales conversations. And that right there was
✅ 1: PEOPLE RESPOND IN KIND.
These four principles are coming right out of Jeb Blount's book, "Sales EQ.” I'll give you my take on them and hopefully leave you with something to think about.
As the author states, when you are relaxed, confident, and patient, you'll transfer those emotions, they'll respond in kind, and you'll gain control of the conversation.
SMILE! 😁
✅ 2: PEOPLE COMMUNICATE IN STORIES
As I just proved in my explanation above, we are storytellers.
When you are in a face to face conversation do you ever spit out bullet-points or spreadsheets? Never. You tell stories, and you want your stories to be understood.
When someone cannot be understood, this can become frustrating, and as the person offering this chance for the Stakeholder to speak and tell their story, it's your job to allow them to do so.
As a father to six children, I have had many moments communicating with an infant or toddler who hasn’t thoroughly learned how to speak yet.
I can see the frustration on my two-year-olds face when he really wants me to understand what his needs are, and I’m not getting it right.
(I'm pretty sure that both he and my wife speak the same language because I can barely understand her as well, and they both seem to get upset with me quite often.) 😂
When you listen inattentively, you encourage the prospect to tell more stories.
➡️ Let THEM be heard. Remember that buried within the stories are the clues you need to understand how to solve their unique problem.
✅ 3: QUESTIONS CONTROL THE CONVERSATION FLOW
➡️ "When you're doing all the Talking, you're SELLING.
➡️ When your prospect is doing the talking, they're buying".
Remember that the person asking the questions that has control over the conversation. You have the power to move the conversation in any direction that you want when you're asking the RIGHT questions.
This habit skill also ensures that you keep the conversation on track with the objective and, makes sure that the stakeholder feels important because you're not doing the talking ... They are.
✅ 4: LISTENING BUILDS DEEP EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS
Getting lost in your own need to be heard, stops you from REALLY listening.
As a supporting function to asking good questions, listening when the stakeholder or prospect is talking, allows them to create an emotional connection to you. As the connection grows, the trust for you grows stronger and the defensive emotional walls come down.
It's here that the art of truly listening becomes important. As the connections grows, the opportunity to understand the stakeholders needs become more clear.
✅ Remember that if you're doing all the talking, you're selling; if they're talking, they're buying.🔥👊🏼🔥
