SELLING WITH RECEPTIVITY
THE REQUEST:
The company was moderately successful because of the product, but people were not reaching their sales quotas. In order to grow to the next level, the sales force needed:
· confidence and belief in themselves
· more enthusiasm
· better connection with prospective clients
· general improvement of their selling skills in sales presentations, cold calling, networking, negotiating, presenting proposals, and customer service
ATTENDEES:
The entire sales force (25 people) of a data storage company
THE EVENT:
3-hour workshop held in the company’s conference room
WHAT WE DID:
We began with participants introducing themselves and saying one thing that would take their presentation/sales skills to the next level.
We then gave a short presentation on how to read faces and other subtle clues in order to know if they are reaching their “audience” as most people have no idea how their communication is being received. We emphasized that you can’t just rely on body language alone – if you are not curious, it’s easy to make assumptions that may not be accurate.
The core skill we explored was true connection with others. This was done through games that break up old patterns of communication and unleash the natural playfulness and charisma of each participant.
The purpose of the games and exercises was to:
· establish connection with others, keep the loop of communication going, focus, and have fun which assisted participants to relax and open up to new ideas
· get attention on the other person, observe without agenda
· be present in the moment, think on their feet
· build confidence
· bring out the best in each other
· see the effect of their communication
· discover something new about themselves
· be curious instead of self-conscious
· strengthen presentation skills
· gain new tools and apply to selling
· imagine winning “Salesperson of the Year” award
RESULTS:
Both the president of the company and the sales team manager were pleased with the enthusiasm in the participants at the end of the workshop. Each person on the sales team got to experience how they were actually communicating and how to find a real connection between themselves and others, as well as realizing this is the most important part of selling.
