Know Your Lines, Part 2

In last week’s post, I wrote about the importance of planning the most important lines in your sales presentation. It is a performance; craft your lines and memorize them. But memorization is just the first part – practice repeatedly and your lines will become a natural part of your conversation.

If you’ve begun doing this already, good for you! Now I’ll let you in on an acting secret: the intent of the line is more important than the line itself. In your sales office it’s okay to allow for organic, off-book dialogue. You are still following the pattern of your “plot”, as long as you are asking the right questions with the intention of understanding the answers.

This is what my son, Kevin, said about acting once your lines are memorized:

“When we had our lines down solid, when show time came our focus wasn’t on ourselves, but on each other. We, as our characters, were listening to what the other characters said. We responded naturally, and it was as if our rehearsed lines were the most sincere things we could say at the time. Acting is reacting, not reciting.”

Acting is reacting. You aren’t just waiting for your acting partner to stop talking so you can say your next line. You are truly listening so that your next line makes complete sense. Then, whether the next thing you say is your line or not, you show them you understand. Stephen Covey put it this way:

“Most salespeople don’t listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to respond.”

Don’t let that happen! Really soak up every answer and see if you can learn more before you move on to your next question. Your job as a performer is to draw them in. The best way to do that is to empathize. Show them you are on their side and that you understand. They will know it and appreciate it if you truly understand where they are coming from.