You can’t be a great entrepreneur without having a great salesperson’s DNA. What separates the great sales DNA from the so-so?
Great salespeople aren’t fearless–they just don’t show it. I was talking to Jeff, one of my coaching clients, about his presentation at a major prospect’s headquarters to a group of senior decision-makers. Rather than making it a reserved, run-of-the-mill affair, he decided to channel Tom Cruise into his performance: A cup of Top Gun, an ounce of Jerry Maguire, a clove of An Officer and a Gentleman, and two pounds of Oprah’s couch. He happens to love Cruise movies so he quoted lines and scenes liberally with the attitude, physicality and volume to go with it. It added up to a performance in which you either think this sales guy is totally nuts, or you buy in. And he doesn’t care which it is as long as you’re not on the fence.
When he told me about the meeting, I said, “Man, you are fearless!” He responded, “Are you kidding, I was scared to death–I just didn’t let them know it!” The result for Jeff: he will be talked about for weeks or months to come. He will be remembered out of a sea of faces selling similar products and services. The message: As an entrepreneur, you have to have the guts to take a risk and stand out.
Making a decision: I learn about theatre technique from my actress daughter Jane, and have picked up on some interesting parallels between theatre and sales/entrepreneurship. Sales and acting are both performance. When an actor decides to perform a scene a certain way, she talks about her character “making a decision” and then must be committed to how the scene plays out. You can’t change your mind about your character’s motivations as the curtain goes up. The same is true in a sales performance. If you waffle from your decision, your audience knows. They no longer want to play along, and your show closes out of town. That’s show biz!
So if you are an entrepreneur looking to sell something big — you have to play it big, and loud, and with intention. You can collapse in a heap when the elevator door closes behind you but when you are in front of your customers, all you can let them see is the magic of your show.
