Inside Sales: Taking Extra Risks on the Call

            Sales

is all about risk and reward. 

Everyday salespeople are putting themselves on the line (emotionally, psychologically),

exposing who they are to strangers, promoting themselves (discreetly, we hope),

and taking the negative music (rejections) with a steely smile.

            But

what about going that extra step when it comes to risk taking?  Does the average salesperson wake up

each morning and say, “I’m going to open up to the prospects even

more today.  I’m going to show who I really am.”?

            Sales

managers love to talk shop.  They

love to speak about the ingredients of a perfect pitch, or the benefits of

stressing value while deflecting price, or the importance of solid follow up, but do

they ever say to their team, “You guys are a lot smarter and funnier when

you’re not on the phone.  Let’s change that.  Show these prospects more personality, damnit!”?

            There

are some cases, of course, where you don’t want a salesperson to take that extra step and “open up” because

that person isn’t really funny or interesting and maybe talks too much already. 

            Salespeople

are not reserved.  They're not

passive.  They act, and by acting they naturally put themselves in the spotlight.  They succeed and they fail but they

never hide in their shells. 

            Many

sales folks need to stick their neck out a little farther.  When I say open up and show them more,

I’m not talking about dominating the conversation, and telling the story of

your life.  Let the prospect talk, ask your open ended questions, but when it’s time for you to follow

up, bang! instill more “personality.”

            For

example:

            Prospect:  Mongillo.  Can you spell that?

            Mongillo:  Absolutely.  Some of my own family members still can’t get it right.

            A

self-deprecating joke—not really all that funny—but, hey, I’m offering a little

something more to the prospect.  They

may remember the silly joke and think, “He’s just a regular guy, like me.”

            Taking

that extra step and saying something that might not get a great response is certainly

a risk.  Is it better to stay

quiet?  Maybe, but that’s what most

salespeople do.  They play it safe,

and by playing it safe they’re just like everybody else:  they never stand out and are soon forgotten.

            Prospects remember risk takers.  These folks may fall

harder but they have greater successes and the spotlight shines brighter in

their not-so-ordinary quest for greatness.

            Take

that extra step today.