August 23, 2011 in the Richmond area started with a rumble…and ended with a question. It had been eight years since the last recorded earthquake hit our area. However, a quake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale had just made its presence known in the Central Virginia area. Where were you when it hit?
From the hairdresser chair I heard a woman sharing her story. “I was sitting at home watching television and there was a crew working on the outside of my house. It was taking much longer than either my husband or I anticipated and we were getting frustrated. I heard a ‘boom’ – then a rumble, and I thought – ok – now what have they done? I went outside and the crew was jumping off of the scaffolding. ‘What’s going on?’ I shouted. ‘Earthquake!’ they screamed. I walked back in the house stunned. What does one do during an earthquake, I wondered?”
My husband was in a long meeting in his office that day. From his chair at the conference room table, he leaned back to stretch so that his head touched the wall. The wall shook. Confused, he looked around. Others in the room looked back at him wide eyed. Roger said. “It’s an earthquake!” Someone suggested that they stay in the inner room. Roger said no – “We head outside for safety.”
I was at home working out with a friend. I heard a big rumbling sound and surmised that it was a cargo plane traveling overhead. My dog ran to hide under the desk. The room shook, the pictures on the wall moved and then everything in the room moved. My friend & I both sat down, stunned. She said, “Earthquake.” I asked, “What do we do?”
Everyone’s description of their activities in the midst of the earthquake was different. However, everyone’s final thought seemed to be the same – what do you do now?
In sales, just like in real life, it’s important to expect the unexpected. Just as you anticipate your scheduled day of calls, something totally unexpected (like an earthquake) will happen. So, how do you prepare for the unexpected?
Obviously, the best time to prepare is pre-presentation. Training from your management, role playing with your boss, and learning tips from the seasoned members of your sales staff are great ways to prepare.
But in the midst of a presentation, what can you do? I’ll offer out three ideas to ease the “after-shock”. First, educate to elevate. When a person is better educated, they can claim ownership of the things that make sense to them and use this to move ahead (or not) with their purchase decision. A second piece of advice is this: It’s not a task – go for “the ask”. Ask in order to clarify, ask in order to become better informed, ask for research time…but ask. “Asking” bridges the business relationship and requests permission from the client to move ahead. Thirdly, go with the heart. Where are you getting the most emotional response from your client in the presentation? Seek to build on that, so that you can resolve that issue.
Unexpected things happen all throughout our careers (and life). Having these back pocket tools to use in the midst of a sales call can help us keep our cool and come out stronger and more successfully as a result of it.
