What you do and how you speak

I’ve oftentimes heard people say, “What you do isn’t who you are.”  To that I say,” Well it kinda is.”  I understand that your job doesn’t define you because you, as a person, could “do” many things, but from my experience I’ve found that what people do for a living says much more about them than they think.  One aspect in particular is their communication style.  I suppose this goes hand-in-hand with their learning style as well.  People within specific industries communicate a certain way, not just with others within those industries but with everyone.  This can be pretty frustrating when it comes to building, maintain and sustaining relationships with people different than you.

For example, I noticed people in sales are extremely personable.  They get into details, care about personalizing each conversation and they’re wonderful at bullshit.  On the other end of the spectrum are engineers, they’re matter-of-fact, to-the-point and would rather have facts than fluff.  Depending on who you’re asking, one style is definitely better than the other but the important thing is being able to tailor your style to those around you.  It’s not beneficial to or for anyone to simply choose one communication style and stick to it because you’re neglecting to consider the handfuls of people who aren’t the exact same as you are.  Being open to speaking and adapting to others will greatly increase your chances at being effective communicators .  

In sales, you can’t win them all.

In sales it’s all about the pitch.  The initial spiel about why the customer needs to purchase whatever goods or service you’re selling.  Oftentimes, you’ll be handed a script or given specific talking points that should be addressed.  To that I say, “Throw it away!” Ok, this may be a bit hasty but I say this for two reasons:

1. We all know how to talk.
2. We’re not actors; it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Sure, it’s great that someone is taking the thinking out of your job, but just because they hand you a script doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you.  One important thing to keep in mind when you’re selling anything is to always remember to connect. Connect to the listener/potential customer and tell them why what you’re selling is something s/he needs.  Why can that person not go another single minute without purchasing what you have? The answer to that is going to vary depending on who you’re speaking to.  Ergo, a universal script will not work for every John Finklestein or Joan Rutabaga you come across. 

Personalizing a script works in three steps:

1. Highlight what the most important points are about your product/service
2. Decide why that particular person needs or will benefit from it
3. Determine what the disadvantage is for not having it

This isn’t a universal goldmine of information that will inevitably work for everyone , but it’s what I’ve found most effective.  The difficult thing about sales is that there are so many variables: the customer, the sales person, the product, the economy, etc.  Don’t get discouraged if you haven’t found a tactic that works for you because even when you do, you’ll still have bad days.  Just remember: you can’t win them all.

Photo credit: http://bit.ly/oPfslZ