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Sales Training: Improv Improvement
March 31, 2008
Salespeople raking in big commissions know the advantage of being able to think fast on their feet. Is this a skill that can be taught, or an innate gift? Sales training that makes use of improvisation is one way to hone the creative thinking your reps need to act fast, and effectively.
By Randy Sabourin
"It depends" is a common and correct answer to most business questions. The outcome of a complex situation really does "depend" on a large number of uncontrollable and unknown variables. Sales professionals try to reduce these unknowns as best they can by doing research and asking questions. They strive to understand the competitive and political landscapes as well as train on the features and functions of the solution. Sales professionals strive to analyze decision makers and ensure the product's value proposition meets the client's requirements. Other variables, such as the emotional states of those decision makers, can greatly affect the outcome of the sales process.
It is the job of sales professionals, managers, and coaches to have a strategy to manage these unforeseen and uncontrollable variables and increase the likelihood of success. Business improvisation is a strategy to deal with the unknown in a sales cycle.
The ability to be creative under pressure, and improvise, is a critical skill and strategy. Those who master business improvisation can overcome obstacles and still reach their objective. Those who do not master the ability to be flexible, face being let down, and are rarely successful in larger, more complex sales situations.
Sales Improvisation in Action
A proposal was prepared for a client, and there is a meeting today to review the solution and costs with the executive team. The content of the proposal is clear and the features and functions are supported by research. Experience tells us no matter how hard we try to control the situation something unexpected will happen. It could be something small such as spilled coffee on your shirt, or a burnt bulb on the projector. Any small issue can quickly become a big issue if it is allowed to blur the focus. A large unexpected event could be problematic as well such as the decision maker not showing, or your client telling you in their opening statement that they've decided to go with an unknown competitor. The objective remains the same but the plan no longer is viable, so it's time to improvise.
Improvisation is the process of accessing and applying creativity to a situation in real time. It is the ability to converge composition, creativity, and execution to achieve success. Creativity can be defined as the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, and relationships. In doing so, creativity brings forth original methods and interpretations. Improvisation is not "winging it." To access creativity, it is important not to be distracted by the content. If you are busy remembering features and functions, or obsessed about some other event, your mind is not free to access creativity and improvise. Preparation is key to successful business improv.
Recent research conducted by Keith Hmieleski and Andrew Corbett reveals that entrepreneurs use improvisation as a process when resources such as time are limited and challenges are high. Their research shows that improvisation, in the right situations, is a highly successful strategy. Frank Ruffs' research on organizational improvisation, published in Future magazine in 2004, states that improvisation is an important strategy for corporations to deal with the "wild card," or unforeseen crises and unpredicted change. EMS workers, military personnel, and firefighters all use improvisation as a strategy for dealing with the unknown.
In sales terms, improvisation means being intentionally flexible on how to reach a goal. Knowing what your current state is, and where you want to be, is important, but which path you take will depend on the circumstances of the moment. This is much harder than it sounds because it relies on giving up the attempt to control.
Control and Awareness
When unanticipated events occur it is common to react by trying to control the future. The more control is sought, the harder it is to achieve. Research shows "trying harder" usually creates negative results. The increased pressure evokes fear and distraction thereby causing a loss of focus. Sales training programs often impart messages such as "control the customer," or "control the conversation." But the control strategy doesn't work. People don't react well to being controlled, and the sales cycle is too full of uncontrollable events anyway. Accepting that you cannot control everything is liberating, and gives you access to increased awareness and creativity.
Awareness is a combination of listening and observing, and is an important step in improvisation. Awareness provides raw material to work with, and can give clues to the behavior and style that shape our creative output. Generally, we comprehend at a rate of 350 to 500 words per minute during a conversation, but we speak at 150 to 200 words per minute. The 50 percent time differential is typically used to pass judgment and anticipate a response. The more effectively we use that time, the more we increase the awareness that helps us formulate creative possibilities.
Learned or Innate?
Improvisation is a skill taught to actors and musicians, but that learning process also is transferable to salespeople. Conventional business traditions afford little tolerance for failure or even practice. Improv training allows reps to practice and fail in a safe environment. Success in business often comes down to solving problems without the benefit of time, resources, or all the information. Business improvisation is a skill that can be learned as a strategy for sales professionals and executive teams to implement. This preparation will ensure a competitive advantage when performance under pressure is a critical factor for success.
Randy Sabourin is founder and president of Biz Improv Inc, an organization that delivers consulting and training services focused on helping executives and sales teams elevate performance though the application of business improvisation. He has held executive sales and marketing positions in high tech, semiconductor, and software organizations over the past 22 years. He sits on the board of directors of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada and well as The Strategic Leadership Forum. Sabourin has a degree in Composition and Arranging from Berklee College of Music, and trained with the Loose Moose Company, a theatre company. For more information, visit www.biz-improv.com.
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