The ability to be 'Present'.

Having trained as an actor, alongside working in sales for 20+ years, I've found there is one skill that will completely transform your results...

The ability to be 'Present'.

Easy to say.

Much harder to do.

Why?

Because it requires daily practice in emotional intelligence.

You need to develop:

- self awareness

- self control

- reading people's body language / tone

- situational awareness (how to read the room)

- acute listening skills

- the courage to say what you think (elegantly & appropriately)

You need to begin to understand things like...

- why you reacted the way you did during that meeting

- why you felt frustrated after that meeting with your boss

- why your prospect became short-tempered & then quickly wrapped the meeting up

If you don't start to become introspective and self-aware, how can you ever self-correct or improve during future interactions?

You can't.

If you're not absolutely present how can you possibly read between the lines from non-verbal cues, or pick up on gestures, tonality, body language & eye contact?

You'll miss all the clues as to what someone is really thinking.

A vast number of salespeople - and people in everyday life for that matter - just soldier on completely unaware, blind to the effect they are having on others, constantly reacting on autopilot without ever really thinking.

"she was difficult"

"he was rude"

"she was overbearing"

...without ever looking in the mirror to see what may have caused it.

You can't control people directly - but you can control yourself.

And this has the power of eliciting better responses in others.

'the meaning of communication is the response you get'

If you tend to rub people up the wrong way - YOU are the common denominator.

So no more moaning or playing the victim.

Develop your self awareness.

It's a potential superpower.

Next time you're at the cinema, just observe how present the actors are and how they respond to one another.

They're absolutely in the moment, reading one another in character.

So, during that next sales meeting you attend, give 100% of yourself, read the room, become acutely aware of your own emotions and respond appropriately.

And if there's an elephant in the room - call it out. But do so eloquently.

Acting & sales are both forms of the same thing...

Fundamental Human Communication.

So become adept at this critical skill and watch as your results rise to a whole new level.

#sales #communication