The S Word...

This is the letter "S" and in sales (it doesn't stand for sales) if you want to be truly successful you've got to work on your "S" until you are extremely proficient at using it.

Of course the "S" word is script and most sales people use the other "S" word when managers talk about creating a script, working on a script, following a script or saying we sound like we're reading a script! Interestingly enough, the graphic I used for this entry has an "S" that's sort of hidden inside a bunch of other lines going in all different directions.

That's what your sales presentation can sound like when you don't have your script down, and the person you are presenting to can't understand what you're trying to tell them or what you want them to do. It doesn't matter if you are in a simple or complex selling environment, or if you work on the phone or work in the field. You have to sound confident and natural when you speak to clients.

If you think that creating, following and eventually internalizing a script is for low level performers - tell that to Al Pachino, Robert Duvall or any other top actor. They learn their lines and practice them over and over again before they deliver them on camera. When you see them, you believe what they say and they also convince you they really are a doctor or a cowboy or a Godfather.

How do they do that!?

It is simple, but it is not easy. They are dedicated to their craft. They work HARD and they know their lines and they know how to deliver them with passion when called upon to do so. It's not uncommon to hear an actor talk about the research they did when they preparing for a role. They beleive in what they do, even if it's only for the short time of working on a particular film.

Let me ask, what do you do to prepare for your role as a sales professional for your company?

TK