Theatre Techniques Applied to Business

All the world’s a stage – William Shakespeare

A salesperson is on stage in a leading role each time he or she approaches a prospect. What makes a great actor…or a great salesperson? In this article, the author reveals how proven theater techniques can be equally effective in selling.

As a sales representative, you are acting every time you enter a prospect’s world. This carries no negative connotations. It simply means that to sell is to perform and on one of the toughest stages in the world.

How tough is it? Well, on average, a sales rep gives half a dozen performances per day. Each time it’s before a different audience, and the actor’s “lines” must change accordingly to suit varying temperaments, moods and buyer needs. Time is limited; if the sales rep doesn’t earn the buyer’s “applause” in the few minutes granted, there’s no second chance.

Sales trainers have long recognized the value of “acting.” That’s why they place such an emphasis on role play, rehearsing, time and again, to make sure a sales representative is flexible enough to meet any buyer challenge. (We all know what happens when the salesperson goes into the field ill-prepared. Instead of performing like a professional, he or she resembles the foolish stage hand who is caught in the lights when the curtain goes up.)

Performance power – the use of time proven mental and physical exercises common to the stage, public speaking, even athletics – can make you a star on the sales stage. Have you ever wondered why certain people seem so at ease addressing a large group? The answer is that they’re familiar with Performance Power – theatre techniques anybody can learn and put to use with equal effectiveness.

The three steps to attain Performance Power are: (1) self-awareness, relaxation and poise through breathing and movement exercises, (2) awareness of the prospect through “mirror- exercises,” and (3) guided imagery.

Awareness of Yourself

What do I mean by “awareness?” Nothing mystical. It’s the simple task of learning the efficient use of your physical and mental energies.

A good way to start is to try deep abdominal breathing. Most professional actors employ this technique for relaxation. Proper breathing sets the stage for any good performance, be it in acting or sales.

To get an idea of what you’re striving for, try to imagine a vertical glass tube with a feather inside. If you were to blow once, the feather would rise slowly to the top, then with the same evenness waft to the bottom again. Repeated breaths at regular intervals would produce the same easy motion. In deep abdominal breathing, you should try to make your breath rise and fall just like that feather.

First, find a comfortable seat. Loosen your collar if you’re wearing one and roll your head around from right to left, then reverse the motion. Your upper body, particularly the neck and shoulders – well known centers of nervous tension – should be relaxed. No flexing or straining. Now, purse your lips slightly and take a long, even breath. Count to four as you do this, feeling your abdomen swell slowly – as if a balloon were expanding outward. Shoulders and chest should be perfectly relaxed. Then exhale at the same rate, remembering the easy rise and fall of the feather in the earlier analogy. Do it several times, then observe the way you feel.

If you’ve performed the exercise correctly – that is, slowly and rhythmically, not hyperventilating – you should notice an immediate difference. You’ll feel brighter, refreshed, more alert, both mentally and physically. And you’ll probably notice a slight difference in cognitive powers: the ability to perceive and analyze problems.

The difference between the way you feel now and the way you felt before is that after the exercise you’re “aware” of how your body reacts to given stimuli. The body, in fact, is like a meter that you can read and adjust as need arises. You can use the technique anywhere, for example, in the lobby while waiting to meet that particular client who’s always unnerved you in the past. With the deep breathing technique as part of the your sales tool arsenal, that scenario should never arise again. You can “read” your body and react appropriately.

`Throw’ Tension Away

Deep abdominal breathing is just one way to eliminate the anxiety that precipitates nervousness or stage fright. One of the best techniques is the “throwing hands” exercise, adopted from the ancient Chinese practice of T’ai Chi. Using this method, you can literally “throw away” tension.

Start by standing with feet parallel and about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Arms should be relaxed and head lifted. Tuck the pelvis slightly so that your weight is evenly distributed, and begin a slow rotation side-to-side with your arms, wrapping them around your body. Imagine that you’re one piece from head to torso and that the arms are appendages. You’ll find that the rotation relaxes your arms and, gradually, your whole torso.

What about the times an important presentation is imminent and your stomach begins to churn? What can you do to relax? There is an exercise you can try right on the threshold of that big client’s office.

Just stand in the doorway before going in, placing your feet against the frame on either side and doing the same with your hands. Take a deep abdominal breath and hold onto it as long as possible, then let it out all at once, your hands collapsing at your sides. You’ll find this is an excellent way to remove tension.

These exercises can be done in the morning before going on a round of sales calls, or, as in the last instance, right before you walk in the door. The benefits received will far outlast the period of exercise.

Awareness of Others

Thus far, we’ve dealt with self-awareness: the ways of getting in touch with and utilizing one’s own inner resources. That much accomplished, there still remains the challenge of becoming aware of others. How is that done? – by extending the principle already learned, by observing others the way you’ve learned to observe yourself.

Aristotle said that art imitates life. In the theater, successful actors, with keen eyes and sympathetic minds, closely analyze – and imitate – living persons to bring reality to the roles they play on stage.

This same technique can be used successfully by salespeople. The “mirror exercise” I use in my seminars is an effective method to heighten the powers of observation:

Two salespeople stand facing one another. One or the other takes the initiative slowly moving a hand, arm or other part of the body. The second person follows and mimics these movements precisely for several minutes and then each side exchanges roles.

The person following must pay close attention to the leader if he is going to imitate his every move. But the real triumph comes when both partners seem to move in unison or simultaneously with the other. That’s true harmony, signifying a mutual awareness that transcends observation.

The “mirror exercise” has a broader application when it reaches the stage. Those skilled in the technique are so proficient it seems they are almost able to read their partners’ minds. Imagine the result of a selling situation: the sales representative sees the buyer’s physical gestures, and reacts with the appropriate expressions and gestures on his own part, each compatible to the initial movement. The buyer is given the impression that this salesperson is “really in tune” with him.

When a sales representative is fully aware of the prospect before him, he makes an effort to see things through the other’s eyes. A positive character match is performed in which the seller, using visual and other clues available, “becomes” the buyer. By adapting to the buyer this intimately, the sales rep is in control of the situation.

See it, Believe it, Become it!

Awareness of self and others are vital steps on the path to success with Performance Power. But there’s one other we haven’t mentioned yet that’s so important it virtually overshadows the others: complete belief in your performance.

Nothing could be further from the truth than the misconception that “acting” is not to be taken seriously. Great actors always believe in and “become” the characters they play while they’re on stage. You should feel the same way about your role during a sales presentation.

Any sales representative can do this by following the technique of “guided imagery.” Before your next sales call, find a few moments to yourself. In your mind, imagine the whole presentation you’re going to give from beginning to end, forgetting no detail. With this sort of mental preparation, you’ll be surprised to find how quickly the “dream” becomes reality. Just see the part, believe it can happen, then become it.

No two clients or presentations are ever exactly the same. Using the “guided imagery” technique can create a fresh situation both in your mind and in the sales presentation each time you try it. And that’s really the secret of any good performance, giving it freshness and originality.

When you arrive at the point that every sales presentation seems new and exciting, then you’ve got Performance Power. The buyer won’t be able to resist your enthusiasm, your professional skills or your product.