The Salesperson in You
“Never mistake a quantity of calls for a quality of salesmanship.” — David Ogilvy
The speaker before me is brilliant.
They are an encyclopedia of knowledge, spilling out facts, statistics, and convincing arguments. Slide after slide delivered brilliant graphs and bullet lists that would make a university professor proud.
I’m in the audience, waiting for my slot in the agenda, furiously taking notes. And I’m thinking this is great stuff!
At some point, I notice a person next to me pick up their phone. Next, I see someone to my left doodling on their lunchtime napkin. I glance around the conference room, and spot more people distracted. I think “This is a tough crowd!”
I’m up next. Undeterred by what I’ve seen, I launch into my speech.
I see smiles, people are leaning in, and laughing on cue. As I move through my material I briefly wonder what happened to the tough crowd. The audience appears enthusiastic — I see them taking notes, and leaving their phones on the table. I close to a standing ovation, my client is thrilled, and people line up to buy my book.
Here’s the difference between the morning speaker and me. They were telling — showing us how much they knew, while I was selling — showing how much I cared. If you want to influence and persuade an…
