Improv Principles to Improve Sales

Improvisation Sales Training Effectiveness

Salesperson Improv Virtual Training for Increased Sales

Improvising to Improve Sales

Scott’s virtual Improv Fun and Games one-hour program is great for corporate program managers. Are you going to be a conference participant? Do you need to make a presentation at a sales conference? This online improv sales training experience is improv training for sales and customer service.

Improv Fun and Games with Scott Topper from HypeCats Video & Ameravant on Vimeo.

Improvisation is about adapting in the moment, changing on a dime, and knowing how and where to pivot when somebody throws a curve. When people hear the word “improv” they tend to think about improv comedy, like you may have seen on Whose Line Is It Anyway? But you don’t need to be a comedian to do improv.

Sales professionals who develop improv skills are more flexible and adaptable to a constantly changing customer landscape.

CLICK HERE TO HIRE SCOTT FOR YOUR SALES PRESENTATION IMPROV TRAINING!

Improv is where actors make up the show as they go. There’s no script, the audience provides plot point suggestions, and it’s all about hilarious honesty and occasionally cringe-worthy mistakes. Because it forces participants to think quickly on their feet, there’s a tremendous amount it can teach your sales team about being top performing cold callers.

The underlying principles of improvisation are about listening, support, and coming to an agreement. First, a majority of people have some form of social anxiety. You’re not alone. Second, even with these fears, you can still have a future in sales or any career of your choosing (after all, even if you aren’t an account executive, nearly any job involves some aspect of selling). The secret to overcoming these fears and shortcomings? Learn improv.

The principles of improv apply to sales and has helps improve sales skills and sales confidence as a result.

Instead of emailing prospects “When is a good time to meet?” go ahead and suggest times that work for you. If you see a teammate failing for words on stage, you jump in and save them. It’s all about helping each other out and making each other look good, which, in the end, helps you develop an acute situational awareness.

Yes, And Exercise
The “and” part of “yes, and” means adding a new idea that builds on what your partner said so the scene can move forward. When both people contribute information, they’re able to create a shared experience and the responsibility of creating a scene doesn’t fall on one person’s shoulders.

Similarly, a sales conversation should feel like a collaborative effort. Both people should be able to voice ideas and concerns so that together, you can reach an agreement. In its core form, it’s about whether you can connect with another person. Can you listen deeply enough to understand your prospect? Can you communicate clearly to that prospect? Can you compel them to change? The goal is to get the prospect to buy. Improv is the same thing. Except the goal is to get the audience to laugh.
CLICK HERE TO HIRE SCOTT FOR YOUR SALES PRESENTATION IMPROV TRAINING!

Improv can be used to draw people in, set context for issues, make better connections, and get buy-in from customers. It can help you improve the quality of interactions and executions through the sales process. With improv, you can learn actionable techniques for maintaining urgency, handling objections, negotiating and closing out deals.

Listening is a critical component of establishing honesty and trust. Most often sellers miss opportunities to clarify their understanding of what the buyer is saying or trying to convey. If done well, a seller can establish rapport and gain the buyer’s confidence quickly strengthening the relationship and progressing the opportunity.

In improv, offerings are about taking action, describing the scene, and offering a role to your partner. Improv for salespeople is a valuable tool. Try following the Rule of “Yes and,” to avoid many of the toe-to-toe stand offs that can break down a sales conversation and move towards collaborating with customers on mutually beneficial solutions.