Curtain Call Combining selling and acting techniques will leave your customers cheering for more.

Until recently, I didn't fully appreciate the connectionbetween selling and acting. Then this past summer I played the roleof Dorothea in Lee Blessing's play "Eleemosynary" atthe Liberty Theatre in Hailey, Idaho.

The director believed in "living," as opposed to"acting," in front of an audience. He instructed us tofind the truth in the dialogue, the task or the interactionrequired. Once we found that private truth and communicated it toeach other, we didn't have to worry about impressing or playingto an audience. They would see truth in our presence, and thatwould lure them into our world. He showed us that good actingisn't acting at all but rather living in front of the publicwith no self-consciousness.

That reminded me of how I learned to sell. Selling, like acting,has always been a discovery process for me--and should be for anybusiness owner. Good actors learn to "live" naturally infront of audiences. Good salespeople learn to "share"naturally in front of customers.

Salespeople must discover the unique features of their productor service before they sell it to a customer. This requires intensestudy. Actors, too, must first study a script meticulously,discovering the intention and viewpoint of the playwright. Once thewords are memorized and understood, the actor's real workbegins--finding ways to communicate the playwright's truth tothe audience.

In my "Eleemosynary" role, sometimes I would getblocked and lose touch with that truth. The words coming out of mymouth sounded hollow, and my movements seemed rigid and unnatural.It reminded me of those times I've gotten out of sync with acustomer during the long sales process and then attempted to filltime with robotic pitches to force a sale. The reason such blocksoccur for both actors and salespeople is a temporary failure toconnect. This absence of truth in the relationship can cause anactor to flub a line onstage--and can cost a salesperson asale.

To prevent us from falling into the trap of "acting"instead of "living" during a scene, our director gave usa six-step formula to help us discover the truth the playwrightwished to convey in that moment. This gave me an idea to pass on toyou. I've formulated six steps to help you get back on track ifyou find yourself temporarily out of touch with the customer'sneeds. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What is your current status with the customer?Do you feel in touch with your customers? If you haven't spokento them in a while or haven't put out much effort with someclients lately, the answer is no. Because sales cycles are so muchlonger today than they were 10 years ago, you could find yourselftrying to close a deal over an extended period of time. It'shard to maintain enthusiasm over such a long time span, and toooften salespeople resort to canned approaches and presentationswhen a sale drags on. You may lose touch with that"living" role where you excitedly touted your product andmay fall into "acting" with the customer in an attempt toclose the sale.

If you're dealing with a drawn-out sales process, thedecision makers you originally spoke with may be long gone. Do youknow where you stand with the decision makers now? Do theyunderstand your vision and what you have to share about yourproduct or service?

This question not only applies to relationships but to thematerials you use to promote yourself and your business. Take alook at your current brochure and any promotional materials yousend out. Do these materials convey who you really are?

2. What's the situation? If you are in ameeting with several new people, how has their presence changedthis situation? How can what you offer be adapted to this new setof circumstances?

3. What are your relationships? Where do you standwith each decision maker? Are you a threat to one person and agodsend to another? Don't kid yourself--the dynamics ofpersonality enter into decision-making. If a decision makerdoesn't like or trust you, no matter how valuable your productis, the sale won't happen until the relationship reaches alevel of trust.

4. What do you want? What is your main objective?How does it correspond to what the customer wants?

Your credibility rests on your belief in your product orservice. If you are tentative, the customer will be tentative,too--and that doesn't bode well for closing the sale. Don'tconfuse being overly aggressive or forceful with being passionateand proactive. The proactive salesperson believes that his or herproduct or service is a truthful solution to the customer'sproblems.

5. What is your obstacle? Who or what is in theway of you getting what you want? How can you overcome it? Doesyour competition already have a relationship with the organization?Will you need to develop relationships with people who can endorseyou in order to get your foot in the door? Be realistic about thisobstacle, and then find ways to overcome it.

6. How can you get what you want? Write down yourobjective. Is it for the greater good of the customer? If so, howcan you tailor your behavior to that objective? Sometimes asalesperson's objective is true and good, but he or she pursuesthe objective with inappropriate behavior and actions.

For example, certain methods of marketing are a turnoff to somepeople. Yet new salespeople who are passionate about their productand sincerely wish to share it with the world tend to be blind totheir own offensive ways of communicating this to a customer.

These six steps require us to look inside ourselves for thetruth before we approach a customer. If you are willing to take thetime to do each step, then, like the consummate actor, you willmore often than not get rave reviews--and make the sale.

Danielle Kennedy presents sales and marketing seminars andkeynote addresses worldwide and is the author of seven sales booksas well as audio and video sales training programs. Check localbookstores for her book, Seven Figure Selling (BerkleyPress). Write to her in care of BIZ Experiences, 2392 MorseAve., Irvine, CA 92614.