![]() I turned to the slide presentation and just read the slides, one by one, until it was finished. I forgot everything! My brain was in an extreme fight or flight response. ![]() I could feel the sweat beading up on my forehead and stream down the side of my face. When I realized I was sweating, I only became more self-conscious – and sweat even more! I stood quietly for way too long and started sweating and mumbling. I wasn’t prepared for the physiological response my body would have in front of so many people for the first time.Īfter I was introduced, I nervously walked to the front of the room – and immediately forgot my opening. The presentation included about 20 slides and I planned to add anecdotes, testimonials and insights. Plus, I understood the product and had presented it many times to individuals so I thought I could also present it to a large group. I volunteered because I thought it would be a good learning experience. My boss asked our group if anyone would like to take over and deliver the presentation, which was to a group of 100+ people who were all potential paying customers. Many years ago, a substantially more experienced colleague got sick. ∼ Bob Barrow, President, Barrow Group 1 to 100 wasn’t as easy as it seemed I had provided great comic relief to a somber occasion. Instead, he said my timing was terrible, but they all had a huge laugh at my embarrassing sales moment. The deceased manager whose celebration I just interrupted was also the owner’s mother!īut not all was lost: Much time passed, and I got the nerve to call on the company again. The owner explained my contact had passed a week prior, and they were gathered for her Celebration of Life. I gave the name of my contact and got quick glares from the entire group. The owner – who was at the center of the group – spotted me and asked if he could help me. I’d make the call another day, I figured. It looked intense and I didn’t want to intrude, so I started to slowly back away. When I saw no one was in the reception area, I stepped into a work area where a group of people were in a deep discussion. I showed up on a cold call, eager to get in with a manager who I had researched and was ready to start building a relationship with. ∼ Bob Apollo, Founder, Inflexion-Point Strategy Partners Celebration of Life = bad time to cold call ![]() The end result of this embarrassing sales moment? An unproductive customer meeting, and a prospect with a bruised shin who had remained surprisingly mute throughout the demo! The pre-sales engineer replied, “Whoever you were kicking, it wasn’t me.” ![]() So my salesperson asked the pre-sales engineer “Why did you go into so much detail? Couldn’t you read my reaction? And why didn’t you stop when I kicked you under the table?” They told me the demo had descended into a numbingly detailed technical monologue. We have eight brave sales leaders who shared embarrassing moments so you can laugh, learn and share: ‘Kicked’ this deal to the curbĭuring a sales team meeting years ago, I conducted a debriefing with a salesperson and the pre-sales engineer who had just been on a customer call together. ![]() Not to mention, a good laugh at yourself (in retrospect, at least) can be an elixir, getting you out of a slump or creating a great story to build rapport going forward. Awkward anecdotes, weird words and stressful situations build sales character. In fact, the best salespeople might be the best because of their embarrassments. Show you that awkward sales moments happen to everyone. Think your recent gaffe was the most embarrassing sales moment ever? ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |