Converstrations

I don’t have a lot of never-been-thought-of-before ideas.

But I can take a good idea and make it better.

I asked my dad what he thought about this particular subject and he said it sounded really corny.

I could hear him roll his eyes through the phone…

And I knew I was on to something.

In the Air Force, we learned/taught the Demonstration-Performance method.

It works because practice and repetition are the most effective ways to learn a task.

Practice can be further enhanced with a checklist or other reference material (like a list of steps).

Step 1: The instructor explains the task .

Step 2: The instructor demonstrates the task.

Step 3: The student performs the task under instructor supervision.

Step 4: The instructor provides feedback (what was done well and what was missed).

Step 5: Repeat Steps 1 thru 4 as necessary (at least 3 to 5 times).

In business, this should be the standard for any meaningful conversation.

Demonstrate important conversations.

Practice Converstrations.

Let me give you an example.

When I took my first sales job, I wasn’t very good at it…but I was determined to be successful.

There was no formal sales training program.

I spent one day with the top local salesman and got to observe some customer interactions.

It was casual and unstructured…I took some notes and never looked at them again.

I decided to dive into self-education, reading articles and watching sales training videos.

I learned the importance of follow-up, but no one ever demonstrated it to me.

A few months later, I mentioned my sales struggles to a senior colleague and he asked me if I was following up.

I said “Yes” and he said “How?”

I said “I send them an email after a week or two.”

He got upset.

He said:

“Listen, you can’t wait a week…you have to get them on the phone or face to face within a day or two.”

Then he motioned like he was picking up a telephone.

He held up his thumb to his ear and started talking to his pinkie finger.

“You say, Hey! Did you get that proposal I sent you?

Did you have any questions about it?

How are we looking?”

Then he hung up his fake phone call and looked at me like I was an idiot.

I will never forget it.

One single conversation demonstration.

Three simple questions.

It literally changed my sales trajectory.

Explaining what needs to be said is fine for some students.

Hearing exactly what is said can be much more powerful.

In fact, some students have to be told exactly what to say.

They call it a script.

And why not?

You could have an introduction or opening script.

A closing script.

An overcoming objections script.

How about a collections script?

If you’ve perfected an effective conversation, please share it.

Justin Dooley 01/12/2024