My previous post highlighted how being completely about yourself and being unable to relate to your audience, leads to negative results in both stand-up and sales.
The same way that I don’t want to hear 15 minutes of jokes about specific experiences most people have never had, no marketer wants to be told how great a cybersecurity tool is, no CRO wants to hear about your budgeting tool, and my mom doesn’t want to hear about how my new bit about how autumn is the most deceptive season (she’s more of a fan of impressions).
Sadly, “comedians” who assault their poor audiences with stuff that amuses them usually do so because their overinflated lack of self-awareness (and ego) punctures their ear drum, preventing the “comedian”’s *listening* ability.
We can’t understand or please our audience if we don’t listen and/or observe.
Listening is WAY harder than it sounds, and is a skill that requires practice. As a sales rep, I found that in discovery, my brain would juggle processing my prospects’ requirements, my documentation of them, and prepping what I was going to say next. I did fine in sales, but I always wonder if I could have done better. Perhaps being an even better listener could have led to me asking one more question – whose answer could have been the key to winning (or exiting from) the opportunity?
Listen. Read the room. If they aren’t engaged, move on. To something or someone else.
If your leadership is planning a Sales Kickoff, l’d love to roast the problems you solve for your buyer or get you doing it on your own! You or whoever handles it should slot off some time to speak.
