3 Lessons From Last Night’s Presidential Debate That Applies to Sales Prospecting

My wife and I watched the 2nd presidential debate town hall style last night between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

Disclosure: I’m a registered independent / non-declared voter.

Here’s 3 lessons you can learn whether you’re supporting Barack Obama or Mitt Romney:

1. Answer the question directly, don’t avoid it and get to the point quickly.

When a prospect asks you a question, answer it and if you don’t know the answer, say so. They aren’t expecting perfection. Last night the candidates avoided most of  the questions and and answered them indirectly and talked in circles. When you get a  prospect on the phone, you really only have 10 to 20 seconds to capture their attention. Use your time wisely.

2. Listen better!

When the participants asked a question, both candidates seemed to not truly answer the question because maybe they were more concerned about what they were going to say next rather than hearing what the question really was. Don’t make the mistake. Listen well and answer accordingly.

3. Don’t interrupt others! It’s rude!

When a sales prospect is talking, don’t interrupt him or her to get your point across. Last night, when both candidates were talking and shouting, the audience lost because no one was heard. The other person might pause and gather his or her thoughts and have more to say that could be good sales ammunition for later on.

Obvious lessons here but how quick we are to forget these principles and ignore the basics.

Remember these 3 things whether is applies to life, sales, or politics!

I’m Ray Ruecker with Connect 5000 and don’t forget to vote November 6th. (Which happens to be my birthday!)