When a conversation isn't a conversation

I've just had an interaction with a member of my local community. You know the type, exchanging pleasantries then moving on to go about one's business. Actually, the moving on bit was a little more problematic. Reading body language was not a strength for this person. As I looked at my watch, turned my body as if to move away, nothing was making any difference or stemming the flow of words. What started out as an exchange of pleasantries turned into a monologue of updates on family issues, love lives, car purchases and minor ailments, without pause for breath or any interest in my situation. 

In a work setting I would have no qualms on offering feedback on what it is to partake in real conversation. But this wasn't work, and in a social setting, good manners prevailed and I eventually got away when inevitably this person stopped for breath. Maybe there's an opening in the market for training conversation as a social skill. Or maybe not.

   

Conversational selling.

Safely back from HRD expo and caught up on the waiting emails and phone calls. Now is the time to be following up on the great conversations we had with potential clients and future business partners. Or it would be if I could get off the phone from all the sales people now calling me as a result of us being listed as a participant in HRD!! 

It's one of the occupational hazards of being a business owner that many other businesses want to sell you something. After all, it is what we want to do with our prospective clients albeit I think we go about our 'selling' with a little more subtlety than the average call-centre operative that seems to have been bending my ear for the last 2 days.

I've had good and bad examples of sales pitches this week. Having worked in sales for many years and subsequently designed and delivered many sales training and coaching interventions, I believe the bubble team are well qualified to know a good sales pitch when we hear one. 

What makes a good sales pitch? Well, the most important aspect for me is whether the sales person is genuinely concerned about my needs and is actively listening to me, responding appropriately, not continuing to rattle off a script no matter what I might say. Also, well skilled handling of objections is a key attribute of the great sales person. And you can always rely on me to throw in a few objections even if I want the product. That way I can test the depth of the sales person's understanding of their product or service. If it is only superficial then I worry about the credentials of the company providing the product or service. I would in this case probably decline the offer and look for the product or service from another provider. 

For me,  a great sales pitch (and advertisement for the company represented) boils down to the sales person having in-depth technical knowledge of the product or service, backed up with a well structured but flexible script. When rehearsed well, these two aspects allow the sales person the confidence and flexibility to enter into a conversation with me. Something I am always more likely to respond to in a positive way.     

Bubble - Live From London

Its amazing, what you can fit in an Audi estate. Tables, chairs, rugs, live goat, glasses (the drinking kind), fish bowl, picture frames, with the pictures separate (why oh why?), pens, printed leaflets, glasses (the seeing kind), laptop, suitcases, and assorted DIY implements.

It must have looked like I was returning to college after an easter break. The journey down was fine, and all I can say is thank the lord for sat-nav, as Mr Livingstone's signage department obviously need some development. Either that or they are getting ready for the next invasion of England,and have spent the last 6 months turning signs round so they face the wrong way.

The signage incident meant that I had 15 minutes to unload the car before I got slapped with a £300 fine. Good job I'd been lifiting wiights in Manchester on friday night then.

Setting up the stand at HRD was actually quite easy, apart from one minor hiccup. I'd left the chair legs at home. Fell free to insert your own 'legless' joke here. A quick call to mission control, and some were located at IKEA. Thats chairlegs, not jokes.

It was quite nervy this morning, so many questions. How would the stand be received, would it be busy, what type of people would the stand bring in?

It was a hit! You could probably see the joy on our faces, as people said that it was a 'different stand, and stood out', ' very engaging', and was 'stimulating conversation'. There were few comments about the pictures of the bubble gang on the wall, especially the 'good looking one with spiky hair and glasses'.

The degree of engagement with the brand, and with the ideas that we were putting forward was something that we hadn't expected. People understood the approach that we wanted to take, and from multi-nationals to sole traders, we had some amazing conversations, which is what we are about.

We'd spent the past 4 months planning for this day, and it was worth every moment, every decision that was discussed in triplicate, every design detail that decided on, then undecided, and then we decided that we were right in the first place. It proved to us all that the team we have at bubble are unique, engaged with the ideas that bubble stands for, and engaged with each other, driving each other to excellence. Theres no other team I'd rather work with.

Ladies and Gentlemen, bubble has officially arrived!