"1984" George OrwellNineteen Eighty-Four, written in 1949, was required reading for me as a high school sophomore in 1965. Many of its terms and concepts, such as Big Brother, doublethink, newspeak, thought crime, Room 101, telescreen, 2+2=5, and memory hole; have become a part of our everyday language in the ensuing years. The adjective, Orwellian, (after author George Orwell) is regularly used today to describe secret surveillance and the revision of recorded history. As one of the idealistic teenagers of the 60’s, I liked the book but never thought twice that Orwell was actually prophetic in his writing. However, as I am blogging today in the “land of the free and the home of the brave,” the nation is going berserk over all the information gathering and surveillance being done by our own government, under the guise of sniffing out the bad guys to better protect “we the people.”

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“Doug has been really effective in helping my reps improve in making prospecting calls and appointments. Not only is he good at what he does but he coaches reps online for a fraction of the cost of traditional workshops requiring travel, meals, and overnight rooms. My team is definitely better as a result of his coaching.” Mandar S. – Lafayette, LA. See bunches of these including video testimonials here.

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That said, I am writing this post as an advocate of what I’m dubbing personal surveillance, and no, I don’t mean taking selfies or sitting around all day gazing in a mirror.

This has been a technique I have believed in and used, both as a salesperson and as a trainer/coach for over 35 years. Due to technology advances this strategy is simpler to employ today than ever before. It is the most effective method for correcting bad habits, changing non-productive behaviors and learning/teaching new concepts.

So here’s the thing. In the last century I would pull out my bulky cassette recorder, insert a tape and Improve Selling Conversationspush the record button as I began my selling conversation. Today it’s as simple as activating an ink pen-sized digital voice recorder in my shirt pocket at the beginning of a sales appointment.

Why do I like this form of personal surveillance? Because by listening to a recording everything can be heard; the tone and attitude of both prospect and seller, as well as the specific questions and responses of both parties. Whether you use this resource personally as a salesperson, or as a sales manager with your team, you are able to learn a lot that will help improve results at your company.

Nobody realizes exactly how they sound to others unless they listen to a recording of their own voice. Therefore, what better coaching tool could you want than a recording of your own presentation. Every time I’ve recorded myself and listened to the reprise, I would immediately cringe, and then make a few adjustments to my delivery (worst first), while asking myself for forgiveness and promising not to commit those verbal sins again. What better way to knock the rough edges off?

I’m visualizing you reading this post and mumbling to yourself how rude or even illegal it might be to record prospects without permission, so let me clear that up. Each time I have recorded a conversation with a prospect or customer, I have asked permission, by prefacing it with something like this (adjust if needed to better fit your business):

“Mr. Schmeckelmann, our industry like most, has more restrictions and legal regulations than ever before. For that reason, my boss asks me from time to time to record my conversations with potential customers, so he will know that I’m following all the guidelines. Today is one of those days, so with your permission, I’ll just push “record” and we can get on with what we need to cover, fair enough?”

Frankly this is a good strategy because, if I am the prospect and you tell me something like this, I’m thinking that you will certainly be honest with me today while the recorder is going. But don’t worry, if a buyer is uncomfortable when you mention recording, don’t make it a big deal, but rather drop it and move forward with your conversation, and simply ask the same question to the next buyer you meet with until you receive approval. Sales Coach for HVAC CompaniesAs an online sales coach I’ve used this same personal surveillance to help one of my clients, an HVAC company, improve their face to face communication skills. Both sales reps (Ken & Mike pictured on left), have recorded live presentations and electronically sent me the mp3 files. I then listened and made notes of the positives I heard, as well as areas that could use improvement, and then provided an evaluation during a scheduled video chat coaching session. It’s a great tool, especially since this client is nearly 100 miles from my location and I rarely travel physically to their offices.

In closing, I wouldn’t say this is one of the three favorite activities of the typical salesperson, but when asked, I’ve never had a rep refuse to participate. The success keys for this resource are; never recording reps without their knowledge, and secondly, having a solid-enough relationship with them so that they know you are committed to their continued improvement, and that this activity will keep them moving in that direction. That said, it’s crucial to continually catch them doing something right, so that they won’t view this activity as a gotcha or a setup for something they view as underhanded.

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