Monologue as Dialogue

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I’m a big fan of great public speaking, and I know it to be an excellent marketing tactic. But I’m not sure it’s the best approach for top sales performance, unless it approximates another approach—that of the conversation.

Let me explain.

First, I’m defining a public speech as an extended monologue. That’s not good for sales, since it’s widely known that the number one mistake we make in sales is that we talk too much.

When you’re giving a speech, the audience usually has to sit on its hands and hold questions to the end. That’s not good for selling, since the second biggest mistake that we make as sales people is not asking enough questions.

And of course, while you’re giving your speech, you tend to be listening to the sound of your own voice. That’s not good for sales, because the third major mistake we make in sales is not listening to what our prospects are saying.

Finally, when giving a public speech in a sales situation, you’re probably talking about how cool your product, service or company is—all about its features, functions, and benefits. That’s not good for sales, because the fourth major error we make in sales is being too quick to push our product, service, or company as the solution of choice.

However, this does not mean that public speaking is bad for sales, especially if your speech is about the salient concerns of the prospect, attempts to define their actual problem, allows for ongoing interaction and debate, proposes your solution, considers the pros and cons of other solutions, and allows you to shine as facilitator, problem solver, and trusted advisor.

Only as it approximates substantive conversation can public speaking have significant impact on top sales performance.

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Tags: Effective speech, influence, persuasion, persuasive speaking, Presence, Presentation Skills, public speaking training, sales presentations, sales skills