No one likes to be interrupted!
Especially when you’ve asked a question.
X marks the spot in the conversation where they speak & you pay attention.
Take a breath and listen.
Want to know something crazy?
When I first started thinking of using NEXT as a conversational acronym, it was all about sales conversations.
Recently I observed a front line manager in a meeting with one of their team members. They talked for a bit, asked a question, the salesperson started answering, and the manager glanced away from their camera at their computer screen… and began reading something, emails / instant messages / who knows what.
For the record,
- if you’ve not figured out you should move the little box of pictures (that are actually live humans… actual people) over to where every your camera is – figure it out NOW.
- if you don’t consider virtual meetings with your team the same as in person meetings… you need to get out of inside sales, because that is what they do with your prospects and customers.
PLEASE – PLEASE – PLEASE treat meetings with your salespeople no differently than you would a client meeting.
In fact, start considering anyone who works for you with the same value as people who your team is prospecting into – as well as customers your company does business with.
Make your meetings valuable to THEM and use the same communication skills.