Read the Temperature of the Room

Read the Temperature of the Room

My old boss would regularly remind me before walking into sales meetings, “Slow down Cobra, read the temperature of the room.”  For the longest time I couldn’t figure what he meant.

One day I asked him, “Why do you keep telling me that?”  

He said, “You are a truly talented sales rep, but I’ll admit, you’re an acquired taste. Your numbers are crazy, but you need to slow down and evaluate the person you’re selling. There’s such a thing as being too aggressive. If you read the temperature of the room and set the tone based on that, the people will follow.”

So I tried it.  

The next closing appointment I walked in confidently, we shook hands and the dance began. And I was off falling into my old ways, but my boss’ words echoed in my ear. The meeting wasn’t going the way I was expecting, the customer was talking less. I reminded myself of my boss’ words, “slow down cobra…”

When it was my turn to speak I would pause. I counted to 3 and took a breath. Sure enough, they began talking again. The best part was that they were feeding me ammunition that I wasn’t having to ask for and the conversation was so much more relaxed. I was able to formulate better and more insightful questions and walked out of there with their business.    

It’s easy to have that killer instinct, a “go for the throat mentality,” but people will do business with people they like and trust. Sometimes, the situation calls for that aggressive approach, but more often than not, they just want to know that its a person sitting across from them, being attentive to their specific and unique needs, and how your company can truly help them. They don’t need a machine with a bullet proof sales process and a close that beats them over the head with a sledgehammer.    

My old bosses advice was truly some of the best I’d ever been given, something as simple as evaluating the flow and feel of the environment went from making me a good sales rep to a great sales rep.  

I leave you with this: actively listen, actively engage and genuinely care; be the person you’d want to buy from.

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