Lay On The Floor And Look Up

When my wife and I built our first home we had little experience with the builder walk through. This is where you are handed a ‘tick sheet’ and asked to go through the home and note any of the issues that the builder needs to resolve .

One of my coworkers suggested laying face up on the floor in the middle of each room. He said that when you lay on the floor you’ll observe things from that perspective that you  would otherwise miss from a conventional viewpoint.

Go ahead. Try it.

Never noticed that nail pop in the drywall did you?

Taking on this different angle sharpens your powers of observation.

How well do you observe in a sales situation?

One time I was calling on the head of product for a gigantic account that our firm needed to secure. The meeting took place in the product manger’s office and I had one of my employees with me.

When we left the meeting he started rattling off all of the things that he had observed in her office.

The folks in her pictures.

The books on her shelves.

The nick-nacks on her credenza.

We then discussed ways to forge a relationship with her based on what we had seen.

I was reminded of this experience during a recent coaching call. The client suggested that the ability to observe was a fundamental part of Sales 101.

We agreed that it’s a frequently forgotten tactic that, when done correctly, will yield great results and expedite the relationship building process.

How sharp are your powers of observation?

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