Monday, March 21, 2011

Jill Konrath audio story - "Mr. Prospect"

As a young Xerox sales trainee, Jill Konrath learned her sales demonstration script perfectly... perhaps too perfectly.

"Mr. Prospect" - 2:56



You can learn more about Jill and her work at JillKonrath.com.

Transcript:


When I first started my sales career, I was at Xerox Corporation and they had a wonderful training program. Every sales rep was expected, prior to having their own territory and making their own cold calls, to memorize a demonstration about a copy machine. And the demonstration was a multi-page script that included everything you needed to know about demonstrating a copier, from here's where you put paper in, to here's how you clear a jam, and here's how you do all these things.

And the script went, "Mr. Prospect, for years Xerox has designed copiers to satisfy the needs and requirements of all our customers. Our experience and success in the marketplace has shown that regardless of specific needs, four basic criteria that need to be met.” And then we listed the criteria and from there the demonstration flowed.

It took me a long time to memorize that script verbatim. But I did. I practiced and practiced. I drove in the car with the script in front of me on the steering wheel. I taped [my speech] as I was driving along. And finally I was able to pass the test with my boss. "Mr. Prospect, for years Xerox has designed...." And I went through it flawlessly. Which was great because I was finally released to go out to the real world and start cold-calling.

And very shortly after that I got my first prospect to come in and see my demonstration at the Xerox Demo Center. He came all the way in from across town. I was all set. I had practiced ahead of time religiously and I knew I had it nailed. When he came in, I gave perhaps the best demonstration of my life. I nailed that script. I took him from the very start to the very end.

At the end I asked if he had any questions or what he thought. And he turned to me and he said, "Jill, my name is not 'Mr. Prospect.'"

Now I don't remember if he ever bought that machine or not; all I know is that I was so embarrassed that I called him "Mr. Prospect" that I never made that mistake again.

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