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The substance of this article could possibly be better placed under one of the other departments of Agency Sales, but because I’m a lawyer with approximately four decades of experience representing sales representatives, I’ve come across some insights that I wanted to share, so it appears here under the department of “Legally Speaking.” There are good and bad lawyers and there are good and bad sales representatives. The good professionals have many common traits, and I’ve learned from experience ways of developing some of these (I didn’t learn them in law school).

A good lawyer, like a good sales representative, is a leader in the chosen profession. The good lawyer will make the jury want to follow him or her and a good sales representative will want the customer to follow his or her lead. Both have the ability to influence the audience and get their audience to follow them. Whether it’s with a jury or a customer, the development of trust is essential to be a leader.

Humility and modesty are great ways of building trust. Both professionals will abandon the pretense of perfection and show up as a relatable human. There is no perfect lawyer and there is no perfect case for a lawyer. Likewise, there is no perfect sales representative, and there’s no perfect product for a sales representative to promote. The lawyer and the sales representative should each spend time internally recognizing not only their own personal shortcomings, but also the areas where the case/product is lacking. They recognize these imperfections and address and embrace them.

Once identified, these deficiencies should be owned and embraced by the lawyer to the jury and the sales representative to his customer. These professionals need to be transparent, open and honest. To acknowledge such failings builds credibility and trust. I’ve had to admit to a jury that I had lost my train of thought only to recover after I pull my focus away from my notes and look into my inner self to communicate the essence of whatever it is that I’m attempting to convey. I’ve known good sales representatives who, during the presentation to the customer, have acknowledged the imperfections of the product that they were promoting, but got the sale because they were able to “emotionally” connect with the buyer’s personnel who became convinced that what they were being told was more “truthful” than that of the self-anointed perfections of a product’s competitors.

Another way of building trust used by both professionals is through what is known as “mirroring.” For a lawyer, it could be capturing the words, body language, or emotions of the witness and then mirroring them back in further dialogue. This should not be done in an adversarial manner. Rather, once it’s done in a non-threatening demeanor, the witness will soon become comfortable with relating to and identifying with counsel. It’s the same with a sales representative. A sales representative, in talking with the purchasing representative, empathically listens to the buyer’s words, and then continues the conversation using some of the same words. “Mirroring” is achieved not only with words, but also through the recognition of non-verbal communications, and the emotions the professional has perceived. These professionals earn the identity of their audience to the professional by demonstrating a non-judgmental and open mind. They project confidence, but not arrogance. They recognize and use voice inflection to “mirror back” significant points. Such professionals are inclusive and develop the “we” mentality by adopting such words, non-verbal communications, and emotions. This all helps to build trust from one’s audience and establish not only one’s confidence in self but earns the ability of the audience to identify with the professional.

Mirroring and the intelligent use of emotions go hand in hand and are a common trait of a good professional. Without being judgmental, they identify, recognize and understand the emotions that their audience is going through. Both types of professionals have developed non-verbal communication skills such as the ability to recognize body language, facial expressions, or voice inflection. They can then “read between the lines” and investigate perceptions realized from such communications in order to avoid jumping to conclusions. Through this exercise, these professionals come to better understand the real motivations of their audience which, in turn, they can redirect their presentations to achieve desired outcomes. Understanding the emotions goes a long way in being able to influence the thinking of the audience and achieve the purpose.

Good lawyers and good sales representatives should be their own worst critics. They are self-critical following a closing argument or a sale presentation. They ask themselves what they could have done better. If the lawyer/sales representative were the jury/customer, would you follow your own lead?

One method that good lawyers and good sales representatives have developed is to not be rectifying shortcomings after-the-fact by using visualization before the presentation. Thomas Edison once said, “Never go to sleep without a request to your subconscious.” Before jury deliberations commence, a good lawyer visualizes the jury foreman announcing a verdict in favor of his client. A good sales representative visualizes his principal receiving a significant purchase order. Both visualize well in advance what is necessary to achieve these goals. It’s good to program one’s brain through subconscious problem solving, and this can be done in part each night before slipping off into dream-filled slumber. If you can imagine or dream what your future may bring and how you get to it, it’s more likely to occur. Give your destiny a rudder.

Great leaders in any profession take risks. Great leaders are not afraid to express themselves. Average people, on the other hand, are afraid of looking stupid. This is what holds them back. It is only by attempting the ridiculous that great professionals can accomplish the miraculous. Nelson Mandela once said, “A bright future beckons. The onus is on us, through hard work, honesty, and integrity, to reach for the stars.” Consider also, “You will never reach the stars without the courage to lose sight of the ground.” — Matshona Dhliwayo.

A good lawyer and a good sales representative are good leaders willing to take risks. They have learned how to develop trust. They recognize and embrace not only their own shortcomings but also the shortcomings of their case/product. They have developed good communication skills and learned how to read and then influence the audience. They know how to practice self-improvement through visualization. While they may have a plan of approach as to how to address their audience, they take risks, think on their feet, and adjust their presentation to accommodate what they may have learned in the process.

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