ed by a false sense of professionalism that they cordon off qualities that would actually improve the effectiveness of their sales presentations. But what good are the rules of professionalism if they keep you from effectively connecting with your customer personally?

During a sales presentation, the room is often stuffy, filled with the awkward tension and discomfort of trying to relate with a complete stranger. You pull out your dry power point presentation and informational packets to outline the return on investment and prove the difference between you and you competition. Then you ask for a large sum of money based on your promise to

Talking about death with a stranger can be an interesting experience, especially when the stranger is a lawyer and you are writing out your will.

On our first visit with the lawyer my wife and I didn’t know what to expect. We knew she specialized in estate planning, so we felt comfortable with her talent and expertise, but the weight of discussing our inevitable deaths made us uneasy, even while sitting in that comfortably decorated conference room.

We expected the situation to begin with the scripted, “Heaven forbid something were to happen to you…,” but our lawyer’s approach was different.

Looking across her carefully prepared forms, the lawyer began, “Okay, you and the family are heading down to Disneyland for a nice family vacation, then all of a sudden the plane explodes and you’re all blown to smithereens. Who gets your house?”

My wife’s eyes grew wide and the corners of her mouth turned downward in an awkwardly horrible frown while I sat completely still in the shock of what I just heard. Silence consumed the small office. Then, suddenly overcome by the ridiculousness of the example, I broke into outright laughter. The tension in the room was shattered. My wife exclaimed, “Why do we have to be going to Disneyland? Couldn’t we at least be coming back from Disneyland?”

“Okay, okay, perhaps that was a bad example,” the lawyer said stoically. “Your husband is driving the family home from a movie. As he approaches the train tracks, he spots a train and says, ‘I can make it!’ but he miscalculates and the train flattens your minivan with the whole family inside. Who gets your house?”

Again, my wife and I chuckled at the absurdity of the example. A slight smile formed on our lawyer’s lips. Her humorously frank approach had the right effect. My wife and I were relaxed and fully engaged in the conversation.

Some people, especially those in similar industries, might call our lawyer’s manner unprofessional, but she did exactly what we needed her to do. By using humor, she found a way to ease our anxiety and make us feel comfortable enough to speak with her about such heavy and awkward issues.

In reality, our lawyer’s approach was anything but unprofessional. It was unique, interesting, and, most importantly, effective. It built a strong connection between her and her customers, and put her customers in a relaxed and clear-headed state of mind to make good and honest decisions. She did what was best for her customer, and anything less would have been unprofessional.

Unfortunately, many salespeople are so shackled by a false sense of professionalism that they cordon off qualities that would actually improve the effectiveness of their sales presentations. But what good are the rules of professionalism if they keep you from effectively connecting with your customer personally?

During a sales presentation, the room is often stuffy, filled with the awkward tension and discomfort of trying to relate with a complete stranger. You pull out your dry power point presentation and informational packets to outline the return on investment and prove the difference between you and you competition. Then you ask for a large sum of money based on your promise to

forms, the lawyer began, “Okay, you and the family are heading down to Disneyland for a nice family vacation, then all of a sudden the plane explodes and you’re all blown to smithereens. Who gets your house?”

My wife’s eyes grew wide and the corners of her mouth turned downward in an awkwardly horrible frown while I sat completely still in the shock of what I just heard. Silence consumed the small office. Then, suddenly overcome by the ridiculousness of the example, I broke into outright laughter. The tension in the room was shattered. My wife exclaimed, “Why do we have to be going to Disneyland? Couldn’t we at least be coming back from Disneyland?”

“Okay, okay, perhaps that was a bad example,” the lawyer said stoically. “Your husband is driving the family home from a movie. As he approaches the train tracks, he spots a train and says, ‘I can make it!’ but he miscalculates and the train flattens your minivan with the whole family inside. Who gets your house?”

Again, my wife and I chuckled at the absurdity of the example. A slight smile formed on our lawyer’s lips. Her humorously frank approach had the right effect. My wife and I were relaxed and fully engaged in the conversation.

Some people, especially those in similar industries, might call our lawyer’s manner unprofessional, but she did exactly what we needed her to do. By using humor, she found a way to ease our anxiety and make us feel comfortable enough to speak with her about such heavy and awkward issues.

In reality, our lawyer’s approach was anything but unprofessional. It was unique, interesting, and, most importantly, effective. It built a strong connection between her and her customers, and put her customers in a relaxed and clear-headed state of mind to make good and honest decisions. She did what was best for her customer, and anything less would have been unprofessional.

Unfortunately, many salespeople are so shackled by a false sense of professionalism that they cordon off qualities that would actually improve the effectiveness of their sales presentations. But what good are the rules of professionalism if they keep you from effectively connecting with your customer personally?

During a sales presentation, the room is often stuffy, filled with the awkward tension and discomfort of trying to relate with a complete stranger. You pull out your dry power point presentation and informational packets to outline the return on investment and prove the difference between you and you competition. Then you ask for a large sum of money based on your promise to

m Disneyland?”

“Okay, okay, perhaps that was a bad example,” the lawyer said stoically. “Your husband is driving the family home from a movie. As he approaches the train tracks, he spots a train and says, ‘I can make it!’ but he miscalculates and the train flattens your minivan with the whole family inside. Who gets your house?”

Again, my wife and I chuckled at the absurdity of the example. A slight smile formed on our lawyer’s lips. Her humorously frank approach had the right effect. My wife and I were relaxed and fully engaged in the conversation.

Some people, especially those in similar industries, might call our lawyer’s manner unprofessional, but she did exactly what we needed her to do. By using humor, she found a way to ease our anxiety and make us feel comfortable enough to speak with her about such heavy and awkward issues.

In reality, our lawyer’s approach was anything but unprofessional. It was unique, interesting, and, most importantly, effective. It built a strong connection between her and her customers, and put her customers in a relaxed and clear-headed state of mind to make good and honest decisions. She did what was best for her customer, and anything less would have been unprofessional.

Unfortunately, many salespeople are so shackled by a false sense of professionalism that they cordon off qualities that would actually improve the effectiveness of their sales presentations. But what good are the rules of professionalism if they keep you from effectively connecting with your customer personally?

During a sales presentation, the room is often stuffy, filled with the awkward tension and discomfort of trying to relate with a complete stranger. You pull out your dry power point presentation and informational packets to outline the return on investment and prove the difference between you and you competition. Then you ask for a large sum of money based on your promise to

s manner unprofessional, but she did exactly what we needed her to do. By using humor, she found a way to ease our anxiety and make us feel comfortable enough to speak with her about such heavy and awkward issues.

In reality, our lawyer’s approach was anything but unprofessional. It was unique, interesting, and, most importantly, effective. It built a strong connection between her and her customers, and put her customers in a relaxed and clear-headed state of mind to make good and honest decisions. She did what was best for her customer, and anything less would have been unprofessional.

Unfortunately, many salespeople are so shackled by a false sense of professionalism that they cordon off qualities that would actually improve the effectiveness of their sales presentations. But what good are the rules of professionalism if they keep you from effectively connecting with your customer personally?

During a sales presentation, the room is often stuffy, filled with the awkward tension and discomfort of trying to relate with a complete stranger. You pull out your dry power point presentation and informational packets to outline the return on investment and prove the difference between you and you competition. Then you ask for a large sum of money based on your promise to

ed by a false sense of professionalism that they cordon off qualities that would actually improve the effectiveness of their sales presentations. But what good are the rules of professionalism if they keep you from effectively connecting with your customer personally?

During a sales presentation, the room is often stuffy, filled with the awkward tension and discomfort of trying to relate with a complete stranger. You pull out your dry power point presentation and informational packets to outline the return on investment and prove the difference between you and you competition. Then you ask for a large sum of money based on your promise to deliver results.

With a presentation like that you may ace the Sales School of Professionalism, but you will certainly fail where it matters most. When you’re so busy perfecting your dry presentation and looking great in your smart suit, you forget what true professionalism really is.

The most important part of your sales presentation should be its effectiveness. Break away from your shackles and use an approach that lets you be as free as you need to be to communicate and connect with your customers on a personal level. Be comfortable in your own skin; then make the customer just as comfortable working with you. Relax, relate and repeat.