I don't know if you've noticed, but it's a new Sales Economy out there. Even that winning sales trifecta of the right product, the right price and the right timing is no longer enough to ensure you get the business - much less keep it! So how do you rise above the competition when the old school tools are no longer working?

Imagine you are a casting director, seeing one actor after another read from the same script. After awhile they all begin to blur together. You struggle to stay awake. But finally someone walks through the door and wakes you up: his presence is riveting, his message compelling, his choices unique. He breathes new life into the script in a way the previous twenty other actors could not. Is he the cheapest? Is he the most experienced? Who cares?! This is the guy that gets the part!

"But I'm in sales," you say, "I'm not an actor!" Au contraire, my sales friend. Each time you force enthusiasm when you don't feel it, feign indifference when you care or parrot words you didn't write, you are acting. Whether you're doing it well or not is a different story.

Acting is the ultimate form of persuasion. If an actor can bring an audience to tears or laughter, drive them to purchase a product in as little as thirty seconds or hold their attention for up to two hours, imagine the potential to be achieved in sales by using a set of tools drawn from an industry that attracts billions of people each year to theaters, movie screens and televisions! Wouldn't it make sense to learn skills from professionals whose entire career is based on communicating with impact?

After 20 years in acting and sales, I've seen a lot of bad acting. And most of it was in sales! As a rookie salesperson I was extremely self-conscious and struggled to gain the confidence I knew was necessary to excel in a competitive industry. I envied those who always seemed to be "on" and in my frustration, signed up for an acting workshop. Not only did this lead to a successful sales career but exciting and rewarding acting opportunities as well. I encourage you to take an acting class. Read a book on acting techniques. Use a little showmanship to set yourself apart in these tough times. Will you be ready when the curtain rises?