Kelsey Grammer was initially cast in just six episodes of Cheers. Chandler Bing’s’ annoyingly nasal girlfriend on Friends, “Janice?” Cast in a single episode.
Have you ever received a small role in a customer’s business when you were hoping for the lead? After you finished mumbling about the unfairness of it all, what did you do? Did you sullenly write up the sale or go through the motions of fulfilling the order? Were you visibly impatient, ready to move on to a more promising prospect? Or did you treat this small piece of business as the larger future business opportunity that it was?
There Are No Small Sales, Only Small Salespeople
No matter how small the role, a good actor makes the most of it. Savvy actors often parlay a small or one-time roll into a bigger role or ongoing opportunity, for example, Kelsey Grammar turned into a regular member of the Cheers cast and went on to star in the wildly popular spin-off, Frasier. Janice, played by Maggie Wheeler on Friends ended up appearing on 19 episodes over 10 seasons!
Mad Men’s January Jones initially auditioned for the role of “Peggy”, but creator Matthew Weiner didn’t think she was right for it. He was so impressed however that he went home and wrote some scenes for her as “Betty Draper,” a role he hadn’t fully developed at the time.
In the same way, it pays to make the most of a small sale. A winning performance may reap larger benefits in the future as this savvy seller found out:
Creating a Big Sale out of a Small Sale
Last Christmas, I wanted to find a tiny charm for my niece that was only carried at certain jewelry stores. They were all located in malls packed with holiday shoppers, and I had to go to three before I could find anyone to help me. After being passed around to several salespeople I would up in front of a young man named Chad. He listened attentively, then, instead of abruptly throwing the tray of charms out in front of me and tapping his fingers until he could move on to the next Rolex buyer, he spent 15 minutes helping me find just the right charm, even calling around to another store to see if they had it in stock. Chad was so helpful that I felt guilty not buying anything more than an inexpensive trinket from him. Two months later when I had to buy a wedding gift I happily went back to Chad to purchase a beautiful and expensive crystal bowl.
Making Your Prospect Look Good
Many great actors credit their scene partner with making them look good and are eager to work with them again. Making your scene partner (your prospect) look good – regardless of the size/frequency of the sale – differentiates the Sales Pro from the pack and can generate recurring business. Think about ways to make your prospect look good—even if you feel he’s just thrown you a bone:
For Example…
Your client is buying a small segment of the solution you are recommending; the remainder of their budget is being spent with your competitor. What do you do?
- Over-deliver. Discuss ways that you can delivery on time and support the implementation.
- Communicate. Offer to work with your competitor to make sure there are no “gaps” in communication and service.
- Follow up. Check in frequently to verify their satisfaction and note any potential problems.
Remember, small performances can lead to big rewards. Remember Judi Dench’s riveting portrayal as “Elizabeth I” in Shakespeare in Love? In less than eight minutes of screen time, she earned an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. And she’s done all right since…