What "American Idol" Can Teach Us about Selling

Article Date: May 29, 2006

Can you believe it?!?  There were 63 million votes cast for the final American Idol showdown.  It is the number one show on TV by a mile, and has kept people riveted to their TV's for months.

What's going on here, and what can it teach us about selling and communications?

The formula is explosive, including winners, losers, risk and drama.  But a huge key is that the program is "interactive."  The audience is part of the show.

That's right, people want to be involved...  in games, TV shows and yes...  sales pitches.  Tests show that attention, interest and retention go up dramatically when people are asked to interact, rather than just listen to, a presentation.

This week, think about your sales presentations and find ways to draw your prospects into "the show."  Have them get up and diagram their priorities on a white board.  Fill out a needs analysis together.  Interaction is a great way to energize your customers and, when done well, the concept of ordering your goods/services will be "their" idea.

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