The Truman Capote Approach to Winning Over Prospects
July 23rd, 2008 by Jeb Foster
As strange as it sounds, sales and journalism are quite similar.
Every time a reporter calls a person to get a comment, the reportermust sell him or herself to the subject, who is often a little cagey and reluctant to talk–and probably has already fielded calls from other reporters. Thus the importance, in both professions, of projecting an air of trustworthiness. The reporter and sales person must successfully put the source or prospect at ease.
Similarly, the best sales people are excellent questioners. Their questions provide the basis for a story–a narrative that the sales person can use to determine the prospect’s personality, background and, most importantly, purchasing motivations.
So about Truman Capote. The author of In Cold Blood and the founding father of New Journalism, Capote was one of the best interviewers of his time, and one of his most impressive feats as a journalist was getting the notoriously guarded Marlon Brando to open up and tell his story.
Capote affirmed that he had found “the secret to the art of interviewing,” and he used it with mastery in his meeting with Brando. The secret? He had found that if you divulge a lot of information about yourself, the interviewee will eventually open up and become less guarded–as was the case with Brando.
To be sure, Capote may have abused this technique–see the movie In Cold Blood–lulling his subjects into a false sense of security and exploiting them. That’s the dark side of his art.
For you, as an agent, the key is to use this technique in a positive and constructive way. Open up about yourself, share some biographical details, and even if the prospect doesn’t react in kind, he or she will likely feel more comfortable around you. And if your prospect does open up, you’re on your way toward building rapport–and a little rapport goes a long way toward making the sale.
