Currently, Marc Taddei the conductor is leading the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in bringing to life Truman Capote’s best-selling novel Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Listening to live music of any kind is wonderful, but I’m particularly awed by classical conductors who are able to unify a whole team of musicians in successfully bringing together a legendary score, like Henry Mancini’s. There must be so much work involved for conductors, not just in the years of dedication and study that has led to their careers, but in each and every piece of music they work on.  While I’m not an expert musician, I’ve been to enough concerts to hear that a truly magnificent conductor will have the following skills and attributes”]:

•   Their advanced preparation is thorough and detailed, studying the composer’s score to understand it fully.

•   They possess the imagination to bring each piece of music and each orchestra to life in their own unique and artistic way.

•   Their preparation and rehearsals mean they will lead musicians into the perfect collaboration, while still retaining full control.

•   Their timing is impeccable; they understand the power of a pause or silence to create anticipation.

•   They are able to influence emotions with the power of their story-telling.

So, here we have the description of the maestro conductor. Interestingly, a maestro sales professional need pretty much the same characteristics to run a successful sales meeting!

•   They will study their client in advance to fully understand their needs.

•   They will uniquely interpret and solve those needs for each individual customer.

•   Their structured approach will see them collaborating with clients while still retaining control of the meeting.

•   They will make sure their timing is spot-on, using the power of silence and moderating their pace to engage the client.

•   They will use their imagination to paint a picture for the prospect, perhaps using a testimonial or two, and taking them on a journey from start to finish.

The famous conductor Lorin Maazel once said, “My aim as a conductor is to find a motion that responds to the need of a particular player in a specific moment.” Sales professionals can certainly learn a lot from the way conductors like Maazel obtain overall success by focusing on the individual and their needs.

Have a very purposeful day!

Rachel