Why doing theatre makes for a better salesperson

In sales, just like in acting, you're not just delivering lines - you're creating an experience that resonates with your audience. The goal isn't to perform, but to connect.

Here's what's been measured:

Salespeople who adapt to the person in front of them do better - on their manager's rating and on the hard numbers. 155 samples, 31,000 salespeople.¹
A story that carries the listener changes what they intend to do. 76 papers.²
Faking a feeling wears you out; meaning it goes with happier customers. 95 studies.³
Six hours with theatre professors raised how doctors were rated on empathy and listening. One small study.⁴

Theatre is where I practiced all four. And, if you're ever feeling low, remember the line from Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, at the end of his long and meaningful life: "To love another person is to see the face of God." Find someone to love today! - Jack

The Roles

At Repertory Company Theatre: Edward Bloom (Big Fish), Curly (Oklahoma!), Gomez Addams (The Addams Family), Che (Evita), Archibald Craven (The Secret Garden), Jesus (Cotton Patch Gospel), Edna (Hairspray), Adam Pontipee (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), the Pirate King (The Pirates of Penzance), Jean Valjean (Les Misérables), Mr. Massoula (Father of the Bride), Jekyll/Hyde (Jekyll & Hyde), Max Bialystock (The Producers), Captain von Trapp (The Sound of Music), Nathan Detroit (Guys & Dolls), Franklin Hart (9 to 5), Galahad (Spamalot), Aldolpho (The Drowsy Chaperone), the Minstrel (Once Upon a Mattress), Flute (A Midsummer Night's Dream), various roles (Songs for a New World), Rapunzel's Prince (Into the Woods), Ernst Ludwig (Cabaret).

Elsewhere: Freddie (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Runway Theatre), Ralph Rackstraw (HMS Pinafore, ICT), Light in the Piazza (Theatre 3), A Night at the Algonquin (FIG Theatre Company), Nanki-Poo (The Mikado, GCT), the Beast (Beauty and the Beast, GCT), Dr. Fritz Bhaer (Little Women, San Jacinto Project), Giuseppe Zangara (Assassins, Theatre Coppell), George Bailey (It's a Wonderful Life, Theatre Coppell), Lt. Joe Cable (South Pacific, Denton).

Sources

Franke, G. R., and Park, J.-E. (2006). Salesperson Adaptive Selling Behavior and Customer Orientation: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Marketing Research, 43(4), 693–702. doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.43.4.693
van Laer, T., de Ruyter, K., Visconti, L. M., and Wetzels, M. (2014). The Extended Transportation-Imagery Model: A Meta-Analysis of the Antecedents and Consequences of Consumers' Narrative Transportation. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(5), 797–817. doi.org/10.1086/673383
Hülsheger, U. R., and Schewe, A. F. (2011). On the costs and benefits of emotional labor: A meta-analysis of three decades of research. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 16(3), 361–389. doi.org/10.1037/a0022876
Dow, A. W., Leong, D., Anderson, A., and Wenzel, R. P. (2007). Using Theater to Teach Clinical Empathy: A Pilot Study. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 22(8), 1114–1118. doi.org/10.1007/s11606-007-0224-2

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