As much as I hate to admit it, there’s a chick-flick out there that I thought was entertaining and fun to watch and to this day if on TV, I’ll couch-potato out to see it again, TEVO’d or not. It starred one of the most criticized actress/comediennes’ to date. Although not so much in the spotlight today, when her career was on – she pioneered the way for sarcasm, cynicism, disrespect and scorn in her actions in real life and in the movies she played. Her name is Rosanne Barr, and the movie is She Devil. Now, before you poke too much fun at me, think about the premise of that move. She was the poor, unloved, devoted housewife struggling to keep the house together while being scrutinized and belittled by her cheating unloving husband; only to build an empire of like-minded people. Yes, the movie was campy and I agree it was no “guy movie” but I was impressed on what she built out of what she was handed. From her rose logo and pin, to her loyal following of set-free spouses. Even though her drive was based on revenge, the notion of success built upon adversity is pretty much the American way.
All too often we come across abusive, obnoxious and toxic personalities, especially telemarketing as we are in contact with hundreds of people on a constant basis. Even though it’s a small percentage that one or two seem to really get under our skin and sometimes we find ourselves lashing back at them. However, some of my best returning customers who have proved to be the most loyal are customers I treated with respect and calmness when they were offensive and provoking. In the spirit of “you reap what you sow,” or “what goes around comes around,” and even in the basic beliefs of Karma – there is one truth that Snoop Dogg said once in a documentary I saw (yes I am quoting Snoop Dogg), he said (loosely paraphrased) “If you put out there hate and slander and negativity, it’s going to come back to you that way, but if you put out there peace and hope and positive, it will come back to you that way.”
In our struggle to fill our funnel or pipeline, even the “No’s” can be customers too and if you look at the statistics on your No’s to Yes’s, you should be encouraged knowing of how many potential customers are out there that think about your last conversation with them in a time when they really need your services. It’s these calls that yield the best customers, the biggest projects and even the biggest checks. As my Grandma and everyone else’s grandma used to say, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t day anything at all, ” to which we’ll add “or she may become a she-devil and destroy your life” or “you may become best friends with Snoop Dogg.”
Have a great sales week!
In working for many businesses doing sales, customer services and the like – it took a while to really figure out where I belong. Through that process, I‘ve heard the most interesting of ways for self motivation. From gazing in a mirror for pep-talks to surrounding myself with successful people, there’s always some element of self-affirmation that seems to drive it all. Ironically, it was through these experiences where I found some motivation with a phrase that wasn't centered on motivation at all; in fact, just the opposite. This one phrase has helped me through all stages of my growth and continues to do so today. This one phrase, actually centered on negativity has motivated me through relationships, sales and personal beliefs alike, the phrase is: “It’s not a Deal, till it’s a DONE deal.”
How many grapes are picked and how long is the process before you get a glass of wine? How many coffee beans are gathered, shipped, cleaned, baked, and ground before you enjoy that cup of coffee? In fact in both of these examples, the longer and more refining – the better. 