"down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid."

What does that mean exactly?

Raymond Chandler continued on to state, “He is the hero; he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor—by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world.”

There is mention of a hero but no mention of a cape, no mention of a press conference, no mention of an outward struggle, no mention of a damsel in distress, and no mention of seeking glory. A hero is someone who stands up for what is right in a world gone wrong and has not made compromises to live in that world nor is afraid. To stand up in the face of adversity and continue true and moral throughout. That is a hero.

We see many examples of heroes every day.

The teacher who continues to strive to teach their students and does not succumb to the unionized grumblings or have their back broken by outdated tests that show not their students ability to learn but just to be indoctrinated.

The policeman who still views their job as, “to protect and serve” not to “tax and intimidate” and works every day to make their community a better and cohesive place.

The soldier who stands up to the withering hate hidden in slanderous claims of support while funding is pulled from support while propping up those who speak ill of and rail against these same soldiers in every budget meeting and newly created reason for war.

The car salesman who is looking for the best possible deal for a young family who just needs a car to get to work or take their child to that better school and does not need to be saddled with 10 years of chains to a bank.

The door to door salesman who has to trudge through decades of multi-level scams, religion at the door, and push peddlers of credit card debt tied to questionable but trendy technology and capture the attention and desire of the family who really does need to save money on their electrical bill while at the same time combatting the ravages of climate change whether or not that change was caused by humans.

This is what bring me to my purpose to this story. Sales. The world has been bombarded by messaging targeted to part them with their hard earned money. There are those who have found a way past this barricade by separating the consumer of goods and services from those who pay, but those of us who have not yet found a way to put millions of dollars into politicians pockets still have to use the direct approach. This approach is now clogged with text messages, billboards, radio, mailers, TV spots, Facebook posts, internet ads, reviews, friend’s recommendations, word of mount, and it carpet bombs with ruthless efficiency. How can one make it through that? How can a salesman stand out from the noise?

He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man.

A sales hero is first and foremost complete. To go off half-cocked knowing only a small bit about what you are selling is the quickest way to loose someone’s attention once you have it. With Google (or Bing), the public has an unprecedented amount of information at their fingertips. If you know less than they do from a 2 hour romp through the internet then you should really find another job.

A sales here also needs to be common. The customer needs to identify with you. It is okay to be a super intelligent nerd who they trust has more experience and understanding about a topic then they do but if you seem elite then you are not welcome in this day and age. The world hates the slick haired, steroid juiced, tight button up shirt, lying his pants off sales person of old. No more showing up in your Mercedes to sell them encyclopedias … unless if is not encyclopedias but the opportunity to sell others encyclopedias in the amazing opportunity which great people who take trips together around the … wait … sorry … I just threw up.

Now comes the fun part, and in most cases … the first part. A sales hero must be unusual. There are two ways to hold people’s attention. First – you must provide them with information they need. Of course people are only seeking information when they want it and if you are not lucky enough to be giving it to them at the exact moment they need it … then who cares. Second – you must entertain them. I have found that in many occasions I have been asked into someone’s house to speak with them about air conditioning not because I was a nuclear engineer who knows a lot about heat transfer and how this could apply to their house but because I was a nuclear engineer who was a mercenary who lobbied for arms dealers who ran an NGO for refugees in Northern Iraq, who has traveled to over 70 countries, who has lived in multiple states, and has a farm in Thailand and is only 38 years old. This is what has gotten me in the front door. At this point air conditioning becomes secondary but as I leave they will remember me and when it comes time to make the purchase there will be some consideration of my unusual story that keeps me in their minds. Of course ... one needs to stay common while also being unusual.