They Figured Me Out

Incognito.

No one would recognize who I am or where I was from. As I stood on the Black Sea?beach in 2015 staring at the water?in Odessa, Ukraine, I felt confident I was indistinguishable from the mid-summer crowd of?Ukrainian beachgoers. I had purposely?shed anything that would identify me as an American, including my passport (in retrospect a very bad idea) with the intention of blending in with the?population.

And then she walked up....

She was approximately 7 years old and asked me the time in perfect English, not Ukrainian or Russian. I told her that it was 11:30 am and continued to stare at the ocean. Then it struck me, she asked me the time in ENGLISH. How did she know I spoke English since I was so perfectly nondescript? I chased her down and asked her how she knew my language. She explained that her mother recognized me as an American and wanted her?to practice her English. I asked her how she knew I was an American, and she said "by your watch". Who would have thought that something so inconsequential would have betrayed my identity?

I finished talking with the family and then went for a swim about 30 yards offshore to a breakwater, and stood looking back to shore. At that point I realized that 15-20 people were swimming out to the breakwater and standing next to me. I asked that same girl why everyone was swimming out and standing on the breakwater and she said "We all want to stand with the American."

Wow...one of those unforgettable moments

I tell this story because many times as individuals we exhibit characteristics and attitudes which may seem inconsequential, but can?cause others to either draw close or distance themselves from us. This is particularly true in sales. What characteristics do?I exhibit which make my customers and potential customers want to "stand with me"??I have to continuously remind myself that my persona and attitude can convey a self-centered?orientation in my relationship with customers, or a true desire to assist and understand what their concerns and challenges are.?As sales representatives, we constantly receive training on technical proficiency, product knowledge and sales processes, but the key element of generating trust and confidence seems elusive. There is no formal training.

So as sales representatives, we have to ask ourselves:

• What motivates?my daily activities??Obviously to excel at?my job is key, but some of the most successful reps that I have known have continuously?put their customers and associated?challenges?as?their top priority.
• Whose agenda is foremost in my mind??My customers or mine?
• Am I constantly learning and adding value to my interactions with my clients??Am I providing new and unique ways to help customers and clients resolve their issues?
• Do I truly listen, or am I impatient to talk and present?

Do your clients and customers want to stand with you based on what they see??

Bottom line....those small inconsequential signs and signals which we send can mean all the difference in the world.