I See You
“I just don’t think we’re ready yet” he said at the end of my long and elaborate presentation.
All of the wind was immediately taken out of my sales...I was so sure this one was going to close.
I pasted on a smile and said “sure, I totally understand”
I didn’t. Not one tiny bit.
I was furious, personally wronged by this guy that he would reject me.
WTF was wrong with me?!
I worked so hard for this one
I stayed up all night preparing the slides, researching his company, practicing my pitch.
Only to get slapped in the face with a “Thanks but no thanks”
That’s it! I f*ing quit!
Looking back on this day I can still feel the stab of deep disappointment I felt at the end of that call.
I felt totally worthless
What good is a business owner who can’t close any new business.
Pretty soon I was going to be bankrupt and I’d get to really live out my constant idle threat of going back to work at the mall.
Something had to change.. And fast.
A week after that call I had another one down on the books.
Still salty from the last one, I didn’t have much hope.
I had resolved to take the call but I wasn’t going to waste any more of my time.
Either they wanted to work with me or they didn’t
I didn’t have the energy to care anymore
I wasn’t going to make a pitch deck or learn all about them ahead of time.
They could tell me what they needed on the call. Fuck it!
But little did I know this would be the call to change everything
I went in with a smile on my face, ready for the “No”
I had nothing prepared and I wasn’t even nervous.
Let’s just get this over with
I asked them about their company. When did it start? What’s your dream client? How do you envision your brand?
I asked them about themselves. Are you married? Do you get to spend a lot of time with your family? Do you have any pets or kids?
I let them ramble on and on and things that seemed important to them
I laughed at their corny jokes and even felt good enough to make a few of my own
I wasn't going to get the sale anyway, so what the hell.
It was almost like having coffee with a friend
To be honest, it was liberating. To be free of the result and just learning about them and their company.
They were actually really interesting!
Then came the Big Question
“So what’s all this going to cost me?” He said out of the blue
Without even thinking I blurted out the price - 100% ready for the “No”
“Ok, great. How do I pay you?” he said without skipping a beat
Wait…. What?!
“Um…” I fumbled around my desk for nothing in particular except maybe my jaw that was still hanging open.
“of course….I can send you a link or I can take your card over the phone”
Somebody pinch me because I must be dreaming!
What just happened!?
He said yes… enthusiastically paid… even though I was fully unprepared.
For the first time ever, I finally got it. Like a lightbulb turned on in my brain
As I went over every other sales call in my head that evening they all had one huge glaring thing in common
They were all about me, my company, the services I offered, how I could help someone else.
Me. Me. Me.
But never once on any of those calls did I ask them what they needed or how they wanted help or what their goals were or what made them happy
Of course they didn’t close! It all makes perfect sense!
I don’t need a sales script or a picture perfect pitch deck
All I needed all this time was to do what I already did best… To care.
To recognize that those were humans on the other side of that call.
Who are as passionate about their businesses as I was
Who are excited and proud to talk about their accomplishments and goals
Who want to be heard and seen
And who want to work with someone who makes them feel cared for and like they matter
That was more than 7 years ago and today I get to live my dream ??