I have been in sales long enough to know how to turn a negative situation into a positive learning experience – or at least, a comical story. Admittedly, I still get frustrated when I have a dry spell and I even get sad when I get a “NO” from someone I really want to work with. Every now and then, I come across an odd ball circumstance that truly surprises me (and not in a good way).
I recently gave a presentation that quickly turned into an uncomfortable situation. I cannot go into details about it here, but it reminded me of another experience I had years ago in sales, which I can share with you:
During the launch of a new consumer magazine, I was working as a consultant, doing contract ad sales with high-end beverage companies. I was primarily working with boutique to mid-sized companies and creating a buzz with the larger companies and media planners in order to get on the radar as they moved into their forward planning proceedings. As consumer publications come and go, most media planners have a common policy not to buy into a publication until it has been established for at least one year. On the flip side, it is a terrific opportunity for the boutique and mid-sized companies to jump in and secure affordable pricing for the future, so that is where we focused our energy.
One morning, I received a call from a gentleman who was a media planner, interested in advertising with us and we hit it off immediately, personality-wise. We had a long, fun-filled conversation and I finally asked who his client was. He answered me and then there was a long silence between us. Without mentioning the company name, I will say that the company is one of the largest beverage companies in the world. My silence came from a combination of sheer surprise that he knew about us, excitement, and finally, a real concern about the quality of the products he was representing.
The gentleman asked me if there was something wrong and I just didn’t know how to answer him, so I said “I don’t know if we can work with your client.” He admitted that they were not actually his client, but the company was his employer and they had their own media planning team. Of course he was shocked, too, and asked me what the problem was. I explained that the magazine had a mission of featuring very high quality beverages and I just wasn’t sure that his company was a good fit.
The publisher and I discussed the situation into the ground and half way to China and finally decided to move forward with the company, pending approval of the ad itself. I called the very patient gentleman and gave him the news, to which he replied “You are the worst salesperson EVER!” and we both roared with laughter. It was the best insult I’ve ever gotten! And as it all turned out, the ad was a promotion of a movement of quality within the industry. Perfect fit!
Another interesting situation happened even further back in the time/space continuum, when I took a job selling office coffee. Within my third month at the company I had moved into the top sales position, which was exciting, but in my gut I knew I wasn’t going to last there. The company had a great service and maintenance team, great customer service, and the sales spiel was educational and persuasive- I even liked my sales director.
Unfortunately, the 8 thousand year old owner of the company was mean & nasty and too often let loose on the sales staff. I could have dealt with him, but that feeling in my gut wasn’t about him, it was about the quality of the coffee I was selling. The company claimed to be selling specialty grade coffee and after tasting it time and time again, I knew it wasn’t. Also, they were not using, or providing the customers with, the correct recipe for specialty coffee, which further ruined the coffee. In the end, I realized that I was pitching specialty coffee, but providing an expensive brown and bitter cup of hot water. It was a lie.
The day I received my 90 day review, I sat and listened to my sales director go over my strengths, weaknesses and accomplishments and he officially welcomed me to the company. After I thanked him for his review, I told him that I also had a 90 day review of the company. He looked so surprised and thought I was kidding until I actually began my review. When I finished, I stood up and told him that it had been a pleasure working with him, but I could not stay with the company.
Having mentioned these stories, I refer back to my very recent experience and I have to smile. I do not mind being the worst sales person ever. As a sales person and as a consumer, I only want to align myself with honest, reliable and trustworthy businesses. I decided a long time ago that I will only sell a product, or service that I love and believe in, something that I respect and believe can help my customers. On the same note, I will only sell to customers who I can proudly associate myself and my company with in a professional manner. Needless to say, I will not be doing business with this person now, nor will I in the future.
