People often ask me, “Do you think I could be a sales rep?” My first question usually is, “Are you married?”
As you can imagine this causes me to get some very strange looks and every so often comments. If I don’t get an answer quickly enough I ask again, “Are you married?”
By this time I either have them laughing or getting ready to punch me in the nose. Usually the next thing they say is, “What the heck does me being married have to do with anything?” With a smile I usually tell them that they have already made the toughest sale they will ever make.
Today is Valentine’s Day, that special day on which we celebrate LOVE. Love usually isn’t the first word that comes to mind when you think of sales, but just like falling in love, a sales rep and customer have to go through the “courting” process.
It starts as a look between two strangers, and then becomes a brief conversation leading to both parties making their first impression. As the conversation progresses they start to get to know each other by asking important questions. The longer they talk the deeper the questions probe into one another’s likes and dislikes, needs and wants, and what will make them both happy.
Their body language is another chapter in the courting ritual. Are they invading each other’s space or are they rapidly learning to share the same space together? Are they taking an open and honest stance or a closed and mysterious posture?
What are their faces saying? Is there mutual interest in their eyes or are they looking for an exit strategy?
And if all the stars align properly and everything goes well, the customer / sales rep relationship will develop into a long lasting mutual “Like Affair” both enjoying the relationship equally for years to come.
Now that I explained it to you, I am sure that each of you understands why I ask, “Are you married?” If by chance the person asking me if they could be a sales rep tells me they aren’t married, I tell them to go find a spouse and then ask me.
AMORE
Lorin
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