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No, I disagree; it’s all about the people. One of my very favorite songs was sung by Barbara Streisand and the lyrics that resonated with me are: “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.”
In my sales career, I got paid to sell more stuff. Upon reflecting on the root cause of how I accomplished this successfully, I determined that it wasn’t because I knew more about the stuff. It was because my focus was always on the people: those who made the stuff, bought the stuff, installed it and fixed it.
I seized every opportunity to become the person they thought of when they needed something and hoped to get them to feel lucky, too. As a result, I got luckier every day. My daily mission was to search for customers before they needed to search for me. If you ever get told that a customer is too busy to see you today, it’s your fault!
My career customer experience is that an urgency factor is associated with our business model — this is our advantage. So, whenever a 911 situation occurs, which is daily and frequent, no one ever asks, “Who can I Google?” The question is always, “Who can help me? Who can I talk to right now!!” Being that person matters.
An interesting note is that, over time, these customers became my best salespeople. They are the customers who not only bring in profit but also speak highly of my products and promote my business to others.
Connections
I, as well as most of my industry contacts, currently populate LinkedIn. Whenever I ask them why, the common reply is that it’s because of a need and desire to be connected to people and in case they need to reach out to solve a problem or tap into their knowledge. Also, to keep up with people disrupted by a change, such as moving to another company or looking for a new opportunity.
Industry associations congregate all over the United States with record attendance. Once again, it’s because members want to network with people. They learn that they are not alone and can share their concerns and ideas before returning home, energized and validated. They like belonging.
Industry periodicals such as The Wholesaler also play a huge role in keeping us connected. Staff members attend all the industry gatherings and share valuable information and insights about constant industry change with a focus on the people: what’s new, and who, and why. They keep us all connected, current, excited and enthusiastic.
I look forward to each monthly edition; it’s like a monthly pep rally.
It takes a lot of energy and dedication to be an authentic people person; sometimes it can be challenging and make you feel like an overworked air traffic controller. I’ve learned to be ruthless with time but courteous with people.
A major manufacturer was giving me a tour of his plant. It was a huge operation with an endless row of machinery. I casually enquired if he knew the inner workings of these machines. He looked at me and said, “When I need to know, I ask the people operating them. I deal with people, not machines. People make personal commitments.”
He walks the plant frequently and often with customers: “I do it to show my people how proud I am of them. It also gives me a chance to demonstrate to my customers the pride my people have in making the best products. Their value is invested in my products, and I will never sell that too cheaply.” He ended my tour with one of his favorite Peter Drucker quotes, “In commodity markets, you can only be as good as your dumbest competitor.”
A positive difference
Another lesson learned was making your customer’s problem your most urgent one. Don’t procrastinate. When I was a rookie, my boss asked me if I had solved my customer’s problem. I responded that I got busy and would do it tomorrow. He looked at me sternly and said, “It’s when you are busy that you are the most vulnerable; without sales, there is no tomorrow!” I will never forget that moment of learning.
A profound satisfaction and rewarding feeling comes with making a daily, positive difference to the people in your professional life. It’s also satisfying to realize that these people are there for you. If you want to be important, then be important to your friends, colleagues and customers.
My friends know I say thank you a lot, out of sincere gratitude. They allow me to demonstrate that they are very important to me and can absolutely count on me. In most cases, this is reciprocated on a daily basis.
My wife loves to watch Hallmark movies. By the way, she is a people person, too. She is originally from Minneapolis; the term she uses is “Minnesota nice.” In the evening, while she watches Christmas in July, I go to my office and start calling people.
Texts and emails are OK, but there is no substitute for real conversation with real people and demonstrating that they matter. So, every night I reach out and talk with customers, colleagues and industry friends. It matters to me, and it matters to them. The good feelings that result positively change the dynamics of these relationships.
I always end each call with a thank you for being a friend. Another lucky day!