He Who Gets The Last Laugh In Sales

I just thought about this after I wrote my previous post about stories and their power to sell.

Back in early 2004, as we got ready to leave Pensacola Beach and head back to the hills and hollers of Kentucky, I was contacted by a company in my industry that had heard from their #1 supplier that I was one of the absolute best sales people on the planet.

I assured them of the absolute fact of that rumor.

I’m also sure it’s an absolute fact that I was the one who started that rumor in the first place

They called and offered to try and talk me into working with them. I offered to talk with them, if they paid my expenses for that 745 mile trip, paid me for my time and agreed that all I was promising was to talk.

They took the chance.

Upon arrival at their office, I asked for my check.

They handed it over.

Once it was in my pocket, I sat down and the Sales Manager and I made small talk for a few minutes.

He asked questions and I answered.

Then, out of his mouth, came one of the stupidest statements ever uttered by a person who was supposed to be in charge of a sales team.

” The first thing we’ll have to teach you is how to answer a questions quickly, with fewer words and without telling a story. “

After the astonishment wore off, I asked him if I could have 15-20 minutes before we went any further.

He agreed and didn’t push me as to why.

As I headed outside, I stopped and looked at the name of the bank on the check they’d written to me for my time and expenses.

I asked the receptionist where the nearest branch of that bank was.

Luckily it was 5 minutes away. I cashed the check and headed back to their office.

As I sat down again with the Sales Manager, he asked me what I’d done, so I told him I’d went to cash the check.

He asked why, so I told him, ” Because you’re the stupidest person in the world of sales and there’s absolutely no way I’d ever work for you and I didn’t want you to call the bank and stop payment on the check after I’d told you that. “

He was quite visibly shaken, so I offered to go up and talk to the two brother-in-laws who married their positions and were running the company into the ground.

One was President and the other was Vice-President. Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber.

I told both of them the exact same thing, that their guy was an absolute fool and would cost them way more than he could ever make for them.

I offered to take his place and make them more money than they could hope to spend.

They declined.

I took a similar position, back in Kentucky.

Within 2 years, I was at an industry function and picked up an award for selling more product for a particular supplier than the people I work for had ever sold before.

The best part was that I had to walk up to receive the award and walked right past one of the brother-in-laws who didn’t listen to me.

He didn’t get up to pick up any awards.

Oh, and his Sales Manager was gone. Seems he’d hung them with the losing end of a $6 million dollar lawsuit, ran off their best sales people and had left them with very few customers and very few suppliers that wanted them to rep them anymore.

And me, well I’ve sold over $7.5 million dollars worth of product in that short 4 years and will be back at the awards ceremony again in February picking up another award.

Stories sell … period.

Want proof ? Ask him.

Or these guys.

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