Selling Is A Lot Like Attracting Women

Okay this article does not apply to sales women, but sales men will understand. Selling is a lot like attracting women. There’s no harder time to meet a woman than when you are without one.

When you’re alone and wanting, you reek of desperation, and that works like woman repellant. The same holds true in sales. If you need a sale like nobody’s business, prospects drag their feet, they don’t return calls, seem to always be in meetings and stand you up on appointments. They ask you to email proposals; they get fixated on price and then, all of a sudden, drop off the face of the earth.

When you really, really want a girlfriend and some girl unknowingly agrees to a date, she instantly becomes your future wife. You try too hard, you stop looking at women, you call too often, talk too much; you tell your friends about her, tell your mom about her, you’re pathetic.

When you’re six weeks into a new sales job and haven’t made a sale and some prospect unknowingly agrees to a meeting, you practically build a shrine honoring that company. You talk about it in front of your manager, your coworkers, your girlfriend or wife(1) and your friends. You unnecessarily involve support staff.(2) You stop prospecting. All your phone calls are directed to one person.

And what happens just about every time? That girl picks another guy(3) and that prospect goes with another sales rep's proposal.(4)

Unfortunately, the rich get richer and you’re left holding your proverbial sales dick.

Do yourself a favor. If you’re in a new sales position or if you’re in the midst of a prolonged sales slump, and someone you’re calling on agrees to a meeting, get greedy and make another call.

(1) In some circumstances, your wife and your girlfriend.
(2) I once had a sales engineer travel with me from San Diego to Orange County to meet with a prospect to discuss a single dial up Internet account. Oh, the good old days, when the Internet was slow.
(3) Probably some guy cheating on his wife.
(4) Probably with some sales rep that has already qualified for President’s Club.