Sales

Here is the synopsis:  If a person doesn't agree with me or come to understand my point of view, I'd rather not spend time in debate...or in dragging their body through a submarine.*

I feel this way even if I am passionate about something.  I had a friend who was a brilliant and passionate consultant in my industry.  He logged over two-hundred days on the road per year and met with thousands of people over a period of at least fifteen years.  Five percent of those people understood him.  Less than one percent ran with his stuff.  I asked him how and why he did what he did.  He said you have to get in there and battle with people.  In essence you have to professionally beat sense into them.  Tom lived to better that less-than-one percent.

Tom was unlike most consultants in my industry.  If he had battle scars, you never felt or saw them.  After trying to do business with their current or prospective customers, most of these consultants look like something the cat dragged in. 

I think I am more comfortable on the scout team.  Allow me to fire up the Starship and go to where there is no gravity, to where there are no boundaries.  Allow me to radio back the coordinates of those who can help, of things that can help. 

* I have tried real hard to understand and even incorporate this stuff , and other stuff like it.  I've done this because this is what the gurus say to do.  I must say, overall, it doesn't feel right to me.

Comments

[Jane Chin]

With all things, you can only take what applies to you and keep your mind open to the rest of the information without feeling obligated to heed it. I've had experience with the "system" you referred and have benefitted from some of the information. What I found was that the composition of the prof dev group accounted for the relevance of our discussions and how much I was able to gain from the material. If I were in a room with a bunch of sales folks trying to incorporate the system, it wouldn't work for me either. I'm one of the most "passive" consultant I know because I hate cold calling and I don't like to "sell" people what they don't want to buy. So far my clients have come through referrals and more importantly - have come to me rather than me going to them. And that's the way I like it and want to keep it.

[Dave]

Excellent point Jane! What I did take from the submarine group is the idea of asking questions. (not that DS invented the concept mind you) and not for the purpose of manipulating a response, but more for the purpose of clarifying viewpoints and learning.