I'm from St. Louis, and while I'm not vain, the Southern-belle skin that covers my body is just too light (well, white) during the summer months.
So in order to appear fit and healthy on my sales calls, I would apply tanning lotion. You know the stuff -- your friends get a kick out of it when you show up one day with two weeks worth of sun on your face.
I selected the cheapest tube I could find and began wearing it. And I felt great. You know how a mental boost can really change your attitude on sales calls? My magic tube of sunless tan did just that for me.
Then, my luck changed -- along with the weather.
I started this summer day wearing a tan blouse, white skirt, and white pumps -- an outfit that showed off my new skin color quite well. My appointment was downtown, and just as I began walking the couple blocks from my parking space, a rare summer shower began.
Briefcase over my head, I sprinted into the building and walked to the elevator, my big smile greeting those along the way.
I strode up to the president of the company, who asked me if I was OK. "That's strange," I thought. Then, he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to me. I thought, "Who uses these anymore?" as I wiped the rain off my face.
I looked down at a hanky, brown with fake suntan lotion. I also looked down at my blouse, skirt, and shoes, all streaked brown with my washed-off wonder gel. Suddenly, I knew how silly my face must appear.
In an instant, that mental boost flew out of the room, leaving me feeling silly and incompetent. My presentation was pretty bad. I quickly learned that I needed to love the real me, be happy with the color I'd been given, and stop trying to be something that I'm not.
The Moral: Laura also learned that an investment in yourself should be a quality purchase. If she'd bought a better brand of suntan cream, she could be confident, happier, and darker. If you begin to see personal purchases as investments (just as your customers should see their purchases from you), you'll change how you purchase. What you wear and drive are considered reflections of you. Choose quality over price savings, and you'll never regret it.
Sales from the Dark Side is compiled by speaker and trainer Dan Seidman. For more tales, visit www.salesautopsy.com.
