Jackass

How we work is just as (if not more) important than what we accomplish.

There are parts of our jobs that none of us really like. Mine happen to be cold-calls/cold-emails. And it's not because of the activity itself, it's because of how prospects treat me (and others in similar roles as me).

I get it, of the fifty things on your plate today, dealing with another sales person isn't high on your priority list. But there's a difference between ignoring a sales person and being a jackass to them.

Yesterday, I had an IT Director tell me to "find another career" and "you aren't special." On top of that, the services our organization offers are in a "super-saturated" market. In my role? I've developed a pretty thick skin. But the more I got to thinking about it, the more frustrated I became.

This individual works at a hotel chain, in Las Vegas (hello, and you think I'm in a super-saturated market? Pot + Kettle?). I've spent a lot of time in marketing and branding where we talk about the "brand promise" and how everyone in the organization represents the brand. In this case, I'm not just a sales person, I also represent a potential patron of said Vegas hotel (which, what do you think the odds are now that I'll ever go to that hotel?).

All that time their marketing department spent on "branding" and one hot-headed, entitled individual has ruined any chances that I'd come to that hotel.

You see, how we go about our day-to-day work is often times as important (if not slightly more) than what we accomplish. This individual bemoaned cold-calls and cold-emails...yet, I wonder how his sales and marketing team manages to attract new people to the hotel? His sales team likely uses the same tactics I use. And those tactics that attract new people...pay his salary. A salary that enables him to turn around and be a jackass to other sales people.

Let me tell you the great secret to "getting rid" of a sales person: tell them "yes" or "no." Every sales person worth their salt is only aiming for one of those two answers. I don't want to waste your time, let alone mine if the answer is "no." So, tell me "no!" I'll move on to someone else. Are there a few bad eggs out there that will push you if you say "no?" Yeah, sorry. But it's like dating. There are going to be bad dates out there...doesn't mean you get to assume every date you go on is going to be with a jerk.

In business, there's no need for immature, condescending criticism. Our jobs are already hard enough without arrogance, bad attitudes and egos. When in doubt, remember this one rule: how you act says more about you than anything you'll ever accomplish.