SALESCALL: Don't Take It Personally! (I Don't.)

People are constantly giving me books to read. There is some unwritten rule out there that says if you like a book—and especially if you love a book—you need to give it to the person in your life who has the least amount of time to read. In far too many lives, I am that person. My dad gives me books on finances. My wife gives me books on marriage. Recently, my friend gave me a book that intrigued me. It was small, not more than 150 pages and used large type. Yup, those are a few of my favorite things. So, I read it and, to my surprise, Mikey liked it! The book was The Four Agreements by Don Miguel and Don Jose Ruiz. I guess you could call it a self-help book, and I found that it self-helped both my personal and business lives, particularly my attitude toward prospecting.

The father-and-son Ruiz team takes a four-pronged approach to life:

• Be impeccable with your word;

• Don't take anything personally;

• Make no assumptions;

• Always do your best.

The one that stands out as it relates to sales isn't #1, for all salespeople are impeccable with their word (Trust me. I'm in Sales.) and it isn't #4, as all sales reps display their utmost effort at all times. No, the one that meant the most to me was Agreement #2: Don't take anything personally. Man, that's a tough one to take in, particularly when you are prospecting hard. And this summer, I have been prospecting hard!

On June 1, I made a commitment to prospecting a minimum of 10 calls per day. To date, I have hit that number more often than not and, more often than not, have found myself leaving a message. (I keep track of my hits and misses and find that 76% of the time I get voice mail). That, my friends, is frustrating, and I saw it as a personal rejection.

I have tremendous faith in my training programs and believe they should have a universal appeal. Similar to a swift kick in the butt, everyone I know needs what I am selling! After a long day of “Leave your message and I will get right back to you,” I can't help but leave the office defeated. I take solace in the fact that the fastest way to increase sales volume is to increase, improve, and monitor sales activity. Still, with a 76% “failure” rate, I found myself crying in my Mojito all these warm summer nights. That is, before I read The Book.

“Bill, don't take it personally,” it read. “They aren't rejecting you, buddy. They are merely too busy to pick up or, more likely, don't need your training right now.” Yeah! That's it! They will buy from me in time!

Heck, I drive past a billboard advertising a new BMW every day, but have yet to pick up the phone and “return the call” of the dealership to say I wasn't interested, right? I will check out a new X5 when I am ready. I am taking this all far too personally. Suddenly, the failures became successes. I was succeeding in demonstrating a pleasant persistency that will result in greater sales. It is simply a matter of time.

So, if you are one of the hundreds of printers I have called this summer to pitch my training programs, know that my pride has been restored. Know that I hear you: You will buy from me when you are ready. Know that I am not taking the rejection personally. And know that like the surety of death and taxes, I will call you again. Trust me. I'm in Sales.

Bill's other summer project is to start a new company. TrustMeTshirts.com sells the vaunted “Trust me. I'm in Sales” tee-shirts. Check it out!