How Five Decades of Salesmanship Continue to Impact My Life.
by: Wayne Beck
“Regardless of what you are or what you have been, you can still become what you may want to be.” -W. Clement Stone IARFC Register August 2006
Selling is Hard
I must have been about five years old… My brother opened the front door to greet the Fuller Brush Man, “My mom said to tell you that she’s not home.” Mom sheepishly was hiding in the hallway, just out of view. She just didn’t want to be put on the spot to make a case for not buying. For the salesman, any kind of rejection is tough, then add in long hours, heat, rain, mud, finances and more. Finding ways to bounce back, sharpen the saw and keep your perspective requires conscious planning which builds failure into the success equation.
In 1986 a Kirby vacuum salesman, Paul Karlebach, told the Los Angeles Times, “There’s the good, the bad and the ugly… sometimes the bad and the ugly just happen to be there first, and the good is around the corner.” He said that on a successful day he would give 2 product demonstrations out of 60 contacts, possibly resulting in one sale. -Bob Baker, L.A Times March 23, 1986.
“The sacrifice is massive in the pursuit of excellence.. we will never know whether it is worth it… I am here to remind you I am living it by the hour… whatever you do, commit to it, period.” -Stephan Moccio November 5, 2018
My Earliest Door-to-Door Experience
As a kid I raised money for our annual Boy Scout pancake breakfast, the best parking lot breakfast money could buy. Our corporate sponsor made sure that we had the right training, food and equipment. Maybe they anticipated being hungry on Saturday morning. Or maybe they just couldn’t resist a cute kid (like me) standing at the door. After all that’s why we still buy lemonade from our neighbors. Watching their innocent enthusiasm is inspiring. When they make a sale they light up and do everything they can to make the customer happy. It’s a natural human instinct. If it’s done with pure intent, everybody wins.
How I Discovered that I am a Salesman
Whether it was cleaning ditches, loading railroad ties, or controlling rodents, I was an ace employee at Greek Gardens Garden Center. I didn’t think of myself as a salesman, yet there I was. All I wanted was to see the customers succeed. They needed our products to do so. I couldn’t imagine it any other way. I soon realized that more and more people were coming in asking specifically for me. The more they came the more I wanted to be prepared to serve them.
I continued developing my expertise and learning the company and products, and even the bottom line. I knew the mark-up on the products. Selling became a natural offshoot of service, experience and knowledge. It was the vehicle that allowed the business to profit and for me to make a living.
I knew I was a salesman when I suggested to a customer that he could get a landscape plant for a couple of dollars cheaper at the big box store across the street. Even though it wouldn’t come with a warranty like ours, if he followed my advice the plant would thrive. He thanked me and said, “But I’d rather buy it from you.” That kind of unsolicited loyalty and feedback refuels the tank and gets you through any tough day.
Making a Living Door-to Door
Selling for a living has existed since the beginning of time. A clay tablet from the ancient city of Ur documents the production and sale of beer around the year 2055 BC. Farming, mining, baking, manufacturing, writing and artistic pursuits would go flat without the sales component. In our modern industrialized society of the last hundred years people have been drawn to or forced into sales when they were either unhappy with their jobs or when jobs become scarce. Or, they’re just hungry. It may then go well or go horribly, mostly dependent on one’s approach and ethics.
The circumstances led me back into sales, this time to support my family when other options failed. Yes, we were hungry. My post college plans were foiled as a result of a recession in the industry. I had been destined to greenhouse management in Southern California. I remember that two years before my graduation, 87% of graduates in my major had jobs the day they graduated. Only about 3% of my class had jobs, and often at less than half of the previous wages. I found work, selling, with ChemLawn (now Tru-Green) spraying fertilizer and other treatments on lawns and trees. The product line-up was popular, producing the best lawns in any neighborhood. My expertise and experience made me a perfect fit for the job. I was back in sales!
Each of us had a route and sold and serviced every account within that area. Many of my sales were referrals, but most came from knocking on doors. It was exciting when potential customers would flag me down, anxious to buy because they had seen the results of my work. Ours became the top producing office in the company.
During a performance evaluation my boss, ‘Big Dan’ told me that I never needed to worry specifically about my numbers. He said the numbers would take care of themselves because my honesty and solid work ethic. Positive feedback is always a plus. When I brought in my highest numbers Dean Martin (the assistant Manager) re-energized me to go after it again.
How My Sales Experience Has Influenced My Life?
As a police officer my selling experience was a godsend. I had learned to develop relationships of trust and to do so quickly. In sales, the first goal is to get past pre-conceived notions of what a salesperson is, or to get past someone’s previous negative experience. I learned to understand what other people felt and realize that I was disrupting their schedule. In selling, I often mediated for prior negative experiences the customer had. I did exactly the same things in police work.
I learned to understand the history and culture of the persons I dealt with to be able to work together for everyone’s benefit. Controlling a crowd of thousands of people would be quite impossible without getting buy-in from the crowd and creating a win-win situation. You cannot get buy-in unless you learn to reach out and understand the people you are serving and working with. A police officer is a servant; so is a salesperson.
Selling Teaches Me Balance in Life
Even today I am learning from other salespersons. I offer myself as part of their support network when they work out of town. I give them a boost when the work is stressful and share in their accomplishments. I couldn’t do this if I hadn’t hit the pavement myself and applied my skills.
The most effective sales people I know are not pounding doors 16 hours a day, seven days a week without a break. They take time to get to know the area and the local customs and culture. This keeps them healthy and alert while helping them better understand the area and the people they intend to serve. You must work hard, but it is essential to plan in exercise, rejuvenating recreation, social support and proper eating.
Selling Stimulates Innovation
You could take a job that is repetitive or routine to avoid the stress of dealing with challenges. Since this goes against human nature, in the end you are not satisfied with your life. Successful selling is challenging and requires a debriefing and analysis at least once a day, more often when you feel discouraged or stuck in a rut. Learning to innovate is valuable in any career and in living a fulfilled life. I continue to discover new challenges and learn new skills. Here’s an example of an experience of successful innovation that can have application throughout your life.
The Reservation
A friend was having zero success with satellite subscriptions in suburban Arizona. The market was oversaturated, too many summer sales agents! Despair was an option; he at least had to make enough sales to cover his rent and travel costs. He took a fresh look at everything. He thought he’d go check out a nearby Indian reservation. He discovered an untouched market and high demand. Up until his arrival virtually everyone was getting only three stations from their rooftop antennas. They needed him and were impressed that he went so far out of his way for their benefit.
Selling Builds Confidence
It takes courage to step into someone else’s environment and world and a great deal more courage to make contact and develop a business relationship. This courage is valuable in any workplace. When I see a need in the workplace I have the courage to do the research and either make a presentation or more often to just push forward with my new innovations.
This has made my career so extremely satisfying. I was a cop before schools had what are now known as police resource officers. I ended up pioneering the concept based on my own observations. I saw a need and began working with high schools on my beat. Seeing what I was doing one of the principals got me on the payroll as a substitute teacher since there was no budget for a cop on campus. The program was so successful that I wondered how other schools got by without it. Now most of them don’t get by without it.
Selling Builds Relationships
Making friends and meeting people.. Whether selling pancakes, or beautiful lawns I learned to immediately connect with people and understand them. I readily applied those skills to police work, making many thousands of contacts and hundreds of close friends along the way. Those skills allow me to connect with people in virtually any circumstance. I know how to recognize with whom I can connect. No matter where I go I’ll never be alone; if I don’t find a an old friend I make a new one. The friends I make, likely developed their abilities to connect while working sales sometime in their life. It is a reciprocal process and is the essence of the human experience.
Are You a Salesperson?
I often hear people say, “Selling is not for me.” Ironically the act of making that point is itself an attempt to gain buy-in for their feelings or ideals. In reality selling and trading are universally a part of all humans. Each of us individually and collectively is involved in some way. Our productivity and survival as a species depend on it.
You began selling the moment you were born, giving pleasure signals that would bring you nourishment and social acceptance. As you grew you learned to negotiate with your parents and how to trade things of value with your siblings and friends. Trading, selling, and buying have always and will always be a part of you. You can build on these skills through sales experience, training and observation.
“We are all salesmen every day of our lives. We are selling our ideas, our plans, our enthusiasms to those with whom we come in contact.” -Charles R. Schwab