Advice from the old man

My father was in sales for many years. He also was a superintendent and worked for an HVAC company. When I first started my career in sales he gave me some advice. I am sure he probably gave me advice prior to me being in sales but there are two points in regards to sales that I remember very clearly. One is really bad that I have never used but it is an example on how you can get information from people, even people that you respect, and it may be bad. The other juicy tidbit he pointed out to me has been used on many occasions over the years. Well enough of the build up.


BAD ADVICE:


He told me that sometimes you will get frustrated by a customer, the office or some other outside influence. It may cause you to dwell on that particular problem and nothing else. He told me sometimes you just need to go to a movie theater for a couple of hours to get the problem off your mind. I thought about that and decided that it was not the approach I wanted to have. I think the best solution is to go out and make sales calls. If you are frustrated go out and see more customers. Your thought process is far too valuable to waste it on frustration. You could be missing out on other great opportunities. Also, if you are in a movie theater you are wasting your time, your valuable time, not seeing customers.


The bad advice kind of ties in to my granddad's points to ponder. It is neither good nor bad just a positive point to think about when in sales. He said if a man walks around with a paper bag of pooh (he actually used another word) trying to sell it, he will eventually run across someone who says that is exactly what they need. So, you should always try to sell because you can never tell what someone is looking for.


GOOD ADVICE:


My father also told me that when you are on the road and you need to, you know, go to the bathroom and sit down, find a nice hotel. They always have the cleanest bathrooms. Great advice and it is true.


Thanks Dad.