A salesman's daughter was given a tea set for her second birthday.
It became one of her favorite toys, and when her mother went away for a
few weeks to care for her sick aunt, the toddler loved to prepare a
little cup of tea for the salesman. The tea was just water really which
the salesman drank while he was engrossed watching sports programs on
TV.
Each time his daughter brought the salesman a "cup of tea" he
lavished praise on her, causing the young girl to feel immensely
proud. So proud in fact, she kept bringing him tea. Small little tea
cup, by small little tea cup, all day long.
A few days later the salesman's wife and the little girls mother,
returned home and the salesman couldn't wait to show her how his little
princess had been looking after him. On cue, his daughter took him his
"cup of tea" and he sipped it before praising it to the heavens.
The salesman's wife watch him drink it and then said to him: "Did it
ever occur to you that the only place that a toddler can reach to get
water is the toilet?"
Moral of the story. True sales professionals know that in order to
succeed one can not simply just go through the motions. You have to
focus and stay attentive to what is going on about you at all times.
Only by paying attention to detail, will you be able to keep your
business in order. Don't drink the Kool-aid of the mediocre! Stay
focused, stay alert and you will stay successful.
"When you have no one you can make a cup of tea for, when nobody
needs you, that's when I think life is over." - Audrey Hepburn
The salesman's young son came running out of the bathroom in tears.
"What's the matter son?" asked the salesman.
"I dropped my toothbrush in the toilet."
"Ah, that's nothing to get upset about," replied the salesman, "we'll just throw it out and get you a new one."
So the salesman fished his son's toothbrush out of the toilet, and
put it in the garbage. When he returned, his son was holding another
toothbrush."
"Isn't that my toothbrush?" asked the salesman.
"Yes," replied the boy, "and we'd better throw yours out too, because it fell in the toilet four days ago."
Moral of the story. True sales professionals know that in order to
be successful at sales you need to always leave your customers and
prospects with a good taste in their mouth. No matter what the problem,
always treat them with dignity and respect. Second, always deal with
your customers equitably. If you are going to give preferential pricing
to one, give preferential pricing to all, if they are buying similar
quantities. Nothing sours a business relationship faster than for one
party to find out a few days after they thought they got a great deal,
that someone else they know, got a better deal, from the same supplier.
It's like finding out a few days later that someone dropped your
toothbrush in the toilet. Like the dropped toothbrush, chances are your
position as the customer's vendor of choice, will get trashed just as
quickly. Remember, your business dealings, like your teeth, should always be kept clean.
"To achieve harmony in bad taste is the height of elegance." - Jean Genet
