If you’ve done a lot of sales calling in your career, I’m sure you’ve got a few stories you can tell. I’ve had a lot of calls that didn’t go the way I envisioned. Some ended unexpectedly well and some, especially early in my career, ended miserably bad. It seems obvious, but the first rule of thumb should be to know who you’re calling, and know how you plan to close. If it’s a cold call, you try to learn about the person and engage them in conversation before you can close the deal. It’s not what you say to them, it’s what they believe that makes all the difference.
As you might imagine, the NASGW office gets quite a few calls. Many of which are handled expertly by our crack team at the main office in Ankeny, Iowa. But every once in a while, I get a direct call. A recent one was a real head-scratcher… (I may not be exact on every word, but this was an actual call.)
“Hello, this is Kenyon.”
“Uh, hello, uh yes, uh, is this Mr. Gleason?” I quickly replied, “Yes it is. In the flesh.”
At this point the caller paused, seemingly confused about what to say next. Maybe he just didn’t expect me to actually be Mr. Gleason. Since the pause went on a good bit longer than normal I thought I might help him out so I kindly interjected, “You called me but for some reason you seem to be surprised you’ve reached me.”
My new caller friend responds, “Uh, yeah. I got your name and number.”
“Yes sir, it appears you did.” Another long pause which now has me intrigued. Is this a new sales tactic I’ve not yet discovered? One where the caller gets me to lead the conversation and fall right into his sales pitch?
I took the bait and out of curiosity I ask, “Sir, is there something I can do for you?”
“Yes,” he replied matter-of-factly.
I encouraged him by politely asking, “And that would be?”
“Well, I was wondering how I go about joining your organization,” he said.
Okay. Progress. Now I finally understood I was supposed to be making the sale. So I then asked if he was a shooting sports wholesaler, manufacturer, importer, member of the media or sales representative for shooting sports products.
“Shooting what?” He asked. Still thinking I might make a membership sale I continued, “Sir, you’ve called the person responsible for managing the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers. We support companies in the shooting sports arena, particularly wholesalers who buy products from various manufacturers and warehouse them. These wholesalers in turn sell the products to thousands of retail outlets. We’re an important part of the shooting sports market.”
Yet another long pause from my mystery caller.
“So,” I continued, with annoyance creeping in, “Are you a company that fits this background who’d like to join?”
“I sell t-shirts and other soccer goods,” he finally says, “Why would I join a shooting sports group?” “Sir, I’m not sure. You called me.”
Now my mystery caller was offended. “Well, if you’re not going to help me, I’m going to just go elsewhere. Goodbye.” He hung up. Loudly.
And that was it. Here was a guy who didn’t know his audience. Didn’t know what he wanted nor how to close it. And to top it off, he was rude. Just a hunch, but I’m thinking he may have a real hard time selling t-shirts and soccer goods. Sometimes we learn best by knowing what “not” to emulate.
Now I know goofy sales calls were not the norm at the 2017 NASGW Expo and Annual Meeting in San Antonio. In fact, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive about the show and the location. So a big thank you to all who attended and exhibited at the show. It was by all counts and measures, another successful event. Plus, we’re already well on our way to filling the show floor in Pittsburgh for 2018. I am humbled and exceptionally grateful for the incredible support you continue to put in the NASGW and our annual event. We’ll continue to make it a show where you can do great things for your business. A special thank you to all of our sponsors and a big congratulations to this year’s Leadership Award and Caliber Award winners. You deserve it!
As Thanksgiving approaches, I’m reminded about all the wonderful blessings we have and the wonderful ways that NASGW continues to grow and prosper… it’s all because of you, our members. So thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
Until next time,
Kenyon Gleason
NASGW President