alls well that ends well

I’m not very good at sales. During high school, I worked in retail for less than 30 days total because I couldn’t bring myself to ask people if they wanted to open a (enter store name) credit card. I didn’t mind the conversations with women as they waited for an open dressing room, I didn’t mind that one client who tried on every possible outfit arrangement available in the store for her first meeting with her boyfriend’s parents. I’ve never minded cultivating relationships, whether big or small.

That is something that I excel at. I’m generally interested in people’s lives and thoughts. Which is why I’ve always wanted to be rooted in industries that involve a lot of human interaction and encourages the development of stronger relationships and creative synergy. I never thought that within that, I’d find my way back to sales.

I spent last week in LA, meeting with potential clients for our firm. I traveled with my superior and our goal was to sell these emerging designers on

gorgeous double rainbow at sunset on my last night in LA.

our PR and marketing prowess. Saying that it made me uncomfortable is a gross understatement. I believe in my skills and my ability, but I don’t believe in selling them because I believe in strong relationships more. I believe that the most fruitful unions are those in which both parties inspire each other.

I had a lot of nervous energy built before the first meeting. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go or what I was going to say. In the first five minutes, I over compensated for my lack of conversational direction by laughing a little louder (and if you know me, that seems impossible) and by asking a lot of unnecessary questions. It kind of went on like that….for an hour. I couldn’t find my groove, I couldn’t connect my ideas to his visions. It just went about as awful as anything could ever go.

We left. I walked away feeling so defeated. I got in my rental car and sat. That pit of regret and embarrassment that plants itself into your body just grew. And I let it. I just let it grow while I sat in the car listening to a DJ that was unfamiliar to me talk about his incredible lunch.

And then an impulse shot through my system that I didn’t resist. I picked up my phone, texted the client (super professional, I know) apologized for being off and asked if we could meet again later that night for dinner. He immediately agreed and relief washed over me. I drove back to my hotel, took a shower, re-did my hair, and changed my outfit. I needed to wash away the feeling of the afternoon and transform into a different more capable person that night.

This time, before stepping outside, I gave myself a pep-talk. I rid myself of anxious energy and told myself to approach this like I was meeting a new friend. This worked for me. I shifted the focus from needing his business to wanting to be around his spirit. Towards the middle of the conversation, I realized that I truly wanted to support this client and I honestly wanted to help make his dreams come true. Everything went smoothly after that. We connected, we began to share a vision and this time I left feeling like a winner.

While securing the client is a major highlight and warrants a lot of excitement within my firm; personally, my excitement sincerely stems from the privilege of being able to work with him and from making a new friend. That’s a lesson that I learned through this experience. Events and meetings in our lives are structured to go a particular way, and sometimes that works for some people, but if it doesn’t work for you, don’t shy away from finding an alternate methodology.

I will always focus on building relationships because it’s evident that sales has never and will never be my forte. I just hope that from here on forward, I’ll always be able to connect from the heart. I guess time will only continue to tell.

Until next time, xoxo friends.