When I started my career in sales, I went to the barber and got my hair cut short. I had long hair at the time, and I was getting tired of the upkeep. It was also the right timing because, with my new hairdo, I would fit in better with sophisticated decision-makers.
I had this picture in my mind that I would be meeting with highly educated, boardroom people wearing expensive clothes. In my days of wanting to be a rock star, I would never even consider trying to fit in with such a person. But here I was. If I could look like them, act like them, and use big words that I learned from a training course, they would accept me as one of their own.
Stress
It has been said that 85% of what we worry about never happens. Part of the problem is that we tend to overthink. We habitually think about stressful situations when we lay in bed at night, when we first wake up in the morning, and at every quiet moment throughout the day. When we do this, our cortisol kicks in (the stress hormone). A little cortisol from time to time is good. It helps to keep us motivated and lets our brain know to avoid danger. However, cortisol is often too high as a result of the voice in our head.
The Big Day
I got my first sales meeting and made sure I was well dressed and groomed. I was meeting with a man by the name of William. As I’m in the reception area waiting for William to greet me, I see a guy with long hair stop by the receptionist’s desk. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans with holes in the knees. I thought, that guy looks cool. That’s how I used to look! He walked over to me, extended his hand, and said hi I’m Willy. You must be Mike.
We walked to his office, and after we sat down I said, you’re not going to believe this, but a few days ago, you would think I was your twin. I told the whole story, and we had a good laugh about it. I won the business based on the rapport that I was able to build with Willy. He was a great customer.
“Cortisol is often too high as a result of the voice in our head.”
– Michael Tattersall
I was prepared to act like someone that I’m not. It would have been a disaster. Thankfully, I met Willy. He wasn’t the uptight, intimidating man that I imagined him to be. Like most people I’ve met in my sales career, he was a down to earth person that accepts other people as equals.
Have you ever pretended to be someone that you’re not? Share your story on LinkedIn.
