I went shopping with Nancy yesterday and as we walked through a large, well-known Department Store at Park Meadows Mall, an incongruity struck me. There were two very well dressed salesmen in the Women’s shoe department looking to help women by shoes. These two men were wearing $1,000 suits and their shoes were worn, scuffed and had obviously not been shined in some time.
They were selling shoes and (forgive the pun
they were not putting their best foot forward. When people buy, they want to know that the person they are buying from is an expert and someone who cares about the product or service they are selling. If I am selling shoes and my shoes are not shined, what does that say about my passion for shoes?
What about in your world, are you staying up to date on trends and news that will affect your customers? Are you polishing your skills (shoes)? If you are not I can almost assure you your buyer can tell and it will influence their decision.
I am not bragging here but I am sharing how paranoid I am that the other person might get an edge. I have been in my business for over two decades. I still read 3 paper magazines on my clients business, I read 6- 8 books a year on selling and I subscribe to 5 newsletters about my business and my customers business. Why, because I want to be fluent in the issues and concerns they are facing so that I can put my best foot forward.
How are you polishing your skills?
Hi John,
Great points. Whether is be “polishing our shoes” or “sharpening the saw” we need to continue to work on ourselves. People who get ahead are not afraid to improve themselves. Or maybe I should say that these people realize that they didn’t leave their mother’s womb fully formed! While we spend our early years soaking up all kinds of knowledge and information from everyone around us we sometimes consciously or unconsciously stop learning. There is so much more to being successful than just showing up. We need to take action to make ourselves better.
Thanks for the great reminder….
Dave