(Audio version here)

Last week, I criticized a young, corporate recruiter for slandering salesmen on his blog. Well, he got in touch with me because he didn't like hearing me say his philosophy is well suited to cult members and cream puffs but not strong women and real men.

And you know what that means? That even after listening this little punk still didn't get it. So I'm going to have to teach him another lesson, today. And, I'm going to start by telling him -- and you -- about a conversation I had with Maureen Sharib at the end of last week's show. Maureen, as you might know, is the Queen Bee of Telephone Sourcing and she was telling me how a sourcer will call a stranger inside a company to ask for information.

Sometimes the person you're talking to won't know the exact information you're asking for but you know she does have some information that can help you so you have to coach her then and there on how to give you what you need. For instance, you might ask for the Director of Strategic Sourcing and she says, "Oh we don't have one of those". So you say, "Well, do you have a Director of Procurement?" And she says, "Gee, I don't know."

My point is that this person might be busy so she might get impatient and Maureen was telling me that she can hear the impatience in that other person's voice. But here's what I want to point out. She's not afraid of it. It doesn't scare her. She's not thinking, "I'm afraid because this person is getting mad at me." She's not thinking, "If she gets angry the sky is going to fall down." She's not thinking, "If she gets mad and hangs up before I get what I need this search is going to be shot to hell and everyone's going to be mad at me and I won't be able to earn a living and I'm going to lose my house and that's going to be a total disaster."

No, Maureen doesn't think those things. And you know why? Because Maureen has the heart of a salesman. She doesn't feel any fear. And that's what separates her from everybody else. She isn't afraid of other people. And that's what I was trying to say last week when I was defending salesmen against the slander of that lily-livered, corporate man.

A salesman is someone who goes out among strangers and tries to get them to do what he wants. And if you're going to do that, you can't be afraid of other people's thoughts and feelings. You have to see them as facts, not threats. They're neutral facts you have to work with, not something you have to run from.

And you know, recruiters and sourcers, last week Maureen and I we were also talking about a famous song called, "Viva Las Vegas". It's a terrific song with fantastic lyrics, and I want you to listen to this verse.

"There's blackjack, poker and a roulette wheel
"A fortune won and lost on every deal.
"All you need's a strong heart and nerves of steel.

Maureen Sharib has nerves of steel. Real salesmen have nerves of steel. They're ready to ask people for things those people don't want to give -- and they don't care. If you don't like them that's just too bad. They see a negative reaction as an opportunity to turn you around. And that's more personal power than most of us can ever imagine having.

Me, personally, I'm a Clark Kent. These guys, they're supermen. They're unstoppable. And, that, Mr Corporate Recruiter, is the kind of person I want to be and if you understand what I'm saying, you should want it too.

In Defence of Salesmen, Part 1

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