An excerpt from The Red Chair Experience: Get your signed copy here or if you want the digital copy or live outside of the U.S. get your copy here.
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
Being in sales, as an ambassador of information, this quote may dishearten you. You want to make sure that the message is getting across to your customer. Yet, they may be thinking of nothing more than how you made them feel after you have gone and cannot remember what you said or did while you were in their presence. This too is part of your “job” when you are in sales. You think your job is to always “sell” someone on the ideas, products, or services that you and your company provide. But maybe you are there to make someone feel good and that is what makes them use you and your company, products, or services. Are you aware when this happens? Can you tell when someone needs you to support them, or say what they need to hear to be comforted and feel better than they did prior to you coming into their life? This can help you be a better person and a better salesperson. I had opportunities over the years, during sales calls, to meet people and become friends and we are still friends to this day. They never forgot how I made them feel.
Working at Habitat
Do you do this with your employees, coworkers, family members, etcetera? Some of us are concerned about the legacy that we will build or are building. Some of us are not even thinking about it and are building a tremendous legacy with our circle of influence.
One of my daughters is a school teacher. Her husband is a firefighter. They have been building a legacy and they may or may not know it. Impacting their circle of influence and the way that they get to make an impression on people, know and unknown to them, is pretty amazing. I do not think that either one of them said I want to build this type of legacy, but they did say that they wanted to help change the world that they lived in. They get to make an impression everyday.
You do not have to be a teacher or a firefighter to make an impression. All you need to do is be you, the best version of you. You may get the chance to help out a friend or a stranger today, that makes an impression. This video reminds me of how the impression we make can have such a ripple effect without our knowledge.
Today, I will find ways to leave a positive lasting impression, one that makes more than a sale and may lead to a long-term friendship.
What kind of an impact do you want to make? Let's find out with a discovery call today, click here to get on my calendar!