You know what your job is? It's not selling or closing. It's not "making your numbers." Nope, your job is quite simply making people happy. Forget sales systems--this is the easiest and most effective way to bring in the Benjamins. Second graders intuitively want people to be happy. You should genuinely want that, too.
Sadly, I wasn't smart enough to figure this out on my own. Come to think of it, that goes for most things! Nope, a very patient boss taught me this. Most of the bosses I talk about were horrible!!! This one has and does leave a lasting impression on me.
Chris McMurry, the CEO of the company I work for, McMurry, follows the principles of great teachers. He's a servant leader like I outlined in my last post Sweet Revenge. Now don't go thinking its brown nose time, because its not. But the proof is in the pudding: McMurry was named a top five best place to work the fifth year in a row. McMurry also consistently grows. That says something about how employees are treated and a lot of it has to to with simply making them happy.
Like many of us, I used to say, "I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to make money!" Remorseless head hunter and proud of it while at the same time thinking prospects would never see that "internal" side of me. I could turn on the charm, baby! After a few unfortunate internal incidents, Chris sat me down and said, "Your job is to make people happy. Period."
Screw them! What about my needs! I thought. Yes, this was a strech for me. Honestly, it took a few years for me to figure it out (slow learner). Then the magic started to happen. Internal people were happy, it made me happy, and it showed to my prospects. Sales went up. Way up.
Chris isn't just a boss, he's a teacher of happiness. He helped me become one. And you should become one, too. This in no way means we aren't serious about business and don't demand excellence. We do. But you don't have to be boorish either.
Making people happy doesn't mean you have to spend lavishly. Many times, it's the little things. Many times it's simply listening. Most of the time it's just being a positive person and putting things into perspective. Is a meeting really worth getting upset about? Where does it stand in the big picture? As my dad says, "Hey, I'm on this side of the dirt."
Turning your job into making people happy isn't an easy road. You will stumble here and there, you will make mistakes. You will constantly have to work at it. Every now and then you will go back to your "damn the torpedos" ways. But making people happy is the key to your sales happiness. Dedicate yourself and people will be happy you are on "this side of the dirt," too.
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