Newsletter: Up in the Air

Up in the air…

I haven’t even arrived in India and three things have happened.

1) I missed my connecting flight in DC. So now that’s added 2 more legs and 6 more hours. That whole “Attitude = 93%” thing is really getting tested. But I tried to get myself into a ZEN place. (I have no clue what that means, but it sounds cool.) Next step, with a big smile and a positive attitude, I asked the gate agent if there was any chance to get a complimentary upgrade from business to first class due to the mishap. She happily obliged, “We’d be happy to take care of you Mr. Costigan.”

Lesson 1: Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. Which also leads to don’t ever be afraid to ask for the sale.

2) It’s always interesting when you’re listening to a 5 minute dissertation in German on the status of a Lufthansa Flight at 33,000 feet while bouncing around the sky in severe turbulence only to hear the translation in English taking less than 30 seconds. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we are experiencing turbulence. Please fasten your seat belts.” It’s like they told all the German people what to do if the plane goes down – where the life rafts are located, the exits signs, all the safety features – you name it, they mentioned it. The English version, “You’re on your own.”

Lesson 2: Don’t use 27 words when 7 will work. The more words you use, the more it sounds like a sales call. “Just the facts Ma’am,” as Sergeant Joe Friday says in the old detective show Dragnet.

3) While sitting in my home airport waiting to depart to the other side of the world, I ran into another road warrior sales person. The conversation turns to business and after 20 minutes, we discuss sales training, where – here’s the fun part – he says he’s using this guy named John Costigan but hasn’t really taken his stuff to task. He asks me if I know him. I said “Yes, I’ve heard of him. Tell me what you don’t like about him?” This now gets good. He references some things that don’t fit his style and he goes on and on. Finally after another 20 minutes goes by, he asks for my card since his plane is departing. I say, “Sure,” and when I hand it to him, the look on his face was priceless. “Wow, did I put my foot in my mouth or what?” I told him I had fun just listening.

Lesson 3: God gave you 1 mouth and 2 ears for a reason. Always listen twice as much as you speak.

Good selling!

- John