A man brushed past my Executive Assistant and came straight into my office. He stood in front of my desk and said, “You don’t remember me.” I said, “That’s funny, I remember all my students.” He said, “I wasn’t your student. 10 years ago I came in here trying to sell you something.” Suddenly, I remembered him.
10 years ago, a man came in trying to sell me something. I felt sorry for him and decided to listen to what he had to say. I hadn’t listened for three minutes before I stopped him and said, “I’m not going to buy anything. But I’m going to coach you on your communication skills. Right now you’re not going to sell anything to anyone.” He smiled ruefully and said, “How did you know? I’m not making any sales, no one’s buying from me.”
He had been looking down a lot while he was talking to me. I said to him, “You need to look people in the eye when you talk to them. Tell me about your product but look me straight in the eye while you’re speaking. Don’t look away.”
It was hard for him. It took about 20 minutes of coaching to get it right. He was smiling when I finished. And said, “Boy, I never expected that when I walked in here!” I said, “You’re welcome.” And, both of us smiling, he left.
Here he was 10 years later, standing in front of my desk. Dressed completely differently, expensively. Smiling, confident, he had the look of success about him.
He said, “That afternoon with you changed my life. I started looking people in the eye when I was talking to them. And they looked back. I really saw them, saw them as a person. And they listened to me. I realized how much I had diminished myself in front of others and how I had lost my confidence. Looking people in the eye gave me so much confidence in myself, it made me believe in myself. I immediately started selling and I’ve become an extremely successful salesman. I’m not with the same company, I’m with another one and I make a lot of money, for them and for my family. My life is completely different, it completely turned around. And I just wanted to come back and thank you.”
I came around my desk and gave him a big hug. I don’t know which one of us was happier at that moment, but I think you could’ve levitated both of us.
You might wonder how one simple thing could change a person‘s life so much, but… most people, even when they look you in the eye, they don’t really see you. Don’t be that person. Look people in the eye and really see them. That simple change will transform everything.
If you want any help with that, I recommend Causative Communication, either in-person or virtual.
Be the cause!