Do You Have To Be A Jerk To Succeed?
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I think this guy is joking.
But I’m not sure.
Although I was laughing through this whole video, I couldn’t disagree with him more.
What is funny is that this is a picture-perfect example of how some blow-hards in the industry like to train their organizations. They rally the troops into a recruiting frenzy, equip them with just enough attitude to come off as rude, and then unleash them on an unsuspecting populace.
I was at an event with a company, and got to see a scenario like this actually play out first-hand.
It was in a hotel, and it was one of the “motivational” events where MLM companies really fire up their reps.
This woman came out of the conference room and floated over the the front desk of the hotel. I was standing about 10 feet away in the lobby, waiting to meet a friend.
The woman went straight over to the front desk, and started asking some really personal questions to the front desk lady. The distributor began asking her about her income level, if she was open to a new opportunity, and then began pitching her.
During this time, a couple of people started lining up behind the woman, waiting to speak with the receptionist to get checked in. Obvlivious, the distributor proceeded with her pitch.
The clearly dis-interested receptionist politely listened, growing more uncomfortable as the waiting line grew to 3 people, then 4, then 5.
Finally, she interrupted the distributor mid-sentence, told her she would need to step aside, and that she had no interest at all in her opportunity.
Ouch.
Not only was this totally unnecessary, but also very embarrassing for the distributor.
There is simply no subsitute for good technique and proper mindset.
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Erin
1
November 4, 2008, 8:14 am
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TopI think that some people just need to learn how to approach people with finesse. You can’t just be such a jerk because you will not be able to get the desired result. It goes back to that whole “you get more flies with honey” addage that our moms used to tell us!
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Marie-Jeanne
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November 4, 2008, 8:27 am
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TopThe video was entertaining exagerating the facts but quite trus. I have been hired by a multi-national chain for weight loss and I have been trained (& paid) during a month to learn to lie to people and brainwash them into taking their money. At least if I was selling something really that is working and useful … I had to quit the job.
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michelle
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November 4, 2008, 1:27 pm
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TopIf he is really an actor, then he needs to quit his day job. I thought he did a horrible job with that video. However, I do agree that it seems jerks go far in this world and nice people tend to have more stress to deal with.
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Dylan
4
November 5, 2008, 10:47 am
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TopI’ve always struggled in my sales to know when it’s appropriate to push hard for the close and use what some would call “psychological manipulation” to help people make a decision. I believe this is a problem all salespeople face.
No matter what you’re marketing, though, it turns out that the amount of jerkyness (in the pushy used car salesman sense of the word) you take on is determined by your belief in what you’re doing:
+ Belief in your products and services – are you bringing real value to your customers?
+ Belief in your market – which lives are you trying to change and why?
+ Belief in yourself – are you confident in your ability to make a measurable impact on the world?
If those three beliefs are solidly in place, then you won’t have to worry about acting like a leader in order to get a sale — you’ll actually BE a leader.
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C. Spencer
5
November 5, 2008, 2:48 pm
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TopThis is hmm… not sure how I felt about this video. Laughed yes, but I don’t get his point. I used to be in “sales” for many years and saw people run for cover… not I “market” and craft effective messages that are relevant and anticipated by the audience that is already searching for what I have to offer and things are a heck of a lot easier.