Every single day, without fail, we’ll get a call from our squid supplier at the restaurant. Our phone calls go something like this:
“Hi, this is your squid supplier calling. Do you need any squid today?”
“Hold on one second as I ask the staff.”
When the answer is no, the call ends with a quick thank you. When the answer is yes, we let them know how many boxes we need.
Yesterday I finally asked my mom, “Why do these people call every day even when you don’t need their stuff?”
To which she replied, “These are my favourite salespeople.”
I was surprised.
“These salespeople are incredible. They always want to be the first one to call every day, because they know you need their stuff eventually. Even though it might not always be the right time, they want to catch you when it is the right time. This is how they get our business often.”
As someone who has very little formal business background, this was the greatest sales lesson I’ve felt.
It’s normal to be told no in a position of sales. Although if you come back again at a time that is appropriate, things just might work out.
Anna's Blog 