I’ve been allergic to grass pollen since the tender age of 11 and since we moved to the country 15 years’ ago it strikes me down every spring. My eyes itch, I sneeze uncontrollably and touching grass brings me out in a rash.
So I dose up on diphenhydramine pills and avoid grass on my bare skin. And on bad days I stay indoors during the morning and evening when pollen is at its worse.
And did you know that quite a few salespeople have allergies. Not pollen but to the word “no”
That’s right; some salespeople are allergic to the word “no”. It comes from our upbringing as the word “no” meant you might have upset someone or were inconsiderate.
So they do whatever they can to avoid the word “no” from customers. So they:
- Refrain from closing and dance around when the customer should be making a decision.
- Are reticent to handle reservations or issues that cause the customer discomfort. We used to call this objection handling. Instead they let the sale drift.
- Won’t warm call existing customers to avoid “no”
- Are uncomfortable to chase up proposals or to follow up prospecting calls in case they get “no”.
- Yearn to be liked too much to avoid “no”
Naturally salespeople vary in their degrees of this allergy but if you find yourself with a mild dose, then take some medicine to deal with it. And by recognising it in the first place is often enough to handle the aversion.
Now I hear in the paper this morning that my diphenhydramine pill can give me early signs of dementia, what am I going to do? I hear locally produced honey does the job, any ideas?
