Ups and Downs

Today has been one of those days. I kept pretty busy with work, sending emails, making phone calls, thinking. I made some significant progress with one of my prospects and then found out another is going in a different direction. That news put a vail of blah on the day. It threw me for a loop. I think they are making a mistake, not because it means I lost a possible sale, but I truly believe that the product I hawk on a daily basis will significantly help this failing company. The question is, how do I communicate that with them without sounding desperate and without sounding like a salesguy.

I think that's the difference maturity brings. Ten years ago, I would have been angry because I lost a sale, which meant I lost commission. I would have thought, 'screw them. If they can't see what I have will help them, they can figure it out the hard way.' Maybe I wouldn't have been that angry, but I would have gone to that emotion first. And I'd be lying if I said that losing commission doesn't stink. It does.

But over the years, I have learned that you can get personally attached to your job and when people reject the product, it feels like a personal rejection. Maybe I did something wrong, maybe I could have said something different, maybe losing the sale was because of me. One of the ladies who works for the company I worked with on this project was clearly upset that they were going in another direction. I could hear it in her voice. The frustration, the knowing her company was making a wrong decision. If it were up to her, they'd go with our product; they'd go with me.

Life is full of ups and downs. Isn't that something I should have already understood?