Captain Chilidip

on May 22 in Devotions by al about sales

Perhaps it was the college graduates decked in cap and gown smiling for the camera.  Possibly it was the few holes of PGA Golf that was airing, and I soaked in later that afternoon.   More than likely, it was the combination that sent me reeling down memory lane.  Lost in thought for a moment, I was back in my college years, playing a round of golf with my roommates.

As one memory often triggers another, so it was.  I was now thinking of an incident that transpired one golfing afternoon.  There was a well kept course near campus with affordable green fees, thus received tremendous play.  Rounds were often slow as groups were stacked upon each other.

On one such day, the green was clearing and our group was just finished making approach shots from the bend of a par 4 dogleg left, water hazard left, and pin placement left, challenging hole.  We waved to the group behind, signaling that we were clear and they could now tee off.

We watched as one in the group hit a blistering drive with what seemed to be the right amount of hook.  The ball landed hard in the bend, and took a bounce left around the dogleg.  Great shot it appeared, but had just a little too much steam, little too much hook as it raced low and hard into the weeds, and splash, in the water.

On our the way to the next tee, which was parallel to the previous hole, we saw the guy looking for his ball.  We shared the bad news that his great shot ended up in the drink.  His reply was a curt “No, No, I’m Dry, I’m Dry.”   Before we had a chance to reiterate the fact that no he was indeed wet, he was standing in front of a ball, ready for an approach shot to the green.

I’m not certain if he found someone else’s ball, or rolled one down his pants leg, but I certainly enjoyed what happened next.  He chili dipped the shot, sending the ball straight up in the air and landing only about five yards ahead.  Ironically the ball landed in the same area, leaving him with the same stroke count, as if he had simply accepted the splash and dropped a new ball.

We found this extremely amusing poetic justice, and dubbed the golfer “Captain Chilidip.”  For quite a while afterwards any time someone parlayed a tale that didn’t seem to fit muster, we’d reply with a response such as “whatever you say  “Captain Chilidip”.   If one of us got called out for something, our reply would be “No, No, I’m Dry I’m Dry”.   No one else got the reference but we enjoyed it, so it stuck for quite a while.

You may be curious how this relates to sales and selling. It attacks the pure foundation of who you are and what you stand for.   In turn this directly relates to how others perceive you, and your testimony of trustworthiness.

I believe there are no short cuts to personal and professional success.  I’m not going down the path of reaping what you sow, but doesn’t it seem that quite a few high fliers have bit the dust in the last few years.  The financial world was rocked and personal fortunes crushed with the Bernie Madoff scandal.  For years he “sold” promises of wealth, that really were just phantom investments built upon the simple Ponzi scheme.

There seems to be a constant flow of fallen idols. Baseball players doing time, not for using banned substances during their career, but for simply “lying” to investigators about it. Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson was ousted very recently, and not for underperforming.  His tenure was short lived due to a line item on his resume and ultimately printed in official security and exchange documents.

One in which stated, that in addition to his accounting degree, he held one in computer science. Since this came to light, he is now gone. Some view it as an excuse to push him out, others as it was an unwarranted reaction to a trivial action.

The fact is he signed off on official documents that the above statements were true, and they simply weren’t.  He just needed to own the error and correct it.  He just needed to fix it before it was published in official documents.

In your sales career, there will be many missteps.  Product delays, failures, circumstances beyond and circumstances in your control that will lead to a lost sale, unhappy customer or both.

Just “own it”.

Don’t pass the blame, don’t create a “no no I’m Dry I’m Dry” tall tale to try and save the day.  Simply humble up, admit the problem, take ownership, and do everything in your power to correct the situation.

You may still lose the sale, you may still lose the customer, but you’ll protect your integrity and today that is something worth coveting.  Over time it will be recognized and I believe you’ll be rewarded for standing tall while taking the hits, but remaining in truth.

My hope is you never be labeled a “Captain Chilidip”

Now go “sell” away.