Take it personally!

When you’re passionate about what you do, you’re well within your rights to take it personally when someone lets you down.

I invest most of my time during the week into growing and developing my business, which often spills over into the wee hours and weekends. If you’re anything like me, business is not just a job; it represents a significant part of who we are as individuals.

As salespeople we can meet customers who lack a genuine passion for what they do. They don’t have a duty of care to honour vendor relationships and frankly couldn’t care less about you. Their core purpose every week is to simply grind it through with their sanity intact.

I take it personally when a customer lets me down or breaks their promise. I devote not just my time but a significant portion of me into every opportunity.

If a customer is willing to take your precious time in providing them with valuable insights or a customised proposal, and then can’t even take 30 seconds from their day to respond or cut you loose, this says a lot about their character. And you’re probably better off without these types of customers.

I take it personally, and that’s exactly what I look for in high-performing salespeople. These people work with passion and sprinkle themselves into all of their activities. They work hard and expect high standards from others. There’s nothing wrong with that. Don’t let a passionless customer impact your attitude and determine your behaviour. You’re better than that!

If you’re going to invest a hefty percentage of your life into a chosen field, for goodness’ sake, take it personally! And when a customer lets you down, don’t fester in it, simply move on and contribute to someone else who deserves it.

Trent Leyshan is the founder and CEO of BOOM Sales! a leading sales training and sales development specialist. He is also the creator of The NAKED Salesman, BOOMOLOGY! RetroService, and the Empathy Selling Process.