This morning, I was having a discussion regarding some procedure at work. Just as I was giving my 2 cents worth, the door was literally shut in my face. Intentional or not, there is just no going past this incident.
*****
I consider myself to be a bit on the quiet side. I don't like giving my opinions unsolicited, and when I do I try to be very careful in what I say, lest I offend or irritate someone. I was never the first person to raise my hand in class, and I am not one for lengthy speeches and drama. I disdain all manner of grandstanding, preferring to keep to the sidelines and not stand out like a sore thumb in a crowd.
But when someone asks me what I think, I expect them to listen. This doesn't mean that they have to agree with what I say or change their minds on my account, just give me due attention and try to respect my opinion and beliefs.
*****
Naturally, I was pissed off all morning. Well to be honest, I'm still pissed. That was just a rude thing to do to anyone. When I was a child, I'd get a good whack to my bottom just for turning my back on my parents. And in school, you'd get a chalk-board eraser missile cruising towards you at warp speed for simply not paying attention. Why isn't this general knowledge?
Could it be because I belong in the selling industry? Unlike some professions, sales is something that is intristically human. You have to get out there, listen to your client, see the expression on his face, get in their head and appeal to whatever value system they have in place. It's not about how many flattering words you could put out there about what you are selling, rather it is how you choose to present your product according to what matters to the other guy.
Another thing about the sales profession, there is no bigger failure than to have the door closed in your face. Why do you think those door-to-door guys wedge their foot in the door?
*****
In the end, I know this shouldn't matter as much in a professional sense. We get used to being rejected during our lifetime, with little or no consequence to how we perceive ourselves. It's the manner of how we are rejected and dismissed that strikes a chord in us. And on this occasion, it stings like hell.
*****
I consider myself to be a bit on the quiet side. I don't like giving my opinions unsolicited, and when I do I try to be very careful in what I say, lest I offend or irritate someone. I was never the first person to raise my hand in class, and I am not one for lengthy speeches and drama. I disdain all manner of grandstanding, preferring to keep to the sidelines and not stand out like a sore thumb in a crowd.
But when someone asks me what I think, I expect them to listen. This doesn't mean that they have to agree with what I say or change their minds on my account, just give me due attention and try to respect my opinion and beliefs.
*****
Naturally, I was pissed off all morning. Well to be honest, I'm still pissed. That was just a rude thing to do to anyone. When I was a child, I'd get a good whack to my bottom just for turning my back on my parents. And in school, you'd get a chalk-board eraser missile cruising towards you at warp speed for simply not paying attention. Why isn't this general knowledge?
Could it be because I belong in the selling industry? Unlike some professions, sales is something that is intristically human. You have to get out there, listen to your client, see the expression on his face, get in their head and appeal to whatever value system they have in place. It's not about how many flattering words you could put out there about what you are selling, rather it is how you choose to present your product according to what matters to the other guy.
Another thing about the sales profession, there is no bigger failure than to have the door closed in your face. Why do you think those door-to-door guys wedge their foot in the door?
*****
In the end, I know this shouldn't matter as much in a professional sense. We get used to being rejected during our lifetime, with little or no consequence to how we perceive ourselves. It's the manner of how we are rejected and dismissed that strikes a chord in us. And on this occasion, it stings like hell.
