How long do you wait for an appointment?
Early on in my sales career, I was taught to be kept waiting in a lobby beyond 15-20 minutes is rude. If you choose to remain in the lobby waiting, it appears to the executive, for whom you wish to wait, that you have nothing better to do. Therefore the execitoves will make you wait longer. I adhered to that rule until…
A few years later, a CIO kept me waiting. While patiently sitting in the lobby, I noticed a magazine entitled CIO. I picked up the magazine to read. The articles spelled out many problems facing CIO’s of the day and provided great insight into how to conduct the conversation once we actually met.
By the time the CIO did meet me in the lobby, about 40 minutes had passed and I was half-way through the magazine. I asked permission to take it home to finish reading. My request was granted. Although it was our initial meeting, I do believe because I took great interest in the problems the CIO faced, the magazine itself and having a fruitful conversation, it was to my amazement I was presented with a request for proposal. That is not the norm for first meetings. My time had been well-spent in the lobby.
Likewise, when it comes to waiting for an interview as a job candidate, the question becomes, how badly do you want the poistion? Is it worth the wait or are there better possibilites out there? Are you able to learn from the brochures or magazines available in the lobby while you wait? Seeking out added information may put you ahead of all the other candidates to hear HIRED!
Looking back, I now believe the advice was ego driven. When we analyze possibilities from both sides, a better decision will be made. And the better decision usually puts you on the wave of the Smooth Sale!
Read Addtional Strategies and Techniques:
INSPIRED Business A New Vision for Building Business and Communities, Motivational Press
Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results, Sourcebooks
HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews, Career Press
