The Wasp

The part of sales, and life in general, I struggle to build a callous for is being told “No.”

I have never liked hearing No. Who does?

At the same time, I have no problem using it and saying it to others. I have a strong command of the word, just don’t put me on the receiving side.

No and I have a very push and pull relationship. It is all give and no take.

With this new sales career, the annoyance of a No has only grown.

It should not define my day, but it does.

A few days ago though, I made a seamless and easy sale. This gentleman knew what he wanted and what he was willing to pay. We came to an agreement quickly. In fact, at the end of the call, after 90-minutes, he even said, “Man, we did good, time-wise.”

“We sure did.”

The only downside of this call: I got stung by a wasp while we were surveying the outside of his home.

This wasp landed on my shoulder and stung me through my shirt. Then, it flew away before I could exact my revenge. Devastating.

“Did he get you?” Asks the 6’4” Marine.

“Yeah, he got me. It’s all good though.” Sure, you are a trained killer, but I’m tough too. Wasps sting me, and I just shrug it off. No. Big. Deal.

It’s just a wasp that stung me through my shirt, and my shoulder is on fire. It’s also 90 degrees and blazing sunny right now.

It’s all good. I’m going to increase my sweat production and pretend my shoulder didn’t just get one of those 4-prong tetanus shots. The charley-horse shot. I definitely do not want to scream obscenities right now.

Let’s continue to talk casually while my shoulder turns into a ball of flames.

Oh, yeah, I am definitely paying attention to you and your needs right now.

Oh, you are spraying the four wasp’s nests and killing them now while I am here. That is great news and perfect timing. You would not want to kill those wasp’s nests before someone was stung. Wait to see if the wasps are aggressive. Then, make the decision to kill them or keep them as pets.

As I drove away, I couldn't help but realize how much I love a Yes and hate a No. If I had to be stung by a wasp four times a day to close each of my appointments, it would be a no brainer for me.

Bring on the wasps.