‘How I Met Your Mother’ was a cult series, cleverly produced to ensure a second wave of popularity about 15 years from now when we get swept up in the tidal wave of nostalgia for everything to do with the first decade of the 21st century. Although I enjoyed watching it when it was on, I was never a devoted fan. But the other night while eating dinner, I had the TV on, and an episode came on that caused me to have a revelation. It wasn’t a tear-jerker or an episode that made me think “Woah- story of my life!”. But the basic message behind it was how an unstoppable conviction that we will succeed can have a massive flow-on effect to our fortunes…
*SPOILER ALERT*
So in this episode, Ted (the main character) goes out to dinner at the restaurant of a fancy hotel with his friend Barney and also Robyn- an ex flame he still has undeniable feelings for. She is tall, dark and beautiful- and a newsreader on New York City’s biggest TV network. This would be an enjoyable evening for Ted, but for one fact- Robyn is bringing a date- a handsome news reporter that Ted would normally love taking the piss out of. To ease the awkwardness of the situation, Barney sets Ted up with a date for the night- and then informs Ted that the girl in question is an escort. Ted is reluctant to go through with it and mad at Barney for setting him up with a prostitute- because Ted “isn’t that kind of guy”. But Barney calms Ted down and convinces him to look on the bright side- it’ll put Robyn on guard and for Ted, what’s the worst that could happen? If he wants to sleep with this girl, it’s a sure thing! Then Ted meets his ‘date’ for the night- a gorgeous blonde- and decides he’ll go through with it, go to dinner with her and make fun out of it. Barney is right- what’s to lose?
As the night goes on, Ted soon discovers that he really ‘clicks’ with this girl. He openly flirts with her and pulls out all stops in charming his beautiful companion, knowing that he won’t get knocked back. He can’t believe how much he actually likes her, even without the intention of sleeping with her. Yet sure enough, it turns out there’s real chemistry between them. Not only that- she also has a swipe card for one of the rooms upstairs. This is at the same time that Ted’s open flirting with her finally gets to Robyn. She makes a scene by leaving with her date, saying she’s keen to go back to his apartment. Ted battles with his conscience, the unexpected feelings he has for his new acquaintance and the alcohol he’s drunk, but he ends up walking her upstairs, lingering just outside the door to her room…
It then cuts back downstairs. Barney sits at the deserted table, laughing at the chaos he’s created. Then suddenly, Robyn re-appears. She tells Barney she wasn’t really interested in sleeping with the handsome news anchor and that "she just wanted to make Ted jealous”. Ted then re-appears also, traipsing down the stairs. He says he “couldn’t do it”- he couldn’t sleep with a woman who was paid for. That “he only did it to make Robyn jealous”.
Then Barney drops the bombshell: that girl Ted just turned down, after charming her all night? She was not a prostitute!
She was a girl Barney knew from the apartment block he lived in, who works as a paralegal. He set her up with Ted and told him she was an escort to prove a point- that when Ted fully believed he was a sure thing with a girl- and acted on that belief- he won her over in a single night!
Watching this, I reflected on how differently girls responded to me once I’d stopped worrying and changed my attitude- then it hit me like a white hot flash of lightening:
As the night goes on, Ted soon discovers that he really ‘clicks’ with this girl. He openly flirts with her and pulls out all stops in charming his beautiful companion, knowing that he won’t get knocked back. He can’t believe how much he actually likes her, even without the intention of sleeping with her. Yet sure enough, it turns out there’s real chemistry between them. Not only that- she also has a swipe card for one of the rooms upstairs. This is at the same time that Ted’s open flirting with her finally gets to Robyn. She makes a scene by leaving with her date, saying she’s keen to go back to his apartment. Ted battles with his conscience, the unexpected feelings he has for his new acquaintance and the alcohol he’s drunk, but he ends up walking her upstairs, lingering just outside the door to her room…
It then cuts back downstairs. Barney sits at the deserted table, laughing at the chaos he’s created. Then suddenly, Robyn re-appears. She tells Barney she wasn’t really interested in sleeping with the handsome news anchor and that "she just wanted to make Ted jealous”. Ted then re-appears also, traipsing down the stairs. He says he “couldn’t do it”- he couldn’t sleep with a woman who was paid for. That “he only did it to make Robyn jealous”.
Then Barney drops the bombshell: that girl Ted just turned down, after charming her all night? She was not a prostitute!
She was a girl Barney knew from the apartment block he lived in, who works as a paralegal. He set her up with Ted and told him she was an escort to prove a point- that when Ted fully believed he was a sure thing with a girl- and acted on that belief- he won her over in a single night!
Watching this, I reflected on how differently girls responded to me once I’d stopped worrying and changed my attitude- then it hit me like a white hot flash of lightening:
The same principle applies whenever we’re selling to a potential customer!
The starting block, the foundation to making the sale, delivering that knockout presentation that leaves them hanging on, to converting that potential customer from “Show me your credentials” to “Shut up and take my money!”- it’s the belief, the conviction- that we’ve got what it takes. It won’t just reflect in the words that you say- it’ll manifest in how you talk, how you hold yourself, how you express yourself, how you look at them. You will still get lukewarm responses and outright rejection, but instead of worrying about how you blew it, you know- it’s their loss. Onto the next one.
If you want an army of potential clients to back you, first of all you must back yourself. That alone will make a huge impact on your ratio of ‘Fail’ to ‘SALE!’
If you want an army of potential clients to back you, first of all you must back yourself. That alone will make a huge impact on your ratio of ‘Fail’ to ‘SALE!’