Small steps, big rewards

I once read a story about a salesman. Vacuum cleaners I think. He was a new salesman learning the ropes of door-to-door sales. He'd practiced his spiel over and over again in front of the mirror. He had all the product specs down cold, and was very personable. He knew that this was the way to make his fortune.

He spent the first several weeks under the tutelage of a more senior salesman. He listened intently as his senior extolled the virtues of the products -- more power, quieter than the competitors, etc. As he listened, he would pick up bits and tips that he could use when he was on his own. He grew more confident with every visit the pair made.

Finally it was time for him to strike out on his own. He approached the first house on the first day. He knocked on the door and greeted the homeowner pleasantly. After a very brief dialog, the homeowner stated that they were not in the market for a new vacuum and he went on his way. The next several houses ended the same way -- "Thank you, but no thanks." He made several more stops that day, and he did finally make a few sales.

This pattern repeated itself several times over the next few days. On occasion he'd get the chance to deliver his pitch, but more often than not, he'd be rebuffed at the door. Maybe this wasn't the job for him, he began to think. In short time, his anticipation of rejection began to show as he approached the doors of his potential clients and his highly polished pitch, soon became just another solicitor interrupting the chores of a busy housewife.

One day, between rejections, he decided to take a break at a local coffee house to try to collect his thoughts and try to figure out what he had gotten himself into. Chance placed his mentor at the same shop that day and the two began to chat about business. The Senior was in jolly spirits and cracking jokes with the waitresses as they walked by. The Junior was complaining about all the rejections and how hard he really had to work to earn his commission for a sale. It would often times take him ten houses just to make one sale. 'That's nine houses where I just waste my time," he complained. He continued for several more minutes while the Senior just sat back and absorbed with a slight hint of a grin.

The Junior finally took notice of the grin and asked the Elder, "How do you do it? I didn't see you making sales at every stop. Doesn't it bother you that you spend all that time for nothing?!"

"You're looking at it all wrong, son," he said. "You're only looking at the final sale as when you get paid. You're only making your $100 commission at one house. That's why you see the other houses as a waste of your time. Me? I see that each of those other nine houses are earning me commission as well -- $10 at a time; I just don't collect until the last house. Even if those nine reject the sale, I'm still making money from them. It's a different way of thinking."

The two finished their coffee, mostly in silence, and went on their way.

As the Junior returned to his territory, he was still thinking about what he had heard. He wasn't sure that he had bought into that philosophy yet. He approached the first house somewhat gloomy. As he began his speech, the homeowner waved him off. Instead of turning in defeat though, he reached out his hand and shook the woman's hand and thanked her. In his mind, he had just made a sale -- one that earned him his $10 commission.

How often do you look only for the big reward? How often do you ignore the deferred benefit, only looking for the immediate and tangible reward? Would your attitude be improved if you took the small gains as a reward in and of themselves? Give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.