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The show Duck Dynasty debuted in March of 2012. It starred a family of Louisiana natives who revolutionized the way people duck hunt along with some pretty hysterical hijinks done by the brothers. And who could ever forget Uncle Si? This show was an instant hit with viewers. It did not consist of your average show you see today, packed with profanity and drama.. No, this show was a wholesome good family show that you could sit and watch with your kids. It had pranks and funny stories. At the end of every episode, you would see a family sit down and give thanks for what they have in this world. Now, I am not going to sit here and rant about how awesome this show is, but I am going to rant about how Willie Robertson took an idea that his dad Phil Robertson had and turned it into a multi-million dollar industry for their product and a hit TV show.
Duck Dynasty
Phil Robertson, or the “ Michael Jordan of Duck Hunting” as Willie called him, started making duck calls in a small shed at what is now called Duck Commander. He created a duck call that every duck hunter wanted to have. Willie, who was the entrepreneur in this situation, saw this as an opportunity to take this invention and take it to the next level. He knew what his dad had and what opportunity this would present to his family. So, Willie decided to further his education and become a businessman. He attended Harding University where he received his degree. He then took that degree and applied it to his family’s business. Willie grew the company in no time with the help of his family and close employees. His brothers Jace and Jep and his Uncle Silas worked in the warehouse building. They desiged these duck calls, and distributed them to local sporting stores. The one thing that I took away from Willie Robertson was in an episode where he flew out with Phil to a major sporting goods store who carried the Duck Commander products and wanted more. When Willie said, “ How much more?” He replied, “ A lot more than what you are doing now.” He said to Willie, “ Willie, you have a great product.” Willie’s response was simple, confident, and firm: “ I know that.” That right there stuck out to me as a salesman. It was his confidence that led me to think this guy is so legit that he got this massive order that will catapult his business even more using three simple words. In this article, I assure you I am not going to talk about the show or the life and tribulations of the Robertson Family ( even though they are awesome ). I am going to talk about how having confidence in your sales pitch and sometimes talking to much about your product can actually talk yourself out of a deal. So, after that very long intro, let’s get started.
Confidence is Key
In anything you do, whether it is working out, martial arts, sales, or making duck calls, you have to be confident in your craft. Now, when it comes to sales it is very important to be confident, but not arrogant, because arrogance can cost you big time. I have seen it happen first hand. A guy walked into a retail shop I was working in, and another sales rep who had just started took the lead. The news sales rep walked right up to the guy with his chest puffed out. He acted like he knew everything, and that he could sell the guy a ketchup popsicle. I watched from a distance as the customer’s patience got shorter and shorter by the second, because he could tell this was arrogance not confidence. Needless to say the sale did not happen, and the sales rep came back to me with his head held low and discouraged. He asked me, “ What did I do wrong? I was positive he was going to buy something.” I looked at him and said, “ Do you want the honest truth, or do you want me to sugarcoat it?” he said he wanted honesty, so I told him he was too arrogant and not confident. He looked at me startled, in many ways angry, and said, “ Well, they are the same thing.” I told him, “ No, they are not the same thing at all.”
Arrogance v. Confidence
When you are confident a customer sees it and feels it. They know that they are getting a sales rep that is confident in their product. Now, when it comes to arrogance, there is a big difference. You give off the aura that you are a know-it-all and nothing the customer says will actually stick with you, because the only thing you are worried about is making the sale and then off to the next one. The customer needs to know that you have their best interest at heart and that you want them to buy the product not for your personal gain, but because they want you to have the personal gain. This to me is the difference between confidence and arrogance. When Willie looked his buyer in the eye and said to him, “I know that,” that was not an indication of arrogance. That was pure confidence because he knew what his family built, and what his dad had accomplished with this duck call. What do you think happened in the rest of that episode? Well, the guys in the warehouse had their fun fulfilling a multi-million dollar order, because the buyer saw the confidence in Willie. The buyer knew that he was getting a premium product, and he had the confidence to fulfill it. When you are dealing with someone who has an arrogance issue the best advice I can give you is to be patient, but also watch them with the customer. As bad as it may sound, watch them fall, but be there to pick them up to teach them the right way. Not everyone is cut out to be a sales rep, and that is just the truth. You need a particular set of skills that you can read in previous articles I have written
Be Confident
In conclusion, the idea behind making a big sale or even a small sale, (because those add up) is confidence. Be confident in your approach, be confident when speaking about your product, and above all else be humble if they tell you no. Understand that you did everything the way you were supposed to, and you went into the sale confident in your ability to close it. You are not going to hit a home run every time, but when you do, oh man is it a wonderful feeling! You are through the roof and nothing tops that, except maybe a good juicy steak. But if you are not familiar with the show Duck Dynasty I highly recommend it. It can give you a lot of helpful and useful tools in sales and entrepreneurship, not to mention it is a great show you can watch with the whole family. Thank you again, and see you next time.
