Notre Dame star linebacker Manti Te’o was recently caught in (what I can only guess was) an embarrassing situation. His tragically deceased girlfriend was not only imaginary, but impersonated by a man.
Admittedly, I am not familiar with all of the details of this torrid story, but I initially felt pity for Manti. I mean, how sad is it that a young man of his stature, position and Hawaiian good looks is reduced to having a relationship with an imaginary person?
Then, I thought, how many times have I imagined that prospects are waiting by the phone for me to call…only to have the line ring to voice mail – for the fifth time?
Or, how many times have I imagined we had no competition…only to find out the prospect chose $#%&!!# instead of Prospecto?
Or, how many times have I imagined that we are the perfect fit for a company, and that there’s no way they can say no to my proposal…only to never hear from them again?
Why do we, as salespeople, do that? We know what the reality is: that prospects are busy doing something other than waiting for us to call; that the world is full of competitors; and that our proposals are sometimes sub-par in comparison with other offers – from our competitors – and we will never know why.
I think it’s because we have hope in our own reality. We have to. We have to hope that someone is awaiting our call. Because they are. That our competitors will go out of business. Because they will. That our proposal will be irresistible. Because sometimes, it is. Or else how could we come to work everyday?
Maybe that’s what Manti hoped for: someone who loved him for him, because she couldn’t see him, be with him, or share his spotlight. It was just the two of them, in their own reality.
How’s your reality today?
