Feeling 10 Feet Tall and Bulletproof

I have eclectic music tastes, which range from Springsteen to Buffett (Jimmy, not Warren) to Methany to Ma to McFerrin depending on my mood. The presets in my car are a reflection of that. One of them is set to Country. In general, I like country. In short spurts, I love country. If you are a nonbeliever, listen to Trace Adkins’ “Songs About Me” and see if that doesn’t change your mind.

Then there’s Tritt Travis’ song, “10 Feet Tall and Bulletproof.” It’s about a cowboy who drinks some, um, magic potion and takes on a confidence that has him dancing and fighting—two things we assume he wouldn’t ordinarily do, but he ends up being successful at both.

Imagine if your fears were gone. For a sales rep, that might mean doing cold calling (the equivalent of asking a pretty girl to dance). No fears. No trepidation. No hesitation. All gone. In their place: confidence, success and safety.

I would have to say that if that magic potion were replaced with truth serum and I asked the sales cowboys and cowgirls my favorite question—“Why aren’t you selling more?—the number one answer would probably be fear. Fear is a great inhibitor. We are afraid of rejection. We are afraid of failure. We are afraid to make mistakes. All because we are human.

The superhuman does not have these fears. He/she sells without the restrictions of self-imposed limitations. Whether it’s from naïveté or stupidity—or even recklessness—phone calls are made and appointments are sought, all without the fears that mere mortals possess.

Magic Sales Elixir—if I had some, I’d bottle it and sell it on my website. I’d probably make enough money to job out blog writing to a ghost writer in the Far East. But I don’t, so I have to crank out a few hundred words every Tuesday. Sigh.