Howard Gets Rejected
“I was required to make 50 in-person cold calls a day.”
The year was 1979 and it was Howard’s first job out of college. Every day he would choose a new office building, start at the top, and go door-to-door as a salesman for Xerox.
Fifty calls.
Fifty pitches.
Rejection. Rejection. Rejection. Rejection. Rejection...
It was this rejection that would later serve Howard well after he left to work for and eventually buy the company he joined for $3.8 million.
Starbucks.
Early in their history, the company was struggling. They’d seen modest success, but with only 5 stores open (and they only sold coffee by the pound, mind you. No beverages), there was by no means any proof of concept. Howard Schultz was given 90 days to come up with $3.8 million else it would be sold to a waiting suitor who had cash.
Schultz went to 274 people and 217 said no. “Without having experienced rejection as a sales rep,” he says, “Starbucks would not be Starbucks.”
“Sales taught me to persevere.”
Today, the former sales rep is worth $5.7 billion.
Keep at it, gang.
And if you need my help, reach out at SalesVault.pro or call me directly at 781-934-7036
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Bill Farquharson is a respected industry expert and highly sought after speaker known for his energetic and entertaining presentations. Bill engages his audiences with wit and wisdom earned as a 40-year print sales veteran while teaching new ideas for solving classic sales challenges. Email him at bill@salesvault.pro or call (781) 934-7036. Bill’s two books, The 25 Best Print Sales Tips Ever and Who’s Making Money at Digital/Inkjet Printing…and How? as well as information on his new subscription-based website, The Sales Vault, are available at salesvault.pro.
