I'm heading to a sales training session about 12 years ago. It's a client in downtown Cincinnati and I've been working with them for two years. They know me as a high energy, enthusiastic and entertaining sales trainer. In other words, I stand up, I move around, I'm engaged, I role play, we learn a lot and people make more sales.
I'm running late this one particular day, so I grab a chocolate chip bran muffin (These are the best bran muffins made in the world and they are made by my wife, Linda.) and a bottle of Gatorade then off I go. It is early, about 6:45, and it is dark, mid-January.
As I am driving and eating, I sense that something has fallen from my muffin onto my lap or more accurately under the crotch of my pants. My best hope is that it is a piece of the bran muffin. My worst fear is that it is a chocolate chip.
I get to the office early. Thank goodness no one else is there yet, and so I sprint to the men's room only to discover my worst fear. As I turn around and look at my "disaster khakis" (They are called this because it seems that I always come home wearing some food on them somewhere), there in exactly the right spot on the back of my pants is a notable brown spot that will easily be seen by anyone behind me.
I get to the training room, set up my flip chart with my notes, the white board with further information and then firmly plant myself in the chair at the head of the conference table and I do not move again for the next 3 hours.
Now, I don't know what the participants thought. Surely they had to find this strange as I never sit down during a session. Certainly, I was polite as I shook hands with them as they left. Then and only then did I find a way out of the office with my spot undiscovered by any of my participants. I immediately go home and rid myself of the disaster khakis once and for all.
So, what is YOUR funniest sales story ever? We know that you have one! What we're looking for here is a little fun over the next several weeks. We would love for you to share with all those that view this blog your funniest or most embarrassing sales moment, sales call or selling situation. After 30 days, we will announce a winner for this years' "Funniest Sales Story".
Come one, come all, let's have some fun. As a matter of fact, I will call on our CMO, Jeni Wehrmeyer, to share her story. It may be one of the funniest of all!
