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Should I Carry A Change Of Clothes On Sales Calls?

A few years ago I was working with an insurance company that provided a "book of business", which consisted of clients who already had our insurance policies. These "orphaned" policies were written by agents who had left the company (which is not unusual in the least as the industry is rife with turnover). The hiring managers would try to attract new sales reps by offering up these clients as "people who need to be serviced", which was to mean that we could call these people and set appointments to try to sell more insurance to them.

I learned quickly that my time was better spent prospecting locally, mainly because the vast majority of this book of business was over an hour away. Apparently an office had closed in another city and these clients were from those accounts. 


One of my co-workers had, on the other hand, been working the phones and trying to see these people. He would try to set appointments to make his driving time as efficient as possible while he saw people who were anywhere from 75-150 miles away from his home. 

"Don" was a dapper gentleman who dressed nicely all the time. He would put on a three-piece suit and do his best to make a good impression for his clients. So I was surprised when he called me one day in the middle of the afternoon from his car. I could tell from his tone that he was pretty upset. 

"I just learned a valuable lesson and I want to pass it along to you," he said. "Always take a change of clothes when you go on a long drive."

"What happened?" I asked. 

"I went to see a lady and her house stunk to high heaven. I'm not sure what the cause was but it smelled like crap. She had me sit on her couch and the smell got all over me. I can't get rid of it and now I have to drive all the way home to change clothes and get a shower," Don said. 

Later he told me that he had to reschedule the rest of his appointments that day. When he walked into his house his wife wanted to know who had died. That must have been one pungent couch!

After that I didn't take a change of clothes but I did take some deodorizer with me just in case. I have been in some disgusting homes but none that were so bad that the smell attached itself to me. 

Have you met clients who were filthy? Share your story with us.

Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. He's also the author of "You're Going To Be Great At This!", a humorous look at sales. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.

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