A man named Charlie Chaplin entered a Charlie Chaplin look-a-like contest, he came in third place. Now, I do not know the men’s names that beat Charlie but deep in my meditations I have been bombarded with thoughts about this. How in the hell does Charlie Chaplin lose a Charlie Chaplin look-a-like contest to “Doug”? After more time dedicated to this question than I can proudly mention, I am convinced I have it figured out, and you should take that simple question and consider it for yourself.
Charlie Chaplin was a silent screen actor whose character, persona and actual person carried the same name, Charlie Chaplin. He sauntered onto a stage as a late entry by happen-stance of being in the area at the time of the contest and simply learning about it. No doubt that this was an intended joke in his mind and it mirrored actions that the character of Charlie would do. But Charlie Chaplin wasn’t Charlie Chaplin today, Doug was!
Every contest has a prize, and Charlie, as a celebrity didn’t enter that contest for the prize, he entered for the gag. Doug, he showed up for that money! Doug rehearsed, Doug practiced, Doug ironed his shirt, touched up his mustache and spent extra time with his painted eyebrows and makeup. Doug folded the cuff in the pants with precision and choreographed every single motion so that he moved with intent and confidence. Charlie waved to the crowd and did his shtick but not methodically and halfheartedly. Doug won because Doug in that moment, he was the better Charlie Chaplin.
If there were a Ten Commandments of Sales, I would imagine that the rule “Act as If” would be in the top three, assuming they were listed by importance. I genuinely love this sales rule/ life rule because depending on where you are in your career it means something completely different. The ideology of acting in a certain way to improve performance and perception is for everyone, at every level, in every position.
As I looked further into the Charlie Chaplin look-a-like ordeal I found this was not a unique occurrence. Dolly Parton had a similar fate in her look-a-like contest and Adele has lost a singing competition for Adele impersonators. This happens because in that moment, at that time, a more prepared and more excited person is better at playing the character than the actual character.
Most of us have been conditioned by the elementary thought of “Act as If” to give confidence in the early stages of our careers. We were trained up to act as if we have done this longer, act as if the sale didn’t matter when we were broke and counting on it, act as if we were the biggest, act as if we were the baddest, act as if we had the best thing around, act as if we had a million in the bank. These are the connotations that run through most of our minds with slight laughter as we think back on the phrasing and use of this sales rule. But thanks to our friend “Doug” I am seeing this in an entirely new way!
Accept it that you are a character in your own movie. Your clients knew you through several conversations and a meeting or two, bought your product, and hopefully bought into you. They do not know you; they knew you on those very select days and moments. If those were good days, I bet they would come back to you for every deal because the experience was good, and they own stock in the business of you. If those were mediocre days, you may not have had the goods to secure that business long because they simply bought your product.
Charlie Chaplin assumed the sale because he was Charlie Chaplin. Doug got the sale because he was a better Charlie Chaplin. If my business is going to flourish, then I need to be more focused on being in the business of Bob than being in the business of sales. A good product at a fair market value will sell itself. The market will dictate the volume as good markets yield more buyers than bad markets. The only factor, differentiator, in who absorbs more volume in both good and bad markets is who is the better Charlie Chaplin that day?
I cannot afford to not be on point. I cannot afford to not self-evaluate from an outsider’s perspective and determine how they see my character. I cannot afford to not use that self-evaluation to improve my character and embrace external outlooks regarding my strengths. I cannot afford to show up as myself and not my character, and I definitely cannot afford for there to exist a better Bob.
Act as if should be a leading thought in your sales process. Act as if that customer is going to be your next biggest customer, referral source, and turn it on for them. Act as if they matter. Act as if they are your primary focus. Be the actor they need you to be and act as if you are a performer, displaying the greatest you that ever existed!
Happy Hunting!
