My wife was at the allergist's office the other day when she overheard a pharmaceutical rep getting a minute with the doctor. (She claims she wasn't eavesdropping -- he was just around the corner and she couldn't help but hear him.)

At one point, he actually said to the allergist, "You need to help me keep my job."

Seriously. Great pitch. (He was selling Xyzal, by the way, which has got to be a rotten place to be, considering all the over-the-counter options already available.) This is desperation on display.

I saw another example just the other day at a trophy shop. A banner said, "Stimulate our economy, buy a trophy!" The owners obviously felt that people weren't worried about their own personal economy, but rather revolved their lives around the survival of this one trophy shop. Desperate.

Or sometimes it's just narcissism. I once dealt with an outdoor advertising rep who happened to be pregnant. Not once but three times during our conversation, she said, "You gotta help me feed this baby."

When people are desperate, some fear-based instincts kick in that need to be recognized and suppressed. They lose sight of creating a win for the customer, and go directly after a win for themselves. Remind yourself often, as financial expert Dave Ramsey has said, that "the axis of the world does not drop through the center of your head."

These folks need to get their minds right: It's not an allergist's job to keep a drug rep employed; it's the company's job to produce effective, competitive medications and give their reps better training. It's not my job to feed a media rep's baby; it's her job to make my clients a great deal on the audience her billboards provide. It's not your job to stimulate the economy of an awards dealer; it's their job to penetrate sports leagues and schools and companies, and win their business.

Looking for a handout is desperate, and desperation stinks. Compete!

Consumers have their own worries. Their lives don't revolve around us, and it's not their job to devote themselves to our survival. If you catch yourself thinking anything other than this, shake it off!

When your needs begin to trump your customers' needs, it's time to revisit how success happens in capitalism. Bring value to the customer, and the customer will pay for it. Focus more on the front half of that deal -- what they need, not what you need. It will be refreshing, and do your business some good.

Labels: bad habits, customers, marketing