You Gotta Have a Rock
AJ Alonzo — Director of Marketing @ demandDrive
Everybody should have something to strive for in their work. Whether it’s bettering yourself as an employee or making some extra bucks, we all look for reasons to polish our craft. I’m no exception — I always want to improve how I do my job. Cold calling is tough, but the more you work at it the better you become, and incorporating the voices and advice from around you helps that process. There is, however, that one voice that pushes someone more than anything else. That one thing you strive for that’s just out of reach and forces you to work harder every day. Your rock.
Promise you won’t laugh? OK.
Mine is Will Smith from The Pursuit of Happyness. Yup, that’s right, Chris Gardner is my rock.
There’s something about Will Smith’s cold calling scene that just resonates with me. The way he goes about rejection, his persistence, how smooth his voice sounds…I love it all. I might be man-crushing a bit on Will Smith here, but for good reason. I try and emulate that scene every time I make a call, I want it to be that easy for me.
Recently, I might have taken it too far.
In the movie, Will Smith calls a hedge fund CEO named Walter Ribbon. The way he gets patched in is something I try and emulate — the ease of his voice and the confidence he uses when he speaks with Mr. Ribbon’s assistant is something I try to polish everyday. Using this example has allowed me to get past a few assistants and speak with the right people, but one time, in particular, it manifested into a single glorious moment I will never forget.
I called into a prospect and their assistant picked up. Very casually I asked to speak with them, and I was in full on Will Smith mode. So much so, in fact, that when she asked for my company I replied, “I’m calling from Dean Witter.” Yup, the same company that Chris Gardner worked for.
I froze. The assistant froze. I don’t work there, I was on autopilot. It was a mistake. There was an awkward moment of silence that seemed to last forever. I was about to correct myself, but I was cut off. You know what she did? She put me through.
“Certainly sir, just one moment.”
I was in, and I couldn’t believe it. The prospect picked up and we had a lovely conversation. I’m just glad their assistant didn’t mention the company name. When that call was over, I just laughed for a solid minute. I’m happy that I finally saw some progress towards my goal, but I certainly won’t make that mistake again. Unless of course, I need another laugh.
