Recently I was asked by the sales manager of a company if I could reach his staff with a message he had been trying to “beat into their heads for months” (his words, not mine).

He wanted me to accomplish what he failed to do: inspire his sales people to spend more time pursuing smaller accounts. He said they were all good producers so he couldn’t threaten them with job loss, but the company depended on those smaller accounts because they made up the bulk of the business.

His sales staff only wanted to work with the larger accounts because they generated higher commissions. He said they complained that the small accounts took up too much time and were not worth it. The sales staff was cold to his logic.

To convince the sales team, I knew I needed to translate the company’s mission into human terms. I needed to come up with a story they could personally relate to. I did some research to find some good stories, and then I recalled a story of my own, one I hadn’t thought of since the 1980s when I worked as a wholesale apparel salesman. (Yes, I was a rag rep.)

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