When I was an adolescent, I went fly fishing with my father, a master of the sport. We were wading in a stream in upstate New York, the elegance of a wonderful autumn day enveloping us, when he advised me that we'd be seeing his most important client once we left the stream.
He said he wanted me to sit in on a business meeting to see what it was all about. Although a bit queasy at the idea, I found the prospect exciting. Looking through the peephole into the world of commerce always fascinated me. Now walking through the door would be, I was sure, an eye opener.
And then it hit me that I hadn't brought business clothes along. Had dad told me about the plans to visit his client, and did I forget to pack a change of clothes? I screwed up the courage to ask my father--not the kind to take an oversight easily--if I had indeed messed up and did we need to find a country clothing shop before we visited the client. His answer came as a great relief and a shocking surprise.
"We don't need to change what we're wearing to see them," dad said. "They trust me as an adviser. They view me as a friend. They don't care what I'm wearing."
I couldn't imagine how we could visit the CEO of a company in fishy clothes, but I had no choice but to trust my father. And sure enough, when we arrived at the client, a Patrician organization with early American antiques and grandfather clocks ticking away, I thought for sure the man in charge would be appalled by our attire.
Instead, he wrapped his arms around my dad and hugged him, shook my hand vigorously and invited us into his office as if we were royalty.
My father was a superb fly fisherman, but an even better salesman. That day was simply a metaphor for what he taught me about selling and which my own experiences have greatly reinforced:
Fly fishing is an art and a science. You excel at it or you don't by understanding that it's a complex skill that requires confidence and mastery. Yes, a healthy sense of bravado that you can make the sale is important, but only if it's fused with the knowledge of how to do so.
Mark Stevens is the CEO of MSCO, a results-driven management and marketing firm, and the bestselling author of Your Marketing Sucks and God Is a Salesman. He is also a popular media commentator on a host of business matters including marketing, branding, management and sales. His latest book is Rich Is a Religion.