Part 1: Even though I was number one in the country, I couldn't write a success story

The story of my 20-year sales career, which began yesterday. Today is Part 1.

(If you haven't read the trailer yet, reading that first will give you the big picture of this journey.)

Part 1 starts with the most symbolic event that led me to begin this series.

It's the story of how I "couldn't write a success story."

1. The national top performer gave a "superficial" talk in front of everyone

Companies always say this to people who have achieved results.

"Please share your know-how for that success with everyone."

Since I was also number one in the country, I was naturally nominated. I had to stand in front of my juniors and talk about "how I made the sales."

—But you know.

Seriously, my mind went completely blank.

I couldn't think of anything to write.

No, to be precise, I could write. If I tried to write something, I could write something.

But what I squeezed out and wrote was—

"I stayed close to the customer and responded with sincerity."

...something like that, a harmless, thin, and superficial thing.

Even as I presented it, I thought to myself, "This is so superficial." Moreover, since it was a company presentation, I had to incorporate the policies for the current term and make it sound plausible.

—Just between us, I didn't follow those policies at all (laughs).

I didn't follow them, yet I gave a presentation as if I did. That was the reality behind the success story presentations of top salespeople.

2. Deep down, I had always thought this

I will honestly confess what was in my heart at the time.

Deep down, I had been thinking this the whole time.

“Honestly, I don't even know why I'm selling so well myself.”

Before I knew it, I was selling. That was the honest truth.

That's why, whenever people asked me, I would answer like this:

“I was just lucky.” “I'm just surrounded by great people.” “The area I was assigned to was just a lucky one.”

——I meant every word of it.

Even though I was number one in the country, I didn't have a shred of confidence in my own sales method.

It sounds strange, doesn't it? My numbers were higher than anyone else's. I was being recognized with awards. And yet, for 20 years, I couldn't answer the single question: “Why are you able to sell?”

3. Even though I was selling, “I” was nowhere to be found

Why couldn't I answer?

I will show you exactly how I sold back then.

I would recite the materials the company told me to say exactly as instructed.

I would follow the routes my seniors told me to take exactly as instructed.

I would do what my boss told me to do exactly as instructed.

——I sold because I did exactly as I was told. This is the truth.

Fortunately, my boss was extremely talented. If I asked, “What should I do?”, he would give me precise ideas. I would execute them faithfully. And then, I would sell.

But, do you see?

“I” was nowhere to be found in any of that.

Everything was moving based on someone else's axis. I even thought to myself that I was just a cog in the company machine.

That is why I couldn't write a success story.

Because I didn't have a method of my own.

I mean, I couldn't possibly say, 'I just faithfully followed someone else's instructions,' could I? So the best words I could come up with were, 'It's thanks to my senior,' or 'It's thanks to my boss.'

...And, I'll confess one more embarrassing truth.

At the time, I didn't even think this was a problem.

I was a bit arrogant, thinking, 'I'm selling well, so it's fine.' Honestly, there was a part of me that was getting carried away, thinking, 'I'm selling more than you guys.'

—But this would later become a huge pitfall. (I'll talk about that in a future installment.)

4. I met 'the me of back then' at a training session

Time passed, and just the other day, it happened during a training session for young sales staff.

A young employee told me this story.

'My boss is incredibly talented, and I just do exactly what I'm told. So, it's actually going surprisingly well... but for some reason, it's becoming really painful.'

When I asked, 'Why is it painful?', he said this.

'I worry about what I'll do if my boss isn't there anymore.'

'What if I can't meet expectations? What if I do exactly as I'm told and still don't sell? I'm constantly anxious about that.'

...I nodded deeply at those words.

Because I was exactly the same. I always had the feeling of being chased by something. 'Am I doing exactly what my boss told me to do?' 'I have to at least get this much done before I see them tomorrow.' There was definitely a period when I worked driven by something like an obsession.

I was getting results. But,because I wasn't there, the anxiety didn't disappear even when I got results.

And during the group presentation, he said,

'I'm lucky. My senior is talented, and my boss is talented.'

—It was word for word the same as me back then.

But his eyes weren't smiling. They were somewhat strained, and while giving off an aura of 'don't ask me any questions,' he finished his talk very quickly.

Seeing that reflection was like looking in a mirror—it made my chest tighten.