Jenny was preparing for class and thought about the diary entry she would be sharing. She wanted her students to understand that innovators must be able to advocate for their innovations.
“I want to tell you about the role of debate in the development of the Malcomb family. Debate was then what football is today. It was the way that schools competed against each other. Hiram and Mable insisted that their children enter the debate competition when they were eligible.”
“Elizabeth had been the school’s representative the previous year. She did well at the local school level, but she wasn’t tough enough to stand out at the regional level. While her responses were well informed, she didn’t have the killer instinct that was needed.”
“The teachers at the school were reluctant to see Mary compete. She had been a pain to her teachers and argue with them about subject matter they were teaching when she didn’t see a purpose for it. She would often ask why students needed to know something they were teaching.”
“Now let me share with you Sarah’s diary from February 15, 1889.”
“Everyone listened to Mary practice for our high school debate competition. She really wants to win to show her teachers something. Mom and Dad debated against her, and boy are they tough debaters. I thought Mary would get mad, but she didn’t. She is just so believable in her responses. She is an advocate for her beliefs.”
“Now let me skip one week ahead to share with you the diary entry from February 22, 1889.”
“Mary won!! Now she goes to the regional competition. We are so proud of her. I hope I do as well when I go to high school.”
After reading the diary entries, Jenny told the students what she had learned about innovators. “You may not think you are as good sales person, but I think you will find you sales skills will come when you have something you believe in. One thing you need to do is to anticipate the objections and have a counter response to them. Don’t accept vague objections like that won’t work. Ask what they recommend. That will reveal the honest objections from the phony ones. Most of all never get angry or become defensive.”
“You make not think you have it in you, but with some experience I think you will find that advocating for something you believe in will actually be fun.”
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“You need to be able to paint a picture in a conversation. The lost part of sales is the storytelling side.” – Richard Harris (actor and singer)