I keep wanting to write my next book on the No-Po topic because it is so rich and delicious. For example, it’s s not just about hanging out with the wrong people, the ones who are powerless to make anything happen. It’s about the choices we make and what we choose to believe.
I often compare chasing the No-Po to dating challenges. Chasing the wrong person is an issue in both sales and romance. The July 4th New Yorker article written by Nick Paumgarten, titled Looking for Someone: Inside the World of Online Dating, reminded me of these similarities.
The most compelling part of this article is a quote from the CEO of Match.com, Greg Blatt. He says that individuals may specify they are looking for one type of person, but their habits and behaviors lead them somewhere else. He refers to this as “revealed preference” — essential in Match’s algorithmic process, which takes into account both the stated and revealed preferences and identifies the dissonances between the two.
How does this relate to No-Po’s? There is clearly some dissonance when it comes to chasing down someone who is powerless to make a purchase decision, yet you continue to follow them around. Granted, the No-Po’s lead must also take responsibility for leading you down the dead-end path . . . but why do we follow and why are we listening? One reason is that most salespeople are optimistic. When the end of the month is sliding in and the pressure is on, hope tends to obscure reality!
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had some algorithm that could spot the No-Po factor?
Or better yet, remember hand buzzers? You would shake someone’s hand, and this tiny electic shock would run through the palm of your hand. Here’s a video that may refresh your memory.
That’s what should happen when we enter the No-Po zone, an electric shock comes through online and on the phone. What do you think?
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