Follow-Through
“You say that one of your strengths is follow-through.
When has that made a difference in your work?”
■“As a pharmaceutical sales rep if I didn’t follow through on
my promises, I couldn’t have survived. I remember there
was one doctor who wasn’t going to see me or to buy my
product no matter what I did. My first strategy was to get
past the office manager, who I call ‘the gatekeeper.’ I went
in once a week and chatted with her and said that I was
just following through. Eventually I found out that she liked
music, and that gave me something to discuss with her. If
she told me she was attending a concert or music event, I
went out of my way to ask how it was on my next visit. I
think she finally decided I was an okay-kind-of-guy, and
she was able to get me in to see the doctor. She told me
that I was the first sales person to show any interest in her
or the workings of the office. When I did get to meet the
doctor, I used the same approach on him, finding out what
his interests were. It worked like a charm. I was able to sell
the most product this doctor had ever bought from the
company.”
■“As a human resources supervisor I have to constantly fol-
low through on details of projects for managers. It seems
as though everything happens at the end of the year
regarding performance reviews and raises. Last year we
had a mandatory holiday break, and the data for raises to
be effective January 1st had to be submitted two weeks
earlier than usual. If you’ve worked with managers who
dreaded completing their performance reviews you will
know what I am talking about when I say it can be ‘like
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