Selling Skills

I had a meeting with a prospective client today and took one of the banqueting managers along. His job was supposed to be to give the client some info on our banqueting facilities and ideas on what to do and where to do it. Problem is he was stumbling over his own words and got a little flustered, especially because the gentlemen we were seeing was a gay man, and openly so. Now I think being in the hotel industry (one of the gay "safe service" careers) and being in banqueting and event co-ordinating, he should be used to dealing with gay men. I realized however, that it boils down to selling skills. Fortunately I can say with great pride, that I have the selling skills to sell water filters to dessert dwelling nomadic tribes, and this guy doesn't. I am able to adapt and change the conversation to my liking, and reign in any person who is dragging the discussion off in a direction that doesn't exist. Also I am able to adapt my approach to straight, gay, green, blue, CEO and secretary. This I believe is a very special gift I have, and that I share with most or any sales person out there. Some people do not have that however, and still try to sell something. This is why this poor bloke was way out of his depth and kept on stumbling and eventually the client asked my who is higher in rank as he didn't want to step on this guys toes when he asks me about the properties. Poor bloke.