If you’ve ever seen the show Suits you know that Mike Ross and Harvey Specter are pretty much gods when it comes to selling. Sure, they don’t sell flooring or knives or dual-panned windows, but they definitely sell themselves. I mean, how you could be an attorney at a top law firm in New York City, handle millions of dollars worth of cases, and be paid millions for doing so if you can’t sell yourself?
This clip is from the first season of suits.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF-fWVcyE4c
In this scene, Mike and Harvey meet for the first time. Mike is actually outrunning the cops due to his recent hobby of selling marijuana. While I don’t recommend walking into an interview with a briefcase full of drugs, the confidence Mike has regarding his intellectual abilities is great. Harvey is stunned that Mike, who has never been to Law school, can know just as much information if not more than Harvard Law graduates.
Mike’s intellect and confidence, however, are not what ultimately get Harvey to hire him. Instead, Harvey sees true potential when Mike is honest about his past and his mistakes.
Now I am not advocating for asking professionals to break the law in order to hire you, no matter how capable you are. What I find intriguing, however, is that Harvey wasn’t truly sold until Mike showed a little humbleness. As soon as Harvey learned about Mike’s past, he could empathize with Mike. He could see him not just a brilliant mind, but as a person who knows he has made mistakes.
This empathy is a crucial component not just to sales, but to business in general. The ability to empathize with others and provide an environment where they can also empathize is of the utmost importance. Without it, it’s nearly impossible to understand your customers needs and provide solutions to their problems.
BoweryJE22
When I first started your article, I did not expect you to take it the way you did. First, I love suits, second I love the scene you’re talking about– but i never recognized that Harvey only hired Mike after the humble portion. You’re pulling in that whole empathy thing we talked about in class, but I didn’t even realize it. You so smart.
Yeah Harvey is usually an quite arrogant character so it’s funny that he only hired mike when there’s some humbleness shown. I think it made Harvey drop his usual guard for a moment – something that doesn’t happen often!