Want to submit a question and be featured in our advice column? Click here. (Don't worry, you'll remain completely anonymous).

‍

I sell marketing automation software to SMBs. I had landed an in-person meeting with a director of a mid-sized retail chain. I showed up prepared. Deck was polished with specialized case studies for his industry and I'd done my research on their current tech stack. I showed up and met the guy in his small office. I was immediately shook. He had the most impressive unibrow I'd ever seen in person. It was like a caterpillar had set up permanent residence across his forehead. I kept trying not to stare, but my eyes kept drifting up there.

‍

The guy seemed interested as I walked through the platform, asking good questions about integrations and reporting capabilities. But honestly, I was having trouble focusing.

‍

About fifteen minutes in, he paused and looked at me. "You keep staring at my eyebrow," he said flatly. I felt my face go hot. I started stammering some excuse, but he cut me off and told me it was fine, that people noticed it all the time. Then he leaned back in his chair and started explaining how the unibrow made him powerful. How it was his signature. His brand. He talked about how it showed he didn't conform to society's arbitrary grooming standards, how it made him memorable in a sea of forgettable people.

‍

I just sat there nodding, convinced this was some rehearsed bit he did with every salesperson to throw them off their game. But he kept going, getting more philosophical about it, talking about disruption and authenticity. I completely lost control of the meeting. When I finally left, I sat in my car in the parking lot for a solid five minutes, just staring at the steering wheel. He never returned my follow-up emails.

‍

Anonymous       Location Withheld

‍