Checking off the steps in a manual is following, not leading. Often, it’s attitude, more than aptitude, that determines altitude. I have learned that only when we are put in a position to fail, can we truly succeed. I didn’t learn those buzz phrases from any sales seminar, but from my years working in sales and sales management …
Sell Something
When “NO” Was Not A Choice
Smucker’s would be the ideal fit for us. But when I finally got the Region Manager on the phone, he told me he would only be in Charlotte for one day and his interview schedule was already full. Sorry. Later that evening, my thoughts started to come together. I was not going to accept his NO answer. Period.
The Perfect Person for the Simplest Job Is You
Can something like delivering bread be the key to business success? You bet! Sometimes, you may be just the person to do the simplest job. Case in point. Even though every customer was important, it was always special when I got an appointment with the president of my largest distributor customer. Those meetings could turn to gold – overnight. That day, Howard, Jr. was giving me his complete attention, at least until his phone rang …
Now go to work!
At the start, I thought I knew how the future would turn out. After all, I did what the textbooks said to do – make a business plan, draft pro-forma statements – step by step. But the books failed to say what Curt said, “Now go to work!”
One meatball builds a business
When my company was new, I would read the trade journals at night scanning the manufacturer’s ads. If it was a big ad I would not call; they usually had representatives, plus long distance calls were expensive. The little ads were different – they needed help. If they made a quality product for a fair price, it might be something we wanted to sell …
Paradigms Matter
I wanted a forever home, a spot in the community, not just a seat on a plane. I wanted to control my life and have time for my wife and children – to attend school, religious, scouting and sports events. I wanted them to grow up in the same house and not move every few years, the way I had as a child. All of these thoughts made Charlotte the ideal location for our final move.
Pick-Up-Sticks for business and life
Can a kid’s game of pick-up-sticks teach us anything? Did you ever play pick-up sticks as a kid? We played on rainy days or when it was just too cold to be outdoors. Sitting in a circle on the floor – the first player lets all the sticks drop on the floor. The idea is […]
Keeping the books at a Lemonade Stand
Growing up, my friends and I would operate a lemonade stand on hot summer days. Back then a motorist or pedestrian would always stop and buy a cold glass of lemonade – cars were not air-conditioned so the cool lemonade was refreshing. We used our mothers glasses from the kitchen cabinet. The glasses were the […]