Context…

Sometimes it can be hard to put things into proper context.  Yet, when we don’t we usually don’t like the results. 

Throughout my sales career I sought context.  In a sales cycle, prospects offer information to sellers; lots and lots of information. The challenge?  Not all information carries the same level of importance.  First I learned and then I enabled other sellers that: 

Context is a killer app. 

The common example I used back in the day to poke fun at marketing-created cliches at Oracle NetSuite regarded the real-time capability to close a company’s monthly financial statements vs. the typical delayed process of days or even weeks to get financial reports from older software NetSuite was designed to replace. 

If you are the company’s Controller or CFO that sounds good, right?  Real-time, month-end closing?  But… would you spend $100,000 for it?  That’s the context.  Buying and implementing NetSuite ERP is generally a $100k spend (maybe more). 

Sales (and marketing) pitches are like that.  They might sound great, but…context can (literally) bite: 

…a Peter Sellers movie.  Sellers, as Inspector Clouseau, is standing at a street corner with a dog at his side when a stranger approaches him.  The stranger asks, “Does your dog bite?”  The always forthright Clouseau responds, “No.”  Then the dog at Sellers' side promptly chomps on the leg of the bystander.  The astonished man replies with justifiable anger, “I thought you said your dog does not bite.”  Sellers calmly replies, “It's not my dog.” 

Phillip G. Clampitt 

I remember to this day one of my very first sales meetings as an ADP National Accounts Account Executive.  I was meeting with the VP of Data Processing at Schwinn Bicycle in Chicago.  My sales pitch included several references to ADP’s superior “service”.   After the third or fourth time I uttered the word “service’, he interrupted me, and I paraphrase from memory, “Gary, I grew up on a farm.  And we took our cows to an adjacent farm to have them serviced by that farmer’s bull.  I suggest you be more careful telling me how much ADP will service us.”

Context remains a key challenge today, true?  All the headlines; all the hype.  How can we tell whether our information sources (be they human or AI) are providing us with a “service”, or just “servicing” us? 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Self-Sufficient?

Throughout my sales career, I prided myself on being (mostly) self-sufficient.  I say mostly because there were specific elements in my selling cycle where I accepted help – lots of help. 

First, I had great teammates in the role called “Systems Consultant”, “SC”, or generally “Pre-Sales”.  They are product and technology experts.  When the prospect asked a capabilities questions, even when I knew the answer, I deferred.  I knew as the salesman, my credibility could be suspect. The prospect always preferred answers from Subject Matter Experts. 

At the other end of the sales cycle, I rarely “closed the deal”.  I was skilled at it but closing simply wasn’t the part I enjoyed.  I was an excellent “opener”, a prospector, a “hunter” and I enjoyed the “hunt” more than I enjoyed the “kill”.  I usually turned control of the closing cycle over to my sales managers or company executives.  Imploring them not to screw things up, I pursued the next deal.  The best part was the commissions paid were the same! 

The third element to my lack of total self-sufficiency was caused by my curiosity.  I asked my prospects, “Why?” throughout our interactions.  I genuinely wanted to understand.  They welcomed my approach.  It was refreshing vs. my competitors constantly trial closing. 

To show their appreciation, my prospects would, "put their arm around my shoulder” and say, “Gary, let me help you.”  Then, they would tell me exactly what they planned to buy; why; how much they would pay; who I was competing against; when they would sign; and who was involved in the approval process.  All a result of genuinely asking, “Why?” 

What I learned later in life is being 100% self-sufficient causes ill effects.  A close companion of self-sufficiency in our career, and in our life, is: 

            Success Addiction 

          The feeling of never enough 

                        Unknown Sage

Ever feel that “never enough” feeling?  Does it keep you continuously connected?  Are you never “away” from your cell phone?  Do you bring work on vacation?  (I know – just “checking in”, right?) 

Turns out if we’re not careful – and during the height of my sales career I wasn’t careful – success addiction can lead us back to our Sage: 

The burden of self-sufficiency: 

• We set punishing performance standards for ourselves

• We have a compulsive work ethic

• We carry sadness and failure alone

It’s that last element, … “carrying sadness and failure alone”, that has become increasingly visible to me as I age.  The weight gets heavier if we let it: 

Success has many fathers while failure is an orphan. 

Russian Proverb 

Today, I’m trying to put my pride aside and accept help.  I want to eliminate “punishing performance standards”.  It’s time to dial down my effort.  I don’t want to keep beating myself up over failure.  At this point, I’m (finally) trying to become less self-sufficient. 

There’s so much more to life, true? 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

We’re in!

My wife and I enjoyed the Winter Olympics so much, we’re joining the Denver Curling Club.  Their Spring “Intro to Curling” program is only $250 per person for 5 sessions. 

Can’t wait!  We’re not alone.  According to The Curling News: 

Curling’s popularity in the U.S. has risen exponentially, ignited by Team Shuster’s improbable gold medal performance at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics. New fans were captivated thanks to five-time Olympian John Shuster and his colorful cast of characters – Tyler George (now retired) and front-ender Matt Hamilton among them. 

Well, we’re hopping on the band wagon.  Truthfully, until the recent 2026 Winter Olympics, we didn’t know much about curling.  Didn’t care much either.  Just seems like a game of shuffle board on ice.  So, we started doing a little research.  According to WorldCurling.org: 

The first written evidence of ‘curling’ appeared in Latin, when in 1540, John McQuhin, a notary in Paisley, Scotland, recorded in his protocol book a challenge between John Sclater, a monk in Paisley Abbey and Gavin Hamilton, a representative of the Abbot. 

Who knew? 

We also discovered our new-found recreational interest is going to require a bit of an “investment” beyond the $500 for lessons.  We need the right gear: 

Goldline Fiberlite Impact Broom $149.99 x 2 = $ 299.98

Goldline Broom Head Cover $ 11.99 x 2 = $  23.98

Hardline Tru-Grip Gloves $ 44.99 x 2 = $  89.98

Men's Momentum Rush Gen 2 Curling Shoes $ 219.99

Women's Momentum Ultra Shoes $ 239.99

Scepter Curling Delivery Stabilizer $  76.50

Remanufactured Ailsa Craig Granite Curling Stones

from Canada Curling Stone Co. $7,200.00

Grand Total $8,073.92  (Plus tax and shipping)

Again - Who knew? 

Thankfully, we have a home equity line of credit so we can spread our investments out over 5 years.  It’s just $172.96 at our 10.75% interest.  We’ll be 78 when the loan is paid.  Not sure how many 78 year olds play curling, but we’ll find out. 

When we called Mom to share the exciting news, can you believe she didn’t believe us?  Something about someone named Penny: 

Captain Penny's Law 

You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool Mom. 

                   Unknown Sage 

And yes… April Fools! 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

 

God love the farmer…

It takes exceptional courage to make a living as a farmer.  Agriculture in general is tough; beef, hogs, chickens, fruit, fishing, and such.  But planting seeds in the ground and having your income dependent on what comes up?  That’s toughness!

In the face of drought, flood, wild fire, insects, farmers continue to plant year in and year out.  Even when their seeds yield a crop they’re still faced with the risks of labor availability, speculative-driven market prices, fuel costs, and even bee shortages. 

I was chatting with an elder farmer recently.  I asked him how he did it?  How did he make a living at the mercy of Mother Nature, commodity futures, and God?  He just shrugged and said he never gave it much thought.  His philosophy was simple: 

Every day put the plow in the ground and open up the throttle. 

We can all, “put the plow in the ground and open up the throttle”, true?  Who knows?  Maybe AI and the “machines” will wind up sending humans out of the office and back to the farm.  If and when they do, don’t worry.  There must be great satisfaction in seeing the seeds you sow grow into a living. 

God bless the American farmer.  Amen! 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.