Getting there…

I signed and sold one of my books recently at a local King Soopers grocery store.  Kroger, the parent company, is a supporter of the “Authors in Grocery Stores” program for local, fledgling authors like me.

Back to my customer… She bought my book as a gift to Mark.  He’s five years away from retirement but – he hates his job.  She told me he’s trying to make it but he’s struggling.  She thought my book might help him get there.

Been “there” myself.  I don't think it was the job.  Maybe I hated the people.  Actually when I think about it, it wasn’t the people.  It was the continuous changes I hated.  That was it; those darn changes:

All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward.

Ellen Glasgow

Been "there" yourself, I bet.  Just when we get our positions and routines down pat the company changes managers.  Perhaps that new manager blocked the promotion we were planning on.  Or, the new manager changes our role or our proven process.  Maybe the new manager wants to replace us with one of “his people”.   Whatever the cause, we wind up hating our job.  Happens often:

Oh, you hate your job?  Why didn't you say so?  There's a support group for that.  It's called everybody, and they meet at the bar.

Drew Carey

In Mark’s case, he’s simply trying to last five more years; just 60 months.  Too long to meet at the bar.  It’s more like a car loan.  I hope Mark decides he can get there.  I hope we can all get there!

                                                            GAP

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

 

Well, almost…

Last year I asked the Federal Government for $5,000.  Oh, it wasn’t for me. It was a donation request to support a nonprofit’s community festival.  Similar to all our governmental entities, non-profit organizations “run on money”.

I thought… I pay taxes; the government spends taxes; why not ask for a little?  My request of $5,000 was almost nothing within the context of more than $4 Trillion in taxes collected each and every year.  Logically, my request should have had a chance, right?  Well, almost…

I’m a huge Air Force fan.  In the 1940s, my Dad served in the Army Air Corps (which preceded the United States Air Force).  I’m a big fan of the Air Force Academy’s NCAA Division I football team, too.  So when I decided to solicit the Federal Government I focused on the USAF as my “target”. 

One solicitor to another, I sent an email of introduction outlining my request to the local US Armed Forces Recruiting Office; specifically a contact there from the Air Force.  Well, almost…  The contact I had was no longer working out of that local office.  My email was forwarded on a circuitous route until it finally ended up in the in-box of Master Sergeant Anthony Woodall. (Did he lose a bet?)

Seems like our government and the business world have a lot in common when it comes to emails aimlessly wandering along from in-box to in-box until someone (anyone!) eventually responds.  MSgt. Woodall responded.  We agreed to meet at his office.

“I have the money” was Anthony’s greeting.  Before I even introduced myself; before we shook hands; before I sat down; he declared he had the money I was requesting.  Well, almost…

After-all, there is that thing known as red tape:

To the government, cutting red tape often means slicing it into long strips lengthwise.

Norman R. Augustine

MSgt. Woodall had to “run it by his up-line”.  Plus, there was the paperwork.  Anthony said it was straight forward.  Well, almost…  Actually, filling out the government form was indeed straight forward.  It was where that form was routed that tested one’s perseverance.  Literally weeks went by with no word on approval; rejection; more information required; nothing.  I wanted to believe Anthony when he said this was normal, but the delay brought Herodotus to mind:

Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest do not happen at all.

As we approached the event deadline to his credit Master Sergeant Woodall contacted me with the bad news.  My request from our government was rejected.  His consolation was maybe it could happen in 2025 since we already went through their process. But in the back of my mind all I could think of was… Well, almost.

                                                            GAP

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

Child’s play…

Salespeople can learn a lot from children; from Yogi Berra, too:

You can see a lot by observing.

There are two particular words in a child’s vocabulary that are worth observing.  Simple words; straight-forward words; short words.  A three letter word and a two letter word.

The first?

Salespeople should take lessons from their kids.  What does the word 'no' mean to a kid?  Almost nothing.

Mike Weinberg

Sales is a profession of hearing “no”; a lot; yes?  In our profession, no doesn’t always mean no.  More times than not it means not now; or not that one; or not at that price.  Our clients and prospects guide us to their yes by first saying no.

A child combines this “almost nothing” attitude with a 3-letter word.  Salespeople can, as well.  Call me child-like, but this word comes naturally for me. I don’t use it to set me apart from my competitors.  It’s not contrived.  That wasn’t my objective.  I had a hard enough time paying attention to what I was doing to worry about what my competitors were up to.

No, I used this 3-letter word throughout my career genuinely; appropriately; and with all sincerity.  When my clients and prospects could tell how hard I was trying to understand they would say, “Gary, let me help you” and then they’d reveal their yes. This phenomena is known in the business as:

Getting on the same side of the desk with our prospect.

Isn’t it amazing that a simple, every day, childlike, 3-letter word has the power to get us on the inside with our clients and prospects?  One word that guides us directly and more comfortably to their yes vs. overcoming the obstacles of their no.

 Steven Covey put it this way:

     Seek first to understand…

This 3-letter word is even easy to work into a sales conversation.  Every time a client or prospect states “What” they want, we should remember our childhood and ask, “Why?”

We tell our children and grandchildren “no” frequently, true?  And their most common response?  Yep – you guessed it – “Why?”  Using that simple word advances those kids past our “no” to obtaining our yes, yes?  See what I mean?

                                                            GAP

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