The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!
I’m a staunch believer that most everything of importance has probably already been said albeit maybe in a different language or with a word changed, but the basic idea is the same regardless of the time, location or even context. There’s a terrific book called “The 2,548 Best Things Anybody Ever Said” by Robert Byrne that I keep at my desk whenever I feel the need to simplify a business strategy or explain my conservative bent to my two daughters (24 & 34yrs old) or in this case a blog entry. Here are some that I think apply to any entrepreneur.
“To be successful in business you don’t just need a great idea, you have to sell it. Don’t be afraid to sell. Dont’t think of yourself as anything but a marketeer” Susan Sobott President of American Express OPEN
…bottom line…You are the #1 Salesperson and have to be able to sell and market personally vs. delegating to someone else. My addendum would be that everyone you employ should have a basic training in what you sell, how it works and what’s in it for the customer. This means EVERYONE no exceptions.
“An inner quality that many entrepreneurs say helps them survive is optimism” Jean Chatzky Financial Columnist.
This quote epitomizes almost 100% of our clients here at SWC and a good portion of non-clients we speak to. The first question we ask potential clients ” is your heart, soul, mind or body still in keeping your business open?” This determines the directional strategy toward either a turn around, workout or wind down in the worst case. Every day something goes wrong in every business which causes some people to eventually call it quits. You have to be driven by a belief that things will work out well in the end. The second question is really the key to success and that is “if your business were stripped of the crushing debt service would it be profitable and healthy again?” You’d think the answer to this would be a resounding YES 100% of the time, but it isn’t. Sometimes the business is terminal. Get over it, salvage the experience and move on to the next adventure.
The final quote that I’d like to post is this ” We are all competing against mediocrity” Blue Man Group
That’s right Blue Man Group the crazy entertainers nailed it. You as a person or a small biz man know that all things being equal you need to stand out from the dozens of competitors calling your prospect using whatever means short of illegal. I always told my young sales guys in the IT space when they made calls to be memorable if nothing else so that the next time the current supplier drops the ball on an order you’d most likely get the first call back for replacement. Send a card, forward an email relevant to them, tell a tasteful joke, have some fun, make them comfortable with you…whatever it takes. It’s worked for hundreds of years and will continue as long a people buy from people.
We practice what we preach here at Second Wind and whenever you speak to anyone here I think these and other old time values come across immediately. No BS, the truth always and sometimes brutal, but what’s the alternative?.
