BE

“Be understanding to your perceived enemies.
Be loyal to your friends.
Be strong enough to face the world each day.
Be weak enough to know you cannot do everything alone.
Be generous enough to those who need your help.”

“Be frugal with what you need the most.
Be wise enough to know that you do not know everything.
Be foolish enough to believe in miracles.
Be willing to share your joys.
Be willing to share the sorrows of others.”

“Be a leader when you see a path others have missed.
Be a follower when you are shrouded by the mists of uncertainty.
Be first to congratulate an opponent who succeeds.
Be last to criticize a colleague who fails.
Be sure where your next step will fall, so that you will not tumble.”

“Be sure of your final destination, in case you are going the wrong way.
Be loving to those who love you.
Be loving to those who do not love you; they may change.
Above all… BE yourself.”

Unknown Author

A Man Is Not An Orange

“A man is not an orange.  You can’t eat the fruit and then throw away the peel.” ~  Arthur Miller,  Death of a Salesman

This is one of the most profound quotes I know.  It goes to the core of loyalty and pure decency.

What does this mean to you?

There Are No Failures

Listen to me.  “There are no failures.  Just experiences and your reactions to them.” ~  Tom Krause.

I work in a world filled with “no’s”.  A very competitive and sometimes unforgiving world.  Loyalty is very hard to come by.  Rejection is just around the corner.

*** Before I go any further, I have to clarify that I have a bunch of class act customers.  This post is not directed at any one person or any one company. ***

I have worked in the industry for close to twenty years.  Both sides of the wall.  I have been the purchaser and decision maker and now I’m the supplier.  I can be my customer’s silent partner and best ally.  I can help them make decisions that increase their sales and profits, I can help them see when they’re going down the wrong path.  My experience is valuable, and has no price.  My friendship and loyalty to them is priceless.  When I find a mission I stick to it.  I see it through.  I quit for nothing.  I quit for no one.

My product is nationally recognized as the best in the industry.  Test after test proves this point. Time after time.  My company’s service level is ions above our closest competitor.

And even with all this, my world is no different from that of any other in my shoes.   I still have to sell myself and my company with every call I make.  “How much is…” seems to be what everyone wants to know.  “What will it cost me?”

Our competitors have done a tremendous job in the market.  A tremendous job in convincing the customer that they need to purchase by price alone.  They have very little to offer so they fall on price.  Their idea of helping a customer make money is to help them spend less.

My idea of helping a customer make money is to help them sell more.

When you purchase my product you get me.  Inside every box, inside every bag, inside every container… there’s a little bit of me.  This is the premium you pay for.  I insist and stick to the notion that “it’s not what you pay, it’s what you get.”  And what you get with me is plenty.

So what does all this have to do with failures?

I hear 99 (estimated) “no’s” before I hear a “yes”.  If I were to quit and give up, I would never get to that “yes”.  I take every “no” and I learn from it.  “What are they trying to tell me?”, “what haven’t I explained?”

In my world, a “no, thank you” simply means:  “I haven’t heard enough”.

Failure IS a scary thing.  But only if you fail to learn from the lesson taught.  I take each as an opportunity to grow.  So should you.

(On a later post, I will share with you  how I have applied these professional lessons to my personal life).