The Freestyle Entrepreneur

“In accomplishing anything definite,

a man renounces everything else.”  — George Santayana

Back in my lean, mean, meat-eating younger days, I would have agreed with the above quote from Harvard Philosopher (no, not the musician) George Santayana.  I was maniacally dedicated.  Business was my king … almost my god.

No, I was not ruthless; I never cheated anyone.  But I was relentless, and I always drove a hard bargain.  I worked myself hardest of all; I routinely worked 80 to 100 hours a week, doing the work of three or four people.  I started out wanting to provide for my young family.  Gradually, however, with every success, the quest became more important for its own sake.

I made money, did well.  I headed a small, profitable newsletter business and became known as one of the top three people in my industry (life insurance training and marketing).  I had no need to market because clients came to me.

Somewhere along the way, however, I got hard, indifferent, intolerant.  I began to think I was as good as people said I was.  Eventually, the family failed and, with that, the business failed.  The thing I noticed most as I stirred through the ashes of my life was that I was alone.  I had neglected my relationships.  In the years that followed, I floundered through a handful of half-hearted ventures, trying to reclaim my success.

Gradually, eventually, I figured it out:  I rebuilt relationships with people who I admired and loved (and learned to avoid those I didn’t).  Today, I continue to work hard (but now I do the work of just two people).  Though I always meet deadlines, I also always take time for a phone call from one of my granddaughters and willingly put aside my schedule to spend time with Susan, my “Favorite Interruption.”

Riches?  Today, I have enough.  In terms of material goods, I do not have too much, but certainly enough.  I measure my wealth in terms of time for loved ones, dirty hands from digging in the garden, a well-written business article or faith blog, a few miles walking on the trail with Rocky the Boxer, and a long, lingering dinner with friends. In these I am wealthy beyond belief.

Success?  I now know it as balance.  I am a capitalist, and I love to work.   But these days my work has a purpose, a reason, and it is not an end unto itself.  I may not die the richest man in the cemetery, but I suspect I will die (many years from now, I pray) a man of peace … a very successful man.

P.S.  These days, I’m happy as a pig in  mud.  Balance works.

What are your thoughts?  What is success to you?  Please share them with me.  Or go ahead and post them at The Freestyle Entrepreneur blog site.

Thanks, and have a joyful day.  As always, work hard, make money, have fun … and keep your life in balance.

John R. Ingrisano

The Freestyle Entrepreneur

john@TheFreestyleEntrepreneur.com

The Freestyle Entrepreneur

A few years ago, having decided to run away from the States for a while, I started a store on St. Thomas in the Caribbean that sold Jimmy Buffet shirts and other island-dream paraphernalia.  I studied when to help customers and when to stand back and let the sales cycle run its course.

One thing I learned was that when a customer seemed uncertain about buying one island shirt versus another, for example, I would approach and say something like, “Two beautiful shirts, don’t you think?”  Then, pointing to one, I would add, “This is one of our most popular items.”  The customer almost always made the purchase and bought the one I recommended.

That’s because customers often need our help arriving at a buying decision.    Whether retail or financial services or other products, assuming we have studied and understand the customers’ needs, and have identified several potential product solutions, the next step is to guide and motivate them to make a decision today.  Otherwise (and we’ve all seen this), they very well may say something like, “Uh huh, very nice.  I like it.  Let me think it over and get back to you.”  And with that, we have lost the sale, because they do not get back to us.  Just as important, the prospective buyers have failed to take an action that you both know they want and/or need.

The problem is that people tend to procrastinate.  They put off many decisions, sometimes just because they can.  It is as simple as that.  However, if you have done your homework – if they have a need/desire and you have a good solution that will meet that need and benefit them – there is absolutely no reason to defer the decision.  That is because, more often than not, a decision deferred is a decision that will never be made.  (Actually, it is a decision that has been made, but it is one to not take action to address the need, to solve the problem.)

That is why many successful business people phrase the call to action as an either/or decision, rather than a yes/no decision.  It operates on the assumption that the decision to act has already been made, and the only thing left to do is decide which of two viable choices is the one to select.

For example, let’s say your client agrees that he needs $500,000 of additional life insurance.  In your proposal, you may then put together one for whole life and another for term or a variable product.  After explaining the key features of both, you ask the client, “So, which one would you like to put in force today?”

In terms of asking for an appointment, the same principle applies.  Rather than asking if you can get together on Wednesday at 10:30, for example, ask, “Would Wednesday at 10:30 be good for you, or is Thursday at 1:15 better?”

Manipulative?  Far from it.  Our role is to present ourselves and our products and services in the most positive light.  We know that what we do is valuable.  Prospects may not always see it that way … until we have worked with them for a while.

If you are not sure, try this when it comes to making an appointment or asking for a buying decision:  “You wouldn’t want to get together next week to talk, would you?” or “Well, that’s the product.  It meets your needs and works within your budget.  You wouldn’t want to buy it, would you?”

So, work hard, make money, have fun … and guide potential buyers toward a buying decision that benefits both of you.  — JRI

The Freestyle Entrepreneur – winner of the 2010 Top 35 Entrepreneur Blog awards from OnLine MBA.

John Ingrisano

The Freestyle Entrepreneur    

209  Church Street

Algoma, WI 54201

(920) 559-3722

www.TheFreestyleEntreprenuer.com

Want more biz tips and support?  Visit www.TheFreestyleEntrepreneur.com.

The Freestyle Entrepreneur

Building up a customer/client base can be hard work … until you get it down to a system.  One effective system is to establish half a dozen or so mutually beneficial relationships with what are known as “Centers of Influence.”

These are people who can send customers your way.  But it goes beyond just sitting back and waiting for them to show up.  Instead, get names and contact them.

A good Center of Influence can provide you with names of men and women you can approach on a favorable basis, often simply by saying something like: “Susan _________ was kind enough to give me your name and suggested that we would enjoy working together.  If convenient for you, why don’t we explore the possibilities by getting together on (date) at (time) to talk?  Or would (other date) at (other time) be better for you?”

Or if you are in retail or services, contact them and invite them to come in.  It works.

Centers of Influence are generally people in key positions of respect in the community or authority in an organization.  They may be in charge of — or at least have access to — member­ship rosters.

For example, a friendly banker or CPA, without divulging any privileged information, can provide the names of businesses that are expanding their opera­tions.  A real estate salesperson can send you the names of people moving into certain neighborhoods, the neighborhoods in which most of your ideal prospects reside.

Think of this as a variation on the concept of networking.  However, key to working with a Center of Influence is establishing a solid personal or professional relationship.  (This is unlike networking, which can be nothing more than a business card exchange with near strangers.)  This individual must be someone you can trust and who can trust you in turn.

Also, for the relationship to work, you must make it a two-way street.  Promote the individual and organization or business with which you have a relationship with a Center of Influence.

Centers of Influence often make good members of your personal board of directors, too.  These are men and women with whom you meet regularly to discuss everything from local events to who is doing what in your community.  (Hint:  Successful people in business rarely eat lunch or breakfast alone!  They prospect for new clients and customers and build relationships with existing clients.)

Ideally, your Centers of Influence should:

1. Be known and respected in the community or your area of business activity.

2.   Be favorably well-disposed to both you and your products and services.

3.   Be good prospectors themselves.  Ideally, they understand the definition of a “qualified” prospect and are alert to changing situations of their acquaintances.

4.  Be joiners.  Very often, they are the men and women who are active in their houses of worship, country clubs, and civic organizations.  They belong to The Optimists, Toastmasters, The Lions, and the Rotary.  In short, they get around and are well known in a positive way.

To develop your Centers of Influence:  Start by making a list of people who, because of their occupa­tions or their professions, know a great many of the right kind of people … the kind of people with whom you want to do business.

Also, get involved yourself.  Participate in the annual community golf outing, even if you are a lousy golfer; share a news article about one of your Centers of Influence that praises them or their business; send a card of congratulations when you hear of some special event or achievement for which they have been recognized; and, most of all, send referrals to their business, as well.

In short, if you go out of your way to meet them at the right time and under the right conditions, you can lay the groundwork of a relationship so that it will be logical for you — with­out strain or embarrassment — to ask them to sponsor you to their friends and acquaintances.  Or, even better, they will bring it up themselves.

Then cherish and appreciate them.  Regard your Centers of Influence as your highly valued silent partners, and then make them in deed and in truth your partners by building your relationship with them on a sound basis.

So, work hard, make money … and start building a powerful network of Centers of Influence.  They easily can meet your prospecting and client-building needs … permanently.   – JRI

The Freestyle Entrepreneur – winner of the 2010 Top 35 Entrepreneur Blog awards from OnLine MBA.

John Ingrisano

The Freestyle Entrepreneur    

209  Church Street

Algoma, WI 54201

(920) 559-3722

www.TheFreestyleEntreprenuer.com

It works in small towns. It also works globally. The premise is that we enjoy working with people we know, people we like, and people with whom we feel comfortable. People we trust. It’s about the relationship, whether that person/business is down the road or down under, below the equator.

So, think small town and beyond the borders. It is an incredibly powerful attraction. No matter what our business or line of work, we all have neighbors and communities. Even in a global business environment, we live and work in a neighborhood. (If you doubt that, think about the connections we make on Facebook.) Most of all, we all want to do business with friends and friends of friends. So, you need consciously to build your community.

Locally, if you have one client who needs lawn care and another who owns a lawn-care business, put them in touch with each other. It is good for them and good for you. In other words, just as you ask for referrals from your clients, look for opportunities to give them as well.

Globally, if I have a friend/associate in Hong Kong who needs a reliable on-demand book publisher, and I have one I rely on that is located in Canada, I can and will make the referral.

Remember, what helps my neighbor helps me. Bonus: You end up working with a clientele of friends … and friends of friends. It is the sweetest way to do business. In fact, it doesn’t seem like business at all. Sure, you may never meet face to face. That doesn’t change anything. You’re global neighbors. So, work hard, make money … and have fun building a neighborhood of client-friends. — JRI

So, do you want to be a success?  Here is how:  Burn your ships!

In 1519, the Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez landed his small force of 500 soldiers and 100 sailors on the shores of the Yucatan Peninsula in what is now Mexico.  They arrived in 11 ships, and they were far, far from their homeland thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean.  (This was only 27 years after the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus.)  Their purpose was to conquer to Aztecs and seize their vast stores of gold. 

Upon disembarking from the ships, Cortez announced a decision guaranteed to “motivate” his troops by putting them, quite literally, in a do-or-die position.  He ordered all the ships burned, thereby cutting off any possible escape should events go poorly for them.  They had no choice:  Succeed or die. 

It worked.  With this small force, he conquered all of Mexico and established a Spanish empire in the New World that lasted several hundred years.  His troops were probably less than thrilled; however, they must have certainly given their expedition nothing short of their total commitment.

The point:  You cannot toe-dip if you want to achieve success in any endeavor.  You cannot say, “I think I’ll give it a try and see how it works out.”  Success requires total commitment, a determination to look forward with single-mindedness.  You must decide, “Yes, this is what I will do, and I will succeed!” rather than, “Well, I’ll give it three months and see how it works out.” 

Lack of dedication – anything short of total commitment – will guarantee either (A) complete failure or (B) even worse, years of limping along producing blasé, mediocre, so-so results. 

So, if you are looking to become a success, do not just “give it a shot.”   Save that for cubicle-dwelling wage slaves who put in time in exchange for a safe paycheck and benefits.  Instead, give it your all.  Do that and you will succeed … if only because you have no choice.  But that’s what it takes.       

So, work hard, give it your absolute, total commitment, burn your ships … and then do what it takes to become the best you can be.  Period!  — JRI

The Freestyle Entrepreneur

Fifty years ago, it was a man’s world.  The majority of women who were in business were secretaries and personal assistants.  Women rarely ran the show.  That has since changed … a lot.  In fact, the very nature of business has been overhauled and re-invented since women began to move up the management/entrepreneurial ladder.

The male approach to business:  Men tend to manage with a big stick.  We see business in terms of warfare and sports rivalries.  We go head to head with our competitors in a winner-take-all-loser-get-nothing race to conquer and achieve victory.  We’re not all that big on cooperation.  Our pecking order tends to be top-down vertical. 

I remember that’s pretty much how it was when I entered the corporate world in 1977.  All key managers were men, and the president of the company openly pitted his vice presidents against each other.  The rivalries were ferocious.  The idea was to work long hours, survive the contest, and beat the competitors both in and outside the corporation.

The female approach to business:  Gradually, women began working their way into positions of authority and responsibility.  At first, there was the stereotype that women made lousy bosses.  Even many women thought so and openly said they’d rather have a male boss than a female boss any time.  (Many said the same about the then-male-dominated field of gynecology, too.)

Well, today, women are not only accepted as managers, but many business-owning entrepreneurs are female.  Here are a few stats, courtesy of The Center for Women’s Business Research:

• Fifteen of the Fortune 500 companies have women as CEOs.
• More than 10 million U.S. businesses have women as either 50% partners or outright owners.
• Twenty percent of all businesses that earn $1 million or more are owned by women.

The feminine advantage:  Especially in the area of small business and especially in today’s tough-as-nails economy, women have transformed how many businesses work.  For one thing, women tend to focus on cooperation and community rather than competition and go-it-alone-individualism.  Their management style tends to be flatter, more horizontal, lacking the pecking order. 

Most of all, while men tend to be solitary, women tend to be more natural as networkers.  They know that, very often, a series of related businesses can do much better when they share marketing efforts and research.  They also tend to help each other through tough times. 

Oh, and just for the record, many of the female entrepreneurs and managers I know are just as ambitious and hard-driving as the men.  Most just do it with more finesse.

The bottom line:  When looking at business management, look at individuals who bring the best of both sexes, from the relentless, never-say-die drive of men to the determined relationship-building skills of women.  – JRI

SMALL STONES TO THE REAR!

by John Ingrisano

The Freestyle Entrepreneur

Can one foolish statement make or break your business?  Well, this is a story I heard at least 45 years ago from a man, a friend and mentor, who experienced it at least 20 years before that.  It was one snapshot moment that made him a lifelong enemy of one of the world’s most famous jewelry store.

Joe was a young man about to pop “The Question” to his girlfriend, Marlene.  He had been given a smallish diamond ring, a family heirloom, for the occasion.  However, it needed to be refit and resized.  To Joe, it was the biggest, most beautiful, and most important diamond ring in the world. 

Excited and proud, he brought the ring into Tiffany’s in New York City.  Grinning from ear to ear, he approached the first counter in the store, held out the ring, and said he needed to have it resized for his soon-to-be-fiancée.  As Joe told me the story years later, he remembers that the man behind the counter looked first at him and then down at the ring, and then he announced in an icy cold tone, “Small stones to the rear.”

Pop!  There went Joe’s balloon.  Crushed!  Shattered!  Deflated!  I suspect he hesitated, took a step to the rear of the store, and then paused again.  All I do know for sure is that he then turned on his heels, walked out of the world’s most famous jewelry store, and never returned … ever.

Now, I suspect that this snide, pretentious fop was not indicative of Tiffany’s customer service policy.  Still, there he was, at the front of the store, in the role of greeter.  (There’s a Wal-Mart joke in here somewhere, but we’ll skip it.)  All I do know for sure is that it took just one stupid, thoughtless comment to destroy what could have become a positive, profitable, decades-long relationship.

The point:  (1) Teach your people the why and how of quality customer service; and (2) get rid of those employees who do not buy into the program.  Any questions?

That having been said: Work hard.  Make money.  Have fun.  And keep in mind that quality customer service is money in the bank … while bad customer service means big losses in sales and profits.  – JRI

The Freestyle Entrepreneur

As a hands-on manager-owner, your most important business-building tool is your attitude. 

I saw a great example of how this works a few months ago when meeting with two fast-food restaurant managers, both affiliated with the same chain.  The stores were almost identical in terms of demographics, and both relied heavily on part-time teenagers as their primary source of labor.

One manager complained that she could not get good help, that teenagers today did not know how to work or want to learn.  When speaking about her team, she seethed with annoyance.  She had nothing positive to say about her employees and had a great deal of turnover. 

The other manager, on the other hand, liked his staff and openly expressed his pleasure at their youthful exuberance and energy.  He had nothing but praise for his workers; he also  had about one-third the turnover as the other manager. 

What was the difference?  Attitude!  That was it, and everything else flowed from that.  When it came to their employees, I asked both managers three key questions:  “Who hired them?  Who trained them?  Who kept the slackers on staff?”  

The first manager, desperate for help, hired pretty much anyone willing to fill out an application.  Her training was spotty and on-the-fly.  She also filled out the weekly schedule without consulting her employees.  “These are your hours,” she told them.  No wonder she had an attitude problem with her team.  They caught it from her.

 The second manager, on the other hand, carefully screened all applicants.  He knew that hiring the wrong person was worse than being short-staffed.  He took his time.  He also either personally trained all new hires or had his assistant manager do the job.  For the first three months on the job, no employee was more than a quick shout-out from a supervisor when he or she had a question, and the employees were encouraged to ask lots of questions.  As a result, the training was monitored, consistent and thorough. 

 He was also quick to correct a mistake.  When an employee came on board with a bad attitude or proved to be less than reliable, he let that person go as quickly as possible.  That way, his good employees saw that he was fair and not asking them to pick up for a slacker.   

Finally, he worked with his employees when it came time for scheduling.  It was a team effort.  And when a conflict arose, he either helped resolve it or jumped in himself to fill the gap. He also put in double time during final exam time, so his employees could focus on their studies.    

Most of all, all that he did was nothing more than a reflection of his positive attitude toward his employees and his business.  He treated his team with respect, while also insisting that they work hard.  He was committed to them and, in turn, they were committed to him.

The bottom line:  If you have problems growing your business and/or keeping good help, do a little honest soul searching.  Remember, when a business succeeds, all credit should go to the employees.  And when your business struggles or you have morale and attitude problems, that is because YOU are doing something wrong. 

So, work hard, make money, have fun … and make sure you bring the right attitude to your business every day.  – JRI  

John Ingrisano

The Freestyle Entrepreneur    

209  Church Street

Algoma, WI 54201

(920) 559-3722

www.TheFreestyleEntreprenuer.com

Want more biz tips and support?  Visit www.TheFreestyleEntrepreneur.com.

The Freestyle Entrepreneur

It’s that time … time to set goals.  Start thinking about where you want to be by the end of 2012. 

 Are goals important?  In business, they’re everything.  If you don’t know where you want to go, you’ll never get there … or, well, you get the picture.  More to the point, you’ll just wander around, stumbling along, drifting from one day’s pressing moment to another, putting out fires and getting nowhere. 

 As a friend once said: “I’m not sure where we’re going, but we’re making darn good time.”  Without goals, if you do achieve anything of value, it will be by chance, pure luck.  Most of all, you can end up putting out a lot of time and effort for very little return.  A very inefficient way to do business.   

 Goals give us focus.  More to the point, they enable us to concentrate our energy and resources on the things that matter and not let us become distracted by the thing that don’t.  I know people who have three or four key goals.  That’s all they need.  However, those goals give them direction for  what they will be doing every day. 

 Goals expand our limits.  Without goals, we can usually do the work of mortals.  With goals, we can expand and grow, reach beyond our capabilities.  (Yes, imagine that:  beyond our capabilities!)  You can establish new boundaries, set records, achieve great things.  When I’m really on task, I can do the work of three people.  Nobody ever went beyond his or her average, every-day limits without a goal to do so. 

 How to set goals you can achieve:

1. Decide what you want.  Take your time.  Better yet, take a few days away from the office/work just to ponder what you really want  to achieve in 2012.
2. Keep the list short.  In fact, the fewer goals the better.  You do not need a two- or three-page list.  That can become distracting in itself.  Instead, imagine having just one or two rock-solid goals.  For example, how about this one?  “I will unlock the secret of seminar sales and become one of the top ten trainers in my organization by December 31, 2012.”  Imagine concentrating all your efforts on that one goal.  Can’t lose.    
3. Make them yours … not your spouse’s, not your father’s, not what you think someone else wants of you.  If you answer to boss, work out your goals together.  Do not just sit back and have the boss tell you your goals.  That will not work.  They must be yours.  What do YOU want to achieve in 2012? I once decided that I should have a goal of becoming a multi-millionaire within two  years.  It never felt right, and, as it turned out, it was the longest, most miserable two weeks of my life.  No, I did not achieve my goal in two weeks.  It took me two weeks to realize that the goal of money was not what I wanted.  It did not motivate me.  I realized that I wanted the things money could buy, not the money itself.  So, I retooled my goals.  
4. Make them lofty, so you have to stretch a bit, but not so high that there is no way you can achieve them.  Challenge yourself; make yourself break a sweat.  Remember that goal  above about becoming “one of the top ten trainers”?  Well, why not shoot for the Number One spot?  Again, why not?  Somebody has to be there.  Why not you?   
5. Make them specific.  The more specific, the better.  A general goal would be, “Get in shape.”  But a specific goal would say, “Get in shape by joining a health club and working out 3 days a week, and losing 20 pounds within two months.” 
6. Make them measurable.  They need to have numbers, as in:  “I will make three sales a week” or “I will increase my gross sales by 15% by the end of 2012.”  If your goal is just to “increase sales,” well, good luck; that is not measurable. 
7. Make them attainable.   In other words, they must be realistic.  No, this is not a contradiction of the fourth goal above, which is to make your goals lofty.  But they must be realistic.  For example, if you are a soft blob today, a lofty but realistic goal may be to run a marathon by the end of next year.  (My brother did in it three months, though the first one nearly killed him.)  However, the goal of winning a marathon, of taking the number one spot, may be too much for one year.  Save that one for year two or three.  The problem with setting goals that are pie-in-the sky impossible is that they are in fact self-destructive.  Not only will they be almost impossible to achieve, but they will discourage you from trying.
8. Make them timely.  Do not set a goal that takes 40 years to achieve.  Set goals that can be met within 12 or 24 months.  I like to have three levels of goals:  short (30 days), mid-range (30 days to six months), and annual goals (achievable by the end of a year).  I also have long-range goals, such as retirement by age 65, but these are outgrowths of smaller, shorter goals.  The point is that they must be timely.  Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for failure.  This also anchors them within a timeframe. 
9. Translate your goals into daily activities.  Break up your goals into bite-size pieces.  Example:  Let’s say I want to become a top trainer.  That may mean, as one activity, that I need to observe each of today’s top ten trainers at least once during the coming year, so one activity may be observe one a month, starting  in January.  Another activity may be to rehearse and train one hour a day, five days a week, to perfect my skills.    
10. Focus only on the things you want.  The idea of goals is that they are exclusive.  Do not get sidetracked doing non-goal-achieving activities.  Concentrate exclusively on the things that will get you where you want to be.      

 So, work hard, make money, have fun … and set your goals for 2012. 

John R. Ingrisano

The Freestyle Entrepreneur

john@TheFreestyleEntrepreneur.com

The Freestyle Entrepreneur – winner of the 2010 Top 35 Entrepreneur Blog awards from OnLine MBA.

John Ingrisano

The Freestyle Entrepreneur    

209  Church Street

Algoma, WI 54201

(920) 559-3722

www.TheFreestyleEntreprenuer.com

Want more biz tips and support?  Visit www.TheFreestyleEntrepreneur.com.

DEFINITION OF A SALES PROFESSIONAL

by John Ingrisano

The Freestyle Entrepreneur

The sales professional makes the difference when it comes to both making the sale and maximizing the sale. This is perhaps best illustrated in an anecdote told by an associate years ago.  When asked, “What’s a salesperson?” he replied:

 “Let me tell you what a salesperson is. A fellow walked into a department store and asked for a sales job. Since the applicant had no previous sales experience, the man­ager was naturally leery. But having a soft heart, he said, ‘I’ll give you one day to prove yourself. You can start right away in sporting goods.’

“Later in the day, the sales manager dropped by to see how his new salesman was doing and found him talking to a customer. ‘You’ve made a good selection. This is a terrific fishing rod, the best we carry. But you know, the really big fish aren’t by the shore. You have to get out into the middle of the lake. What you need is a boat.’

“The customer hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed. The salesman went on. ‘Of course, by the time you row out to where the really big fish are biting, you’ll be too exhausted to enjoy yourself. Fortunately, we have a motor that’s just right for that boat. And you won’t find it for a better price anywhere in town.’ The customer couldn’t turn down a deal like that, so he bought the motor, too. ‘Now, that should just about do it,’ the salesman concluded, and then hesitated. ‘How are you going to get that boat to the lake?” he asked. The customer didn’t know, and it wasn’t long before the new salesman had sold him a trailer.

“When the customer left, the sales manager came rush­ing over. ‘You’re terrific! You just made the single big­gest sale in the history of our store! And just think, all because the customer came in to buy a fishing pole.’

“The new salesman looked at the sales manager and said, ‘He didn’t come in to buy a fishing pole. He wandered in, and we started chatting. When he mentioned that his wife was in the next department buying shoes because she was going to her sister’s for the weekend, I told him it sounded like a dull couple of days for him and asked if he’d ever thought of taking up fishing.’ Now that’s a salesman!”

So work hard, make money, have fun … and sell like you mean it.