Bob Poole's Water Cooler Hangout

I'm Not a Vendor and Neither Are You

Do your customers refer to you as a vendor? Do you think they call their attorney and accountant vendors? You don't want to be perceived as a vendor but as a partner. Of course, to be considered as a partner you need to bring value to the relationship that nobody else can provide - at least the way you do!

Companies need to understand this too. If you're treating your service and product providers like vendors you need to rethink your approach. You also need to foster a partner relationship so that you can rely and trust that they have your back which will allow you to work on the areas of your business that retains and develops new customers.

Like marketing, sales and customer service.

Rejection Sucks

Rejection sucks. It doesn't matter if it's from the little blond haired girl with pigtails in third grade, the letters from your favorite universities, the form slips from publishers, or the customer you knew you had sold but who changed her mind at the last minute. It still hurts and it takes a nibble out of your self-esteem.

So, what can you do? There's always the tub of chocolate ice cream or an all-night martini tasting. (I heartily recommend the ice cream if you're still in third grade.)

I once spent over a month analyzing a national account problem for a prospective customer only to have him tell me he wasn't going to buy and then refuse to supply a reason. As I left his office I said, "I'll be back in six months." His response was, "I don't think you understand, I'm not interested in your company." I responded, "That's okay. In six months someone new will be in your position if you keep making stupid decisions like this one."

He had already called my boss by the time I got back to the office. My boss asked me if I really said that and I told him yes. I knew it was immature and wrongheaded but I let the rejection get the best of me. 

Here's what you really do with rejection. You learn from it. You stop feeling sorry for yourself and you tell yourself that there are plenty more prospective customers out there. You know you're good at what you do and if you focus on providing value for people; the rejection won't matter. Just remember that you have to keep improving your skills. Read, get a mentor, hire a coach, attend classes that will enable you provide even more value. Don't stop honing your skills.

That's pretty much what I do with rejection. Every day is a new beginning and I try not to look backwards once I've learned from the experience. Give it a try and don't let the bastards ever get you down again.

PS - He was gone in less than three months.

Magic

When I first heard that my fellow Triiibes members were planning a one-year anniversary blog ring to celebrate, I was quite perplexed. “One year,” I thought! “It has to have been longer than a year.”

This feeling of time shifting isn't unusual for me as I’m only a little over a month from turning the page on my 60th year. So, time for me tends to be speeding up these days.

But, I don’t think my advancing years have anything to do with it this time. It seems like it has been longer than a year because I feel like my fellow members have been a part of my life for much, much longer.

I’ve learned, laughed and sometimes cried with them. I’ve been challenged and inspired. And, I’ve made friends with the most creative group of individuals I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Early on, I joined the Tribes e-Book project and I met a young lady who inspired me with her leadership and her ability to guide a large group of independent thinkers towards a very short deadline. We finished it and if you haven’t read it, you can check it out here.

The same young lady, Megan Elizabeth Morris, then joined me as my editor for my first book. It’s a book on sales and marketing that I had been saying I was going to write for several years. But, it took a Tribe to inspire me to actually do it.

Today, I’m developing a new project that will help small businesses move more quickly to profitability. And, my second book is already in progress. And, once again, it has been fellow members who have challenged and guided me.

Sometimes they don’t even know they’re doing it. Just reading about their passion, achievements and compassion for each other and the word at large makes me proud to be in their Tribe.

If I can recommend one idea to you it is this. Find or create your own Tribe.

Magic will happen!

Click above to read the next Triiibe's member post.

Some People Don't Care About Blue Herons

There is a great blue heron that feeds in a creek that I walk by in the mornings. I see him almost every time I walk and I worry about it when I don't see it there. But, it (or one of its relatives) have always returned.

Yesterday as I was approaching the area where I usually find it, there were several people in front of me on the trail who passed there before me. I didn't see any of them point or stop so I thought the bird must not be around. But, no, there it was sitting less than 20 feet from the path. "How could they miss it?" I wondered.

I sat down to watch it feed for a while and thought about why some people see it and others don't. I then realized that out of 100 people who pass by that part of the creek, I bet at least 20 - 30 of them have never seen the blue heron. They just don't care. They aren't interested in birds or at least this one. Then there are probably another 60 people who occasionally see it and maybe even stop once in a while. I've pointed it out to some people and they just smile and keep on walking or running.

Then there are people like me. We're in the minority. We are fans of the great blue. We always stop to see where it is feeding. And, most of us know where it sometimes hides in the shallows or down the creek under the big willow tree. We'd pay to make sure the heron is safe and well fed if there was a way.

I was wondering what would happen if we put up a big sign near the path that said, "See The Great Blue Heron! Only $1.00!" Would more of those 60 people stop and pay? I doubt it. They can stop now and see it for free.

What is we offered to pay $1.00 to everyone who stops? Would the people that never stop be persuaded to do so if we paid them? Maybe. But, would that make them real fans?

What if instead of focusing on these 100 people, we identified people who like birds, environmentalists, Sierra Club members, Natural Resources Defense Council members just to start? We could volunteer to speak to them and show them photos we've taken of the heron and ask them to come see it. We could use our social networks, our blogs and websites to discuss herons and this one in particular. Someone would name it and the story of the friendly great blue heron would spread all over not just this area but the world.

Before long it would have a much larger fan club. It would have its own tribe that would make sure the heron lives the best life a heron can have. A tribe that would spend money and time.

How is this story of the heron different from your business?
Find the people who want and need to hear your story. Don't chase everyone because some don't care.
Tell them your story using diverse channels
Entertain, educate and engage.
Create your tribe.

Relationship Building Idea of the Week

So there I was a couple of weeks ago taking photos of my 4 month old granddaughter, Rylie. I was using my Canon 1Ds Mark II with a 24-70 prime lens which weighs a total of 5 pounds 10 ounces. Heavy sucker! Not something you carry with you all the time unless you are a professional. And, I'm not anymore.

It got me to thinking that I need to get a small, quality camera - digital of course. Not just because of the weight but because I'm not doing one of the things that did for years which is a hit with clients, prospective clients and just people I meet.

I'm going to share the idea with you and I heartily recommend it. It's a fantastic relationship builder.

Here's what you do:

1. Always have a small digital camera with you.
2. Take a photograph of every client, prospect, friend, and new people you meet during the day.
3. Make sure you have their address if you don't already.
4. Within a couple of days, send them a print along with a short personal note.
5. Better yet, have some cards made up that you can fold and enclose the print on one side and the handwritten note on the other side.

I have to give credit for this idea to my friend Frank C. Dawson. Frank is a long-time friend and mentor in East Liverpool, OH. As far as I am concerned, he is one of the world's experts at relationship building and leadership.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words (it is), I've put a copy of Frank's most recent photo gift and  card. You can see both the front folded and opened up. The card is made large enough so you can fold up the bottom to form two pockets to hold the photo.

Enjoy the photo tip and start putting it to use next week. The feedback you'll get will blow you away.

And, you'll have lots of fun too!

Great Ideas Disappear

Did you ever have a great idea while you were doing something else? Well, even if it isn’t “great” let’s assume it is one you want to follow up and remember. I have a confession to make. It happens to me too many times when I don’t have something to record it with like a pencil and paper.

I’d even be willing to use a Sharpie® and my hand if that’s all I had with me. And, as many times as I tell myself to keep something near me to write with, I forget.

I have one (and only one) excuse. Often I get what I think are great ideas when I’m doing other things. Does that happen to you too? For example, I’m cooking and really into the moment of cooking and suddenly – WHAM – here comes some idea into my head that has nothing to do with cooking. Do I stop what I’m doing to write it down? No, I tell myself I’ll remember (because it is an extraordinary idea) only to go back to be in the “cooking moment.”

Later on I remember I was supposed to remember an idea but damn if it isn’t gone. I console myself with the thinking that if it really was a good idea it will come back to me. Yeah, right! If you believe that you probably also believe the label that says, “One size fits all.”

So, I’m throwing myself on your mercy. There must be a system that I can carry with me at all times that will allow me to easily record it without leaving the moment.

Tell me, please. What do you do? Maybe it will fit me too!

What's An Idea Worth?

What's an idea worth? Is an extraordinary one worth more than a so-so one? Are they scarce or common place or in-between? Can you conjure up one when you need it? Or, do they sit out there right on the edge of your sub-conscious chortling at you as you try to coax them into the cognitive realm?

My experience is that they aren't worth spit if you don't do something with them. But, if you have the ability and the guts to kick an extraordinary one into motion, it will be life-changing for you and those around you.

I have a friend with one of the most fertile, creative minds I've ever met. And, she's giving her ideas away for free. Yep - FREE! She conducted her first "Free Idea Free For All Day" yesterday and it was a hit. I even got involved and got some feedback on copyrighting and some ideas for the future. 

Megan Elizabeth Morris is one of the really good people in the world. When you combine that with her intelligence, wit, humor and a willingness to listen first, you've got the makings of a really great idea collaborator.

I'm a lucky duck. I found her early. Now she's getting famous and her time is getting more and more scarce. (Well, actually she is a world famous Welsh opera singer but I'm not counting that.) She and I exchange maybe a dozen emails a day. And, almost all of them are idea related. There are lightning bolts coming from Austin (where she lives) when she gets the idea machine really humming which is a daily occurrence.

So, here's why I'm telling you all this. You can hire her for idea generation, idea blueprinting and idea consulting. And, on very rare occasions, idea implementation. You can also get ideas from her for free. And, if you're broke, she's got some ways to help you out there too. Like I said, she's a really good person.

Give her a look. Here's her new site. Stop in and visit and poke around a while. Sign up for her blog. It's educational, humorous and often irreverent to don't get your boxers in a bunch if she lets out with the occasional swear word.

By the way, not only did she edit one of the all time great sales books, "Listen First - Sell Later" which I wrote. (Yes, I'm having fun now!) But, Megan also recently gave me an idea for a brand new service that I'll be launching later this year. Can't tell you now. It is a secret.

Now, go and visit Megan. Here's some free resources. You can sign up for her blog here too.

It will all be worth your while.

Fishing and Selling (Which has nothing to do with selling fish.)

When I was a kid, I loved to fish. I grew up in the "country" so I had lots of creeks and ponds around me. The great thing about fishing the creeks was I could wade for miles and never see anyone. And, the fishing was fantastic. Back then people thought these creeks only held catfish and carp. They had no idea that I was catching tons of smallmouth and a few largemouth bass. For a kid who enjoyed fishing and being outdoors, it was heaven.

I thought about this today while I was doing my morning exercise. I walk about 3-5 miles (depending on the day) along a creek near my home. But, unlike when I was a kid in Ohio, I now live in the burbs near the most populated areas of the United States. Needless to say, I'm not alone on the paved walking path.

However, today it was raining and it kept most people away. And, I was able to see a giant blue heron, dozens of baby rabbits that eat the tender grass along the trail, one deer and a few hawks and songbirds. Nobody was fishing.

The last few times I fished my creek back in Ohio, I discovered that everyone and their brother had learned about the bass. And, like where I now live, my favorite holes were already taken by people. But, I also knew that most people tend to gather where the "pickings are easy" so I headed off upstream where I had to hike through thick brush and slippery rocks. After about 30 minutes I realized I was once again all alone with the closest fisherman about a mile away.

And, guess what, the fishing was just as easy as it was 40 years ago. I had a blast and caught a smallmouth every few casts. Fishing is kind of like selling. You have to go where the fish are and you have to offer them something they want.

While everyone else is moaning about the lack of fish, you don't have to cast where everyone else is "fishing." In fact, creating new areas of opportunity and doing what the competition is unwilling to do will get you far more fish than being like everyone else. Or, maybe it would be a good time to try something different - say like fly fishing - if you've always used lures or bait.

Some fishermen and salespeople never think about changing. They fish the same water, use the same kind of bait and presentation, and always fish for their favorite species.

Here's a tip. If you aren't getting any bites doing what you're doing, you need to change what you're doing. Don't laugh now. I talked to a guy yesterday who has seen his business go steadily downhill for the last 3 years. When I asked him what kind of changes he has made in his marketing over that time it turned out he was doing the same things he had done in previous years when things were profitable.

You have to flexible, willing to change, and, oh yeah, do the hard work!

But, when it all comes together, you'll have a blast!

You can learn about other sales and marketing ideas in my book, Listen First - Sell Later, available at Amazon.com.

Caution - This May Make You Sick

Caution – this may make you sick to your stomach. Hopefully, it will also make you mad enough to say this kind of B.S. isn’t going to continue. I think it would make a great movie.

Here’s the plot.

We start with a state senator who has just been convicted by a jury of 137 counts of corruption, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. Oh, and let’s also have him loot the taxpayers of a few more million dollars worth of equipment, trips, cars and other items for his personal use. And, just to make him really bad, we’ll have him take hundreds of thousands of dollars more from other organizations while boasting about how he wines and dines on “other people’s money.” We’ll call him Vince – Vince Fumo and we’ll have him represent the people of South Philadelphia, Pa.

We’ll open the scene a few days before sentencing. Federal sentencing guidelines call for between 21 and 27 years in prison. We’ll have a U.S. District Judge (let’s call him Ronald Buckwalter) decide the sentence. The jury who convicted him of all 137 felony counts anxiously awaits sentencing as do the state’s citizens.

But wait, what’s this? Rumor has it that hundreds of powerful politicians and friends are asking the judge to be lenient. The state’s largest newspaper writes an editorial decrying the fact that no less than the governor of the state has written the judge seeking mercy. The governor (let’s name him Ed Rendell) tells the judge that the disgraced felon “did a tremendous amount of good for the best of reasons.”

Now we bring in the words of a few thousands citizens who laughingly respond, “Yeah, to line his pockets with millions!”

But, let’s not stop with the governor. Let’s have a sitting U.S. Representative (call him Bob Brady) tell the judge he is “proud” to call the ex-senator “my friend.” We’ll even have him tell the judge that our criminal is “honest and forthright.” Even though he stands convicted of a lifetime of greed, theft, corruption, etc.

Next up we’ll have a former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice write a letter to the judge urging him to let Fumo off lightly. Imagine the scene as that letter is being read by reporters before sentencing.

Now we fast forward to the day of sentencing. Prosecutors are asking for a sentence of 15 years in prison and restitution of $4 million. Will the judge sentence him to serve the recommended time? Will the fact that Vince spent decades abusing his office and power while bleeding taxpayers to enrich himself get him the Federal guideline of as much as 27 years?

This wasn’t just one instance of corruption but an entire career of arrogantly taking from taxpayers with the belief that it was a okay as long as he gave some back to the citizens he represented. (Citizens being mostly buddies and people like himself.)

(The camera pans in for a tight shot of the judge looking down at Vince.)

The judge then proceeds to go out of his way to praise Fumo for all the good he has done over the years. The fact he stole millions for himself doesn’t seem to bother the good justice.

Then he sentences him to 55 months so that with time off for good behavior, he’ll do less than 4 years. That’s less than 11 days per felony.

The crowd grasps in disbelief. How could the sentence be this light? What’s going on with this judge? Is it all a mistake?

What do you think? Does the scenario have movie written all over it?

What’s that you say? It’s too unbelievable.

I’m sorry to tell you that’s it not. In fact, it’s all true. And it is exactly why people don’t respect or believe in our courts and government anymore. It’s why people think its okay for them to cheat the system and “get mine too.”

Judge Buckwalter’s decision is disgraceful – at the very least. But, this judge isn’t worried about his job. You see he has a lifetime appointment. It’s not just Supreme Court Justices that are with us for their lifetime. It’s all Federal Judges. Article III, Section I of the Constitution spells it out. Impeachment is the only way to remove them.

When the prosecutor told the judge that Fumo’s crimes amounted to a loss of confidence among Pennsylvania’s 11 million residents the judge belittled him and said “I can’t help but laugh. There are probably at least 9 million state residents who have never heard of him.” Buckwalter’s sentencing and statements were a personal affront to all 11 million.

We have been experiencing and accepting corruption and incompetence in our courts and with our politicians for too long. I think it is time for term limits for all of them. We can’t end up with worse than we already are getting. He’s not the first lifetime appointed District Justice who has made similar, incomprehensible decisions. And, he won’t be the last if we don’t do something about term limits.

And, Vince Fumo won't be the last politician to rape the public while brimming in arrogance and laughing at us all.

It is way past time to set term limits and to impeach, recall, and vote out those who wantonly engage is this kind of behavior.

Or, you can do nothing and let them keep getting away with crime after crime - time after time. It's up to all of us to determine the ending for this movie.

Trusting and Whacking

A friend of mine likes to say, "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it." So, there I was this past week driving past many of the places where I've dealt with triumphs and disasters and also faced my greatest fear. "What the hell are you thinking?" I asked myself several times.

I was in East Liverpool, Ohio visiting my mom and two of my siblings and I was in Pittsburgh visiting my new granddaughter, my son and his wife and my daughter and her significant other. I also got to visit with my wonderful friend, Walt Zastawa and his wife Becky. I've written about Walt and you'll find several mentions of him in my book.

But, back to my trip and why the heck you should keep on reading this story. For some reason I felt the pull to drive by a lot of places that brought up a lot of stuff in my heart and in my stomach. But, nothing hit me more than facing my greatest fear one more time. It is a fear that you may share with me. Many leaders, entrepreneurs, business owners and salespeople face it every day.

It's a fear of someone you trust taking advantage of you.

In my experience, both personal and after years of studying and working with all the above, I find that the best of you make decisions quickly about people. Speaking for myself, if I trust you (and I decide very quickly), I trust you 100%. There's no earning my trust. You either have it or you don't.

Of course, that means that if someone violates that trust, I feel terrible. I question my own judgment and I whack myself with a poor self-esteem bat. I turn 60 in two months so I have accumulated a bunch of bat bruises!

So, what do you do about this fear? I decided a long time ago to face it. I know that I am most effective as a salesperson, speaker, author, and entrepreneur if I stay true to the course my life has taken. I'm not a Pollyanna going through life with rose colored glasses. And, neither are you if you see yourself in these words.

You're someone who gets things done. Someone who wants to change your part of the world. You're someone who aspires to be the best they can be and to do the best they can do. You don't have time to waste on analyzing all your decisions. You have to go with your gut and your heart and let peoples' actions determine if you were right.

We know we can't do it alone. We need people we can trust and, even more importantly, we need others to trust us too if we're to change the world.

As I drove around all those places from my past, I remembered the people who did take advantage of my trust.

But, not for long.

Instead, I spent a lot of time smiling and remembering the ones with whom I shared a bond of trust and friendship. And, I remembered how we changed our part of the world.