"On" vs. "In"

http://www.elaint.com/blog/?p=200

Watch Your Slow Variables

"Slow Variables." That's what Marshall Thurber calls them. Slow variables are the little things that seem inconsequential, seemingly not worth your time, yet if you ignore them, they'll sneak up on you. Often it's hard to know which ones to ignore, and which merit attention.

For example, if you decide not to brush your teeth today, will you get a cavity tomorrow? Not likely. How about if you skip a couple days? A week? Longer? Short of the potentially socially awkward halitosis consequences, sooner or later you'll have to pay the price for poor dental hygiene.

Here's another. Let's say you have teeny, tiny gap around the frame of your front door. In the winter, you might feel a small draft. But it's not much, and you have other things to deal with. It can wait.

Now let's do the math. If that gap is, say 1/16 of an inch wide, and it runs the height of the door, and along the threshold, that is approximately (36" W x 80" H) 116 inches in length. Multiply by 1/16" wide, and you have a gap of 7.25 square inches! That's equivalent to a hole approximately 3 inches in diameter! If you had a hole that big in your house, would you ignore it?

Consider your daily (?) workout, dessert after dinner or snacks in between. On the positive side, consider all the little things you should be doing, that add up also: Blogging, sending greeting cards, sending a "thank you" for a referral. Little "touches" all add up too.

We're told not to sweat the small stuff. I get that. But sometimes the small stuff is incremental, and it's actually big stuff.  Watch your slow variables!

Being A Human


This may be one of my own idiosyncrasies, but it strikes me that many people turn into something they are not when in certain situations. For example, when dealing with clients, why do some people turn into "Sales guy"? When speaking in public, some suddenly turn into "Game show host guy."  I don't get it. 

It is a well-known fact that people do business with people they like. Assuming that people like you for who you are, why not be who you are? 


Early in my career I didn't get it. I was all business. Maybe it's maturity—not sure my family will go for that one, but stay with me—or experience, but over time, client conversations evolved into asking about the kids, the vacation, the new car....HUMAN CONVERSATION. 

If you want to be good at sales, first of all BE LIKABLE. BE A HUMAN. Build rapport and human connections, and trust will follow. You can't sell without trust.

Sales Savvy

Many people have collections. Among other obscure things, I collect bobble heads from major league ballparks, magic tricks and books, and quotations. I try to organize the quotations by category, though many fit into more than one. Following are some of my favorite thoughts on selling and sales. If attributions are missing or wrong, it's from bad note taking, so apologies in advance for any errors.

• If you try to compete on price, then you become a commodity. Differentiate.
• Move from product pusher to trusted adviser.
• You cannot sell without trust.
• Trust comes from familiarity which comes from frequency.
• Relationship sales: They buy you, not product.
• "If you can differentiate a dead chicken, you can differentiate anything." --Ralph Perdue
• People buy 2 things: Solutions to problems and good feelings.
• People buy first emotionally, then rationalize later. 
• People buy what it does, not what it is. 
• People do not like to be sold to. But they LOVE to buy!
• "I'm not good at selling. Therefore I must make it easy for people to buy." --F.W.Woolworth
• "Salesmanship is the gentle art of letting the other person have YOUR way." -- L.C. Thoelecke