I was recently thinking about a “teaching moment” my dad shared with me (more than a few years ago). He told me about a business course he took when he was moving into a sales role (coming up from a lumber grader, then supervisor on the MacBlo floor):
Seminar Teacher: What is the purpose of business?
Dad: To provide something the customer wants or needs.
Teacher: No. It’s to make money.
My dad had the better answer. It’s how my parents ran their business, and it was one part of the values that governed how they raised us. That’s likely why it stuck with me from back then (I was 11) until today.
Those values are why I help businesses make great things, provide great service, and do the foundational internal work that creates value. You can’t have long term success without that foundation, and if you want to focus on short-term success or squeezing short-term value out of an acquisition, I’m not your guy.
Which reminds me of another quote from my past. This one from a framed picture above the desk of someone I worked with many years ago:
“Luck is When Preparation Meets Opportunity” [1].
I’d like to paraphrase it a bit:
“Sales Happen when Preparation Meets Opportunity.”
Sales is a blend of art, science and hustle that can’t build long term value if the company doesn’t have the People, Processes and Technology to back it up. That means a Cascade of WHATs and HOWs; an optimal structure that clearly defines who is responsible for what; and day–to–day Tactics that support the team so that they, in turn, support sales.
Provide something a customer wants or needs, better than anyone else, and they’ll beat a path to your door[2].
[1] attributed to either Seneca the Younger or a 1912 issue of The Youth’s Companion, depending on your preference