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Dave’s blog

Miscellaneous Thoughts, Sales

Sales Lesson from a Russian Uber Driver

Meeting Uber driver “Sam” reminded me that infectious enthusiasm is better than all the sales skills in the world.  From the word, “hello,” it was clear that Sam was from Russia.  I asked him his story – it’s an endearing one.

Sam “won the green card lottery,” leaving Russia where he’d been trained as an attorney and a dental technician.  There wasn’t time to learn more about this peculiar combination. Sam moved to NYC.  With no credit history, he managed to purchase his Rav 4 at 18% interest so he could drive for Uber and work on his English.  After 9 months, Sam decided that he missed the mountains of his homeland.  Opening a map, he saw that Denver was near the mountains, so he packed his car and drove here.

Sam told us this and more with joyful delight, enthusiasm, gratefulness and laughter.  He was so happy – and he made me happy.

I got to thinking about Sam and about sales.  In this NOISY world, one in which it’s so hard to break through to customers, Sam made me WANT to be his customer.  He made me feel good about him, myself, my country, my life.  I wanted to give him a $20 tip on a $21 fare.

In sales, we train skills, strategy, product knowledge – we teach our teams how to get the attention of our prospect, and how to get them to buy from us.  Sam, the Russian Uber driver I met once and will always remember, is a great reminder that people want to engage but are busy and defensive because they know that mostly, we want something from them.  Instead of trying to get something, let’s give honest, joyful enthusiasm.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Pies Make Me a Better Man

I like making pies.  I like the process, and I get a cheap thrill from sharing what I make with friends and family.  They have such low expectations of me when it comes to the kitchen, that my pie baking consistently yields surprise, which I take as praise.

I’m intense by habit, and I’m committed to my career.  Success for me, like for you, requires determination and focus, and the need to win over and over again in a competitive market.  Business can be tiring because, really, are we ever DONE?

Sometimes I want to create something that is done.  When I can step back and say, “Wow, I made that.”

My version of Hinman’s Cast Iron Skillet Cherry Pie. Recipe via Denver Post.

While I remain an active participant in the race of doing business in our cacophony of a world, I am trying not to be consumed by it.  I want to be deliberate enough to pursue things that have deeper meaning.  I want to be braver – brave enough to define success in ways that I know will be more gratifying, but I struggle to accept. While I haven’t solved this for myself, making pies gives me a symbolic and actual break from life’s intensity.  I enjoy the simple act of creating something that gets finished.

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The Eagles vs. Snapchat

In my interview with Chuck Morris of AEG Live @AEGPresents, Chuck, himself in the business for 49 years, said that bands like the Eagles and Doobie Brothers @TheDoobieBros ‏are “doing better than ever!”

That got me thinking:  Why?  What makes a band with members now in their 60s continue to thrive, appealing to original fans, and attracting huge new audiences in their 20s and 30s?

Chuck Morris’s answer: “they are GREAT bands!” Certainly, and I think there’s more.  These bands provide experiences that make us happy in a simple way that resonates deep within us.  In contrast, we live much of our lives deeply immersed in technology, which while needed and appreciated, puts us in an unsettled state, one in which we feel constantly interrupted, even frenetic at times.

The engagement we feel in a live concert by a great band is a reminder that to pierce through today’s cacophony of noise to captivate another’s attention is possible – others want to engage in deep and gratifying ways, and they’ll do so if our message and our manner is compelling.

As a guy who’s built a career on developing customer relationships, I’m wondering, how can I adapt my approach in business to cut through the noise, and create a feeling of grounded happiness for my customers?  Maybe I’ll play a little Earth, Wind & Fire as I start my next pitch.

Default, Entrepreneurship

From Media Darling to Shut Down

What a headline.  It makes me sad – but not depressed or troubled.

Revolar is Jackie Ros’s, first start-up.  She’s amazing!  One of the most delightful and upbeat founders I’ve interviewed, she has accomplished great things,
was celebrated in national media, and her customers love the Revolar product.

At a recent dinner bringing together five past guests of PROCO360, all having become more successful since our interview, I was struck by their genuine gratefulness that their successes outweigh their failures.  I could sense the recognition that even high-profile success can be fragile.

As a past entrepreneur I was not as successful as Jackie or those who joined me for dinner.  Still, I experienced firsthand the amazing “rock star” highs as my business took off – thriving, growing, expanding.  I also remember with great pain, the feelings of inadequacy and vulnerability when I didn’t have all the answers.  I remember the relentless fear and embarrassment, and the sleepless nights during a dramatic downturn.  I know what all that feels like because I did it, and that’s really gratifying.

Default, Entrepreneurship

The “Wise-Guy” Skill Set

When I asked Tom Ryan, CEO of SmashBurger, about what experience he applied to starting SmashBurger that really made a huge difference, he answered, “building-in scalability” from the start.  He said, “It’s a wise-guy skill-set… you gotta be around the block a few times to get it.” Tom continued that he’s often approached by ambitious restaurant entrepreneurs, frustrated that as they add locations, they are failing rather than scaling.  They hadn’t known to build-in scalability, or how to do it.  They weren’t yet wise guys.

That got me thinking.  Today as we celebrate the meteoric startups, particularly those in tech, we place an increasing amount of focus on innovation and speed, and relatively less value on experience.  While speed and innovation are more important in a software startup than for a burger franchisor, I think it’s worth asking, “Is there someone with more experience who might have advice that I should hear?”  I love the way Tom Ryan described the scenario of “needed to be around the block a few times to get it!”  There are lots of times when entrepreneurs need wise guys.  Of course, without experience, it’s hard to know those times.

Fortunate for us, our great collaborative spirit in Colorado makes it easy to find generous wise guys who fit your business and your path.

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