Scattering Seeds of Success
The guy on the right is a guy I knew while I was in 9th grade. That is a long long time ago. I didn't realize it at the time but he taught me all I needed to know about how to succeed in life. I learned many valuable life lessons from him.
1. Superior customer service will always be rewarded.
He will go down in history as my dad's favorite paperboy. Believe me, that is a big deal. My dad was retired and his paper was very important to him. It was like his internet connection. When he wasn't reading the paper cover to cover, my dad was tending to our yard. He once had a paperboy who walked in his flower beds so he canceled the paper and got it a store daily until a new paperboy assumed the route. My dad wasn't a curmudgeon, he was perfect in my eyes, he was just particular about his paper.
How did he gain the success of being my dad's favorite? He provided superior customer service. Prior to assuming the route, he walked the route with the previous carrier with a watch and a notebook making notes. He then made a solo trip and introduced himself to all customers and asked them if they had any special issues or considerations and when was the best time to collect, etc. He provided his number and encouraged customers to call him with any issues or planned absences. Based on his calculations, he gave the approximate time that the paper would be delivered and asked if they wanted a call if the paper was delayed for any reason. When he gave up the route, he trained his replacement and shared his notes.
I am hoping my dad tipped him but I really have no idea. But, I would imagine that being my dad's favorite paperboy was reward enough. Even if my dad never tipped him, I am sure the rest of his customer's did and showed their appreciation.
2. Pay attention to detail and exceed expectations.
Needless to say, he not only talked the talked but he walked the walk. He delivered on the high expectations he set. But, in doing so, he was also setting the stage for success in another place.
3. Have a plan and execute. Be patient.
While we were in Grade 9, we both went on a field trip to New Orleans. It was an amazing experience. The students going had to fund-raise for this field trip. One of the major fund-raisers was selling boxes of grapefruit and oranges. They were going to be delivered fresh from Florida. The price seemed a little expensive to me, but, it didn't really matter. I wasn't really planning on selling them. I was going to do what I always did when I had to sell something. My parents and a couple phone calls to my aunts that were obligated to buy from me, and that's it. This guy and I were partnered together because we lived in the same end of town. The pair who sold the most boxes would win $50. This was a long time ago and this must have been a lot of money. This guy claimed our territory. He was too ambitious and picked a large part of town. Well, he was welcome to pick whatever he wanted, as I wouldn't be participating. When I got home from school that day, he and my dad were sitting at our kitchen table. Nothing good could come from this. My dad kept saying, "that's wonderful, that's so great, etc, etc." The guy had a plan. He had a notebook and made spread sheets. He mapped out our area and determined how long it would take us to go door to door on each area. He would record each home as sale, not home, soft no, or definite no. He had a plan that included us going back to each home that was not home or a soft no up to three additional times. The guy knew that once my dad was on board, I was automatically on board. I couldn't say no to my father. The guy knew his details.
4. Take risks. Go out of your comfort zone. Cultivate the relationships that sow your seeds of success.
I don't know how long we actually sold these oranges and grapefruit. It seemed like every day for about 9 months. It also seemed like we were always selling in the dark and it was always -40. In real time, it was probably 2-3 weeks in January. I know this guy had a flashlight and kept updating his notebook with data. The only thing that got me through was my fantasies of what I wanted to do with that flashlight and notebook. My dad ensured that I followed through with the plan. The guy was taking a huge risk with me being his partner. I whined the whole time. He figured out very early on that he couldn't trust me because I would go up to a house, not ring the bell, and then report that they weren't home. He took the risk of going with me from house to house. This way we were covering less territory, but it was necessary to ensure that I learned how to sell from watching him. It was out of my comfort zone, but it worked. I got the confidence to start selling myself. Success breeds success. He was monitoring the sales of the other teams and there was only one other pair that seemed to be competition. It was another pairing similar to us except they had all of rural Dauphin. They had a huge area and a dad who was also part of the plan who drove them everywhere. This guy would show me the daily sales of us and this other team. It seemed we would be successful The prospect of success motivated me. I became invested in winning the $50. (Split two ways.) I learned a lot about myself and that I could do things that were out of my comfort zone. But, I truly learned that I had the potential for leadership on the last day of the contest. The teacher adviser advised me that my partner and the other team were self-destructing. They came into the last day tied so the other team had got permission to call a dad to get another sale and told my partner they were ahead. He reacted by getting two more sales to go ahead, and then told the other team. They sold two boxes to go ahead. My partner was on the verge of getting another two sales to go ahead. At this point, I went out of my comfort zone and took charge. I refused to let this guy update the other team. I made sure he talked to no one but me. The winning team was announced and we won the $50.
5. Success means success in ways that you could never anticipate. Enjoy.
We won!! I was so excited that I asked permission to call my dad and tell him. My dad already knew because he was the sales that brought us over the top. My dad was really proud of me for participating as fully as a I did but he also told me that I needed to tell this guy that he was keeping the entire $50. I was very sad. I had worked hard and I wouldn't be enjoying any of the success. My dad told me that my partner had earned the money and I didn't. I whined the whole time and even though I eventually got with the program, it was too little too late. I had to do the right thing. I was almost in tears when I had to tell my partner that he had earned the whole $50. I didn't realize how much success I would be achieving by doing the right thing.
When I got home from school that day, I had received flowers as a thank-you for doing the right thing. An actual bouquet of flowers from a guy delivered from a florist. It was the first time and an amazing feeling. I got flowers !!! I took pictures, I told everyone I knew and I enjoyed these flowers for a long time. I also enjoyed the feeling of getting flowers. I made sure that I learned to cultivate my relationships because you never know when someone will be motivated to give you flowers, or some other token of appreciation. It doesn't matter what it is, it is worth it. I also learned how simple it is to make someone happy and you should do it. You will always be rewarded in ways that you can't anticipate.
The real success was when we actually got the oranges in grapefruit. Living in northern Manitoba, we didn't get a lot of fresh fruit. We would get grapefruit once in a while, but they were very tart and we had to cut them in half and sprinkle sugar on them. The pith was so tough we had to get a special grapefruit spoon. These grapefruit were nothing like I had ever had before. We peeled them and ate them like oranges. They were succulent and sweet and became our dessert. The oranges were also unlike any oranges I had ever had. Fresh. Delicious. It was what fruit was supposed to taste like. They were a little expensive but were of such high quality that they were worth every penny. There are some things that you get what you pay for and paying a little extra for quality is well worth it. I thought we had so many boxes that we would never eat them all but we did. They didn't go bad. It was incredible.
Work hard. Scatter seeds. Enjoy your success. Simple life lessons. Still relevant.
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