Victory Secrets of Attila the Hun

Are you a buyer or seller of the truth?

Me, I'm both.

I bought this book in April 1993. Amazing sidebar: there are readers of this blog that were born in 1993! So what did Attila know that I have yet to discover? That you have yet to discover? A lot.

In the close of one chapter talking about, "Tribal Togetherness" Attila advises chieftains to stop training the troops "only when winning is no longer important." Sound like advice from anyone you know? Beside me?

Few organizations understand training as well as my USMC

For our young readers a question: when you turn 18 will you seek out military service to your country as an honorable launching pad for your future. I did, and it was the key that made the rest of my life possible. Bold statement for sure, but one that I believe is true. This would probably be a good place to point out that I would reinstate the draft in America. Israel understands that too many governments want them driven from the face of the earth. Why can't our present administration understand we are in that same boat? But I digress...

If you are a business owner in America, the clock is running out on your ability to forge your own destiny. If winning is no longer for your business, then by all means, stop training. Otherwise, you might want to take a hint from Zig Ziglar: "Nothing happens until someone sells something."

That is something I can help you with...

Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Facilitator

Solopreneur's Sales & Marketing Advisory Board™

(330) 432-3533

SSMAB Flyer: Nine Principles for Inspired Action

©2010 Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

MATER MAN

Today's Guest post: Wally Bock's Three Star Leadership Letter:  

MATER MAN

It's "Tomato Man" pronounced country-style. "Mater Man." That's what's written on his feed cap, in needlepoint done by his wife. He sells tomatoes and other produce at the farmer's market where we love to shop. And, as you might guess, he grows tomatoes. 

They're big and red and lovely and spectacularly delicious. We buy a case whenever we shop at the market. Mater Man also sells other produce, some of which he grows. There's butterbeans and squash and okra. There's watermelon and there's cantaloupe. Well, that is, there are all those things if they're good. If the butterbeans aren't good there are no butterbeans at Mater Man's stand. The prices aren't the lowest at the market, but they're fair. And you know what you buy from Mater Man will be top quality.  

Mater Man Rule #1: People will keep coming back if you have high standards and stick to them. Mater Man's produce is so good and his standards are so high, that you can use him as a gauge of what's coming into season or going out. And he's such an honest cuss that he'll tell you if someone else in the market has something better than his.  

Mater Man Rule #2: The best thing you can do is whatever's best for your customers. They remember. There are plenty of reasons to shop at Mater Man's stand, but we have a special one. It goes back to when we had just moved to Charlotte. Where we lived before, there was an ATM at the farmer's market. If you ran out of cash, you could just get more. Not in Charlotte. My wife found herself wanting more produce than she had cash. She asked Mater Man if he'd take a check, even though it had an out-of-town address. He said, "Sure. Do you need any cash to keep shopping?" Mater Man cashed my wife's out-of-town check for more than the amount of purchase. He never asked for ID. He just trusted us. Which is a big reason why we always shop at his stall.  

Mater Man Rule #3: Trust pays dividends. 

If you'd like to read more of my stuff, check out the THREE STAR LEADERSHIP BLOG.

http://blog.threestarleadership.com/ 

Or catch updates and comments on Twitter. @wallybock 

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©2010 Wally Bock. Permission granted to reprint.

Janis Joplin on Business

Can you find the biz lesson?