Be a student of life

     Be curious about the things around you.  Learn about them.  Meet people, get to know them.  You never know where inspiration will start.  Give it the opportunity to take root in your mind.

Several times in my life I have found myself at a crossroads with little direction to follow.  One time, in particular, stands out in my mind, because it led me on a great adventure and gave me the opportunity to meet wonderful people and help to improve the quality of life of many.  It all started from the somewhat selfish thought of trying to save a little money.

I was in between projects and enjoying a little time off.  (Some may call this unemployed, I prefer my version)  I realized one day as I was driving around my little town that I had a big luxury car and spent most of my driving time by myself in it.  While I enjoyed the comfort of the vehicle, it was probably not the most cost-effective mode of transportation given the cost of gas.  (At that time around $5 per gallon)  I had ridden motorcycles as a younger man and thought that, since most of my driving was within a five-mile radius of my home, maybe a cheap little scooter would be a more cost-effective alternative.  

I went to the local Powersports retailer, thinking that I would simply pick out the model I wanted and drive it home that afternoon.  To my surprise, I wasn’t the first one with that idea, they were sold out of all of their models for the model year.  Figuring that maybe it was just because I lived in an affluent neighborhood and most had probably purchased them on a whim like I was attempting to do, I set out to find a dealer in a different neighborhood and make my purchase.  Several dealerships later I began to realize that my thinking may have been flawed.

I went home and turned to the Internet for support.  Scanning the world wide web for a dealership that both had vehicles in stock and was close enough that I could pick it up in a day or two.  Then something interesting happened, I stumbled upon an electric version of the scooter I had been searching to find.  The possibility of NEVER going to a gas station to fill up intrigued me.  I did more research to find out what kind of range they might have.  Did they have to have a REALLY long extension cord or what?  No, they run on batteries, good, how far will they go before you have to recharge the batteries?  Most had a range of 25-50 miles.  That’s fine for me, everything I do is within a five-mile radius of my house, I could go all day if I plan well.  Do I have to renew my motorcycle license?  Well, if I don’t need to travel over 20 MPH they are considered “Electric Bicycles” and I don’t need a license of any sort!  This was all great news, and these electric bicycles were less expensive than the gas scooters I had been looking at.  So, let's see, less cost to purchase, less fuel cost, less maintenance, and no special licensing?  Where can I test drive one of these things, I want to buy one.  Google search….the nearest dealer is 400 miles away!  Well, that was a good idea that will have to wait until I am in that area.  

Green Wheelin' Scooters

Flash forward four months and I am at the county fair on the last day.  It is about dusk when I run across a booth where a manufacturer is selling, of all things, electric scooters!  I start to talk to the salesperson and take a test drive, these things are a blast to ride.  Plenty of power, very nimble, and I decided to try to work a deal and buy it.  As I am negotiating with the salesperson, I over hear another salesperson speaking with the manager about having to ship all of these scooters back to Iowa the next day.  “Too bad we didn’t sell more of these, now we have to repackage them and ship them back to the warehouse.  That will be expensive.”  I get an idea, if I can negotiate a good enough price, I can buy all of these electric scooters and sell them on eBay.  I may even make enough to get a free scooter for myself!  So I turn to the salesman helping me and ask, “How much for ALL of the electric scooters?”  He turns to me and gives me the “yeah, right” stare and says “Seriously?”  “Yes,” I say, “I will buy them all, right now, if you give me the right price”.  “I need to speak with my manager”, he says as he turns and walks away.  After a few whispers the two of them return, his manager introduces herself and tells me that they will need about 45 minutes to work up a price and that I should come back then.  I left to walk around the fair for a little while and when I returned, they had a total price for me.  The number they came up with was well below what I had in my mind was a reasonable price, so I bought 17 electric scooters.  

Scooters for Sale

My intention was to sell them on eBay and Amazon and make enough money to essentially pay for my personal scooter.  I had access to a vacant storefront, knew how to sell online and now had inventory.  Simple, right?  The next day, I rented a trailer and picked up my bounty and took it to the vacant storefront.  I didn’t bother to paper the windows to hide what was going on inside, I wasn’t planning on being there that long.  Anxious to ride, I uncrated my new scooter and started to assemble it.  As I was assembling it, there was a knock on the window.  I opened the door and the guy asked me when I was going to open the store.  I explained to him that I wasn’t really planning on opening a “store”, but that I would sell a scooter to him if he wanted one.  He bought one.  This scenario happened over and over during the next two weeks until I had sold all of the scooters.  (except my own, of course)  Being the entrepreneur that I am and always looking for a new “opportunity”, I was able to recognize that there may be some potential with this product line.  So I wrote a business plan, gathered the needed resources and started my new enterprise.  The business grew over the next 5 years and became a full-service dealership with service and rentals, an expanded product line that included 5 national brands and was very successful.

None of this could have happened if I hadn’t been aware of what was occurring around me.  First, that there was a shortage of economical vehicles, second, that there was an opportunity to buy a “dealership” at a very reasonable price, and third, that the local market accepted the product, in fact, devoured the product, and was able to support a Bricks and Mortar establishment.  Being a “Student of Life” allowed me to assemble the pieces needed to start and grow the electric scooter business into a successful company.

If you would like to know more about me, you can get more information on my website at www.DynamicStrategies.Ltd 

BE PERSISTENT

Have you ever had a customer that has a very difficult reputation? Early in my sales career, I was working for an international wholesale distribution company that was in a major expansion mode. People were being hired there at a very rapid pace, and the opportunity for advancement was everywhere. This was a place where I needed to make a big splash in order to move up the ladder. After I had gone through their training period, I was assigned a sales territory and hit the road with a recently promoted salesman who was tasked with getting me “up to speed” with his former customers. We were on our way to see a guy named “Joe Bob”, who was an imposing figure at 6’ 2” and 300 lbs. and was notorious because he had literally thrown salesmen out of his office by their collars. The stories I was being told were definitely making an impression and creating a bit of apprehension.

Upon arriving at “Joe Bob’s widgets”, we went inside and asked for “Joe Bob” and were promptly told he was out. I have to say that I was a bit relieved to hear this at first, I didn’t want to be thrown out by my collar! As we were leaving, the other salesman tells me that “Joe Bob” was actually standing behind the guy that said he was out! Amazed, I asked why we left when clearly he was “in”. The response astonished me, he said “Everyone knows that “Joe Bob” doesn't like a salesman and he is just mean!” All of a sudden, I had an epiphany, our competitors product was all over “Joe Bob’s” shop, so he was obviously dealing with a “salesman” from our competitor. At that point I made it my mission to take that business away from my competitor and let them know that there was a “new sheriff in town”.

I called on “Joe Bob” once a week for the next two months, each time meeting with a similar response to the one I had received during the first call. I was beginning to lose confidence that I could make the change. I had tried all of the usual salesman tricks, bringing doughnuts for breakfast, pizza for lunch and providing information about new products and trends that might affect his business. Nothing seemed to be working, the only response I ever got from “Joe Bob” was “no, not interested”. (Which had increased from “no”)

Finally, on the tenth week of calling on “Joe Bob”, I got a break. He was just closing up shop for the day when I arrived when he asked me why I kept coming by. Finally, more than three words from “Joe Bob”, this was a major breakthrough! I told him my plan, and that I wanted to earn his business. I explained that I was not going to give up until “Joe Bob’s Widgets” became one of my best customers. Suddenly, laughter roared throughout the office, he smiled and said, “Well, I believe you. No one has shown the persistence that you have in my whole career. I will give you a shot”. He placed a small order with me that night and I had it delivered to him first thing in the morning. (Remember, under-promise, over-deliver)

“Joe Bob’s Widgets” became a good customer of mine. I never completely displaced my competitor, but I never gave up trying, and that persistence paid off. I did become the vendor of choice for “Joe Bob’s Widgets”, always getting the first call when something was needed. I also became known within my company as the kid who “tamed” “Joe Bob”! While he never got any easier to deal with, “Joe Bob” and I did business together for many years until I moved to another company, and we remained in contact with each other until he passed away many years later. If I had given up after three, five or even nine no’s, I would never have had the opportunity to get to know “Joe Bob” or benefit from his vast knowledge of the business.

Eric Johnson is a Strategic Business Consultant, Private Equity Investor, and has started 7 companies on his own.  For more information, go to www.JohnsonCapital.solutions