Thank you

For much of my time growing up here in Denver, my mom was working in retail business in sales. I remember her first at a woman’s and eventually men’s boutique clothing store, then at a high end home furnishing franchise in the local mall. In the time I spent at the stores over the years, I watched my mother at work, taking care of customers, moving, speaking, joking and closing. She never thought of it that way of course, her challenge was to help people. She had no ego, no hidden agenda, not drive to sell more to make more money. She always put the customer’s needs at the focus of her work, and I watched as people sensed it and immediately gravitate towards letting her help them. They could sense that her interest lied in what was best for them, because truly that was what she was all about. As I said, my mom does not have an ego, and I doubt she has ever given herself enough credit for being as good at her job as she was.

Since he was 19, my father has been in the printing industry in various forms of sales and sales management. Most of his customer dealings I could only hear his side of the conversation over the phone, and rarely saw him work face to face. Even with the one-sided view I had a vision into how a business to business professional behaves with his customers. Always following through. Calling with a purpose. Being honest & direct. He never seemed too serious unless the situation warranted it, and his smile and enthusiasm for helping his clients translated even over the phone. I never saw him sounding too polished or rehearsed, but instead always gave the customer the impression that this was a genuine conversation that applied specifically to them, to their situation, to their issue. I dreamed of being able to communicate as effectively as he did, and inspire the confidence and trust that I must have imagined the person on the other end of the phone was receiving.

I watched these two professionals at night, over the dinner table. I was witness to their discussions about their days and their customers. Each had their own method, their own personality, their style for treating people and managing difficult situations. Sometimes they would argue, or just say “That’s not what I would have done” or ”That would never work in retail Jim”. But overall I believe there was a mutual respect there, and firsthand I believe I received the very best sales training the world has to offer. Because not only was it every day for years and years, it was from people I admired and trusted and respected, while I was in my formative years.

These two people are who are most responsible for giving me the skills and abilities to be successful in my career. I know many others can say the same for their parents as well.

My question is, are we doing the same for our children?