Extra Helping of Thanks

       Thanksgiving seems to be a more reflective time for me this year. I realize that I am very fortunate with good health,for the most part in my wives family and my own. Both our parents just celebrated (Ok they slightly acknowledged) a 60+ year wedding anniversary and other than a few George Costaza's parent moments, they are doing well.
       For me, this was a year with a lot of soul searching, as a job change was eminent. I looked to many of the people who had played a part in my growth throughout my career for support.I have been very lucky to have some great people whom I consider my mentors. From the early part of my time at Philadelphia Turf, men like Barney McFadden, Bob Stokes, Tom Drayer & especially Scott Keener were all big influences on how I learned to do my job. Barney and Bob are no longer with us, but still made a large impression on me that continues to impact who I am today.
       Two other people that I have looked to as mentors and are the definition of being at the top of your profession are Jim Nedin & Tom Hurst. They are two of the most knowledgeable technical experts I know in the Turf industry, but that is not what makes them extraordinary. It is their passion to take care of people and never leave anyone hanging! To quote Jim Nedin " While they might worship in different churches of grinding theory, they both have the religion of sharp reels make better turf conditions." I consider myself very luck to have had the chance to work closely with both and have learned a ton over the years, probably as much technically as much as they way to treat people!
      And I would be remiss, if I did not mention someone who has been over the years a great mentor to me, Frank Shuman. Frank was the owner of Philadelphia Turf, who retired back at the end of 2007. He has taught me a lot about business and his direction on how to do the right thing and often steers me when I know I need to not take the easy road. From all the conversations we have had, I always know Frank will give it to me straight and more often then not his advice is; "Cork, you know what the right thing is to do, so you just do it!" Frank got me the chance to be a part of the board of the First Tee of Greater Philadelphia, which I am really proud of being involved with. He also has taken me on scholarship to some really cool events, where I usually joke to the valet parker that I am pretty sure that my pickup would be the ONLY one he parked that night.
       These men all have had a profound impact on me professionally and personally, I probably can never say thank you enough for all that they have done.
I know that this Thanksgiving, I have much to be thankful for.....

Hope you and your family have a healthy and happy Thanksgiving!

WJC










      

Elephant Hunter vs. Rod Carew

       During one of the discussions at Jacobsen University, from the back of the room, I heard a line that I thought was a great one. I believe it was a sales manager who made the comment," You guys are elephant hunters. You are looking to sell $60,000 mowers." I really thought it was a great analogy. I know for me, over the past few years, the focus on large deals, and the time they took, absolutely put me in that category; which was not what I had based my early career territory management on. The consistent sales of one and two pieces to many of your customers was how to be successful. One of things I used to kid with my sales manager back then was, "Rod Carew was able to make it to the Baseball Hall of Fame by hitting singles!".
       The equipment purchasing world has changed with more and more clubs leasing, so there are more "elephants" to hunt, but the reality is the success rate has to be high or you will be struggling to succeed. On the other hand, if you are able to continually sell (hit singles and doubles), you have a much better chance of being a solid performer and helping your company grow.
       Don't get me wrong, winning a large sale is a great feeling. The hard part is they are time consuming and if you aren't lucky enough to earn the business, you probably missed out on some other opportunities that aren't coming back.
 I guess in a perfect world I would be Rod Carew the elephant hunter.....



WJC

      

From a Different Point Of View

       This past week, I attended my first event at the training facility for Jacobsen in Charlotte, NC. While I have attended too many Toro University events to count over the years , I was interested in seeing things from a different point of view. This Jacobsen University program was about five distributors, compared to traditionally the ones I attended for Toro, consisting of all Toro's USA distributors. The idea of an on site training area is a good one and the educational and break areas were really well done.
        All in all, it was similar to what I had seen regarding class room work and in the field training in the past except obviously from a different perspective. Even to the point that I was having flashbacks as the Tier 4 information was reviewed on power point slides. The slides were identical to what I had seen at other classes. The truth is, for me, I learn better from talking to peers who are willing to share their knowledge. The point of understanding what features are important to emphasize, during a demo,sticks more in my A.D.D. mind then slide after slide of features and benefits. Also, I have never been someone who could stand there and rattle off specs with the exception of  a few key ones. To me, it is about how the product fits a need or can make your job easier, rather than how many outlets to plug in your phone are on a unit.
       It was a fact filled few days and I did get to some quality time to talk to and learn from some long time Territory Managers. The end take away being, I still have a lot to learn....

     
WJC