A Tale of Two Salesmen
November 10th, 2007 § 2 Comments
“The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.” – Helen Keller
“The poorest man is not he who is without a cent, but he who is without a dream.” – Pennsylvania School Journal
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Maybe you have heard of the tale of the two salesmen who went to Africa. The story goes like this.
A western shoe salesman went to Africa to scout the market. He wired his manufacturer, ‘I want to come home. Nobody wears shoes in this part of Africa.’
They brought him home and sent another salesman. The new salesman hurriedly wired an order, ‘Everybody here needs shoes!”
Seeing everyone barefooted in that area of Africa may have discouraged the first salesman.
He must have thought, “Geeesh, nobody uses shoes here, not even a hand-made footwear. How in the world can I sell shoes here when they don’t see the benefit of it? I better go home.”
He missed the opportunity to make it big. He could not see.
On the other hand, the second salesman thought, “If I can only convince them to wear shoes. If I can show them the benefit. I can almost imagine whole villages buying my shoes. Wow! Aside from helping them enjoy the benefit of wearing shoes, I am going to make a great profit! I can get married and start a family and I can buy that dream house…”
When I first heard this story, I said to myself, “I am determined to be the second salesman who saw the opportunity rather than the trend.”
I must admit though that there were moments in my life that I stayed on the “what is” and accepted it rather than on the “what can be” and dared to make a difference.
Now I cannot imagine life without vision. It is not worth living.
Which of the two salesmen are you? The one who could not see the potential or the one who could see the vast opportunity?
If you choose the former then you have destined yourself to be average or less. But if you wish to be the latter then you have taken the first step to a great life.
By Ed Pilapil Jr. ©
You Need an Entrepreneur Coach!
November 9th, 2007 § Leave a Comment
An entrepreneur coach or a business coach could be the missing element in your success. You believe you have researched enough or have studied enough in the particular business you are in. You have been apprenticed or you got your hands dirty so to speak.
But somehow you feel there is still something missing. You thought you had everything covered yet after a mistake you always say to yourself, “Why didn’t I see that before?”
My answer is simple. You cannot see everything. As long as you are leading your business, you see the trees but not the forest. Or, you are like a boxer in the ring. You feel the fight but you cannot see everything your opponent is doing. You cannot observe every move because you are too close.
The coach outside the ring can observe better. He can yell at the boxer and tell him what combinations might work or what defense might work.
Another thing a boxing coach does is help train the boxer for the upcoming fight. He makes sure that the athlete is focused on the goal. He analyzes the opponent with the boxer. he makes sure that there is a training plan and he helps the boxer to stick to the plan.
Above all the coach stretches the limits of the boxer. The coach always believes that the athlete can be better so the coach pushes him beyond his limits.
Coaching applies in business too. Do you have a coach?
I am sure that you are so talented that you can do it on your own but the process can be faster with a coach.
By Ed Pilapil Jr. ©
