Rain: an opportunity, not an excuse

ByHal Hammons

More from The Corporate Coach.  (It’s amazing what you learn when you read books instead of watching TV.  Just saying.)  James Miller actually encourages his sales people to not only go on late afternoon sales calls (traditionally labeled “waste of time” by management), but to pray for rain.  He says that when total strangers on your doorstep, soaking wet, looking for someone to talk to about their product, the strangers frequently get warm receptions, hot coffee, and big deals.

Where is your commitment?

ByHal Hammons

In The Corporate Coach by James B. Miller, a book on my shelf that is left over from a long-abandoned career in sales management, James Miller discusses the role of “the twitch in your elbow” while interviewing job applicants.  Gut instinct, we might say.  And a big part of that, he says, is the commitment the applicant shows toward other activities.  If he’s a scratch golfer, he didn’t get there just with 18 holes on Saturday.  Maybe he’ll cut out of work early some days.  If he’s out on his boat every weekend, who’s to say he won’t miss a few Monday mornings?

Commitment is a character trait not everyone has.  It is to be admired.