In the late 1970’s I worked for a newly formed business and industry training organization, a new branch of a very old home study correspondence school. Although some of my schooling was by correspondence and I preferred “study at your own pace,” I had a problem representing a company mostly known for radio and TV repair training; promoting primarily on matchbook covers. The feeling in our “modern” industry of the day was “correspondence learning is second class, to be used only when normal training was unavailable.”
When hired as provincial sales manager, I uncharacteristically seemed to focus on the negative rather than the positive of what I had to offer in the materials I represented. Regardless I quickly became very successful in selling to smaller organizations, where I felt my product would best fit. Within a couple of months, my efforts and emphasis seemed to work as I became the leading salesperson in the organization, triggering my appointment as Western Canadian sales manager. A win for me?
Well, kinda sorta kinda.
Moving from the small market province of Saskatchewan with smaller organizations (which my marketing plan identified), to a market that included the huge and highly progressive markets of the time: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and others (which my original marketing plan had allowed me to avoid). All this created a major problem in my marketing strategy. That problem was exacerbated when my boss in Montreal suggested I, personally, look after the large international accounts in those large urban centers.
Since I had not yet had time to replace myself in Saskatchewan, when a small manufacturer / dealer called for assistance on training for complex hydraulic controls applications I felt it best to recommend another supplier, explaining, “we have nothing available for that application.” My customer was furious! “Don’t you even know what is in your own book?” was his response!
It turned out my customer was a former trainee of my company and he knew, better than I, we indeed had the perfect training program. I, on the other hand hadn’t done my job in looking to check what my book had to offer.
Yes, my customer exposed a basic fault in my preparation and in my knowledge of my book.
From that experience I revised my marketing strategy; believing, (correctly as it turned out), all potential clients, (large, small, advanced, new players), could find great answers in my book of training.
Looking back, my greatest take from this experience . . .
As Christians, we have a Book.
A Book that has in its pages guidance and solutions to major local, national and international problems of the world, and to all people within.
Our Book, which we call the Bible, can’t be expected to be known to, or followed by others, if we, who claim familiarity and understanding of the Book, haven’t taken the time to study, to follow and to apply.
Are we offering, following and recommending, our Book?
