Belief Fuels Enthusiasm !!
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.”
In 1972 I had just accepted a position as vice president of sales for Orval Kent Foods, a small company that manufactured fresh-prepared salad products that were sold to delicatessens and restaurants. I had come on board to hire and train new sales people, but there was a problem...I knew absolutely nothing about the salad business. So Sid Caisman, who had spent 30 years selling to delicatessens, was assigned to show me the ropes. Sid was a pro, and he loved what he did.
I’d been there about two weeks when Sid came in smiling ear to ear. He said, “Mac, I’ve been trying to get an appointment with this large grocery chain for over two years and I finally have it next Friday. Do you want to go with me?” My response: “You bet I do!”
The big day arrived, and on our way out we picked up our refrigerated samples. When we arrived at their corporate headquarters I could tell Sid was pumped. The buyer came out and introduced himself, and we followed him back to his office. We sat dawn and he looked across his desk at Sid and asked, “What makes you think your product is any better than your competitors?”
Well, that was Sid’s cue to perform. He starts talking about the potato salad which is the #1 seller in the deli. He tells about how we cook the potatoes, about our fresh-diced vegetables, our special dressing and our state of the art plant. But then he said, “Bob, I’ve saved the best for last...you’re going to love how it tastes!”
With that, Sid popped open the lid of the sample container, and I couldn’t believe it! Sitting right on top was a large, black, rotten potato about the size of a quarter! But Sid, seeing the potato before the buyer did, reached down and popped it in his mouth and said, “Bob, I just can’t get enough of this stuff!” And to my surprise the buyer also reached down, grabbed some salad, and said, “Sid, you’re right. It does taste great.”
It was a magical moment! I had just witnessed a sophisticated buyer eating potato salad with his fingers and he didn’t even know it!
And it was all for one reason...Sid’s unbridled enthusiasm
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.”
In 1972 I had just accepted a position as vice president of sales for Orval Kent Foods, a small company that manufactured fresh-prepared salad products that were sold to delicatessens and restaurants. I had come on board to hire and train new sales people, but there was a problem...I knew absolutely nothing about the salad business. So Sid Caisman, who had spent 30 years selling to delicatessens, was assigned to show me the ropes. Sid was a pro, and he loved what he did.
I’d been there about two weeks when Sid came in smiling ear to ear. He said, “Mac, I’ve been trying to get an appointment with this large grocery chain for over two years and I finally have it next Friday. Do you want to go with me?” My response: “You bet I do!”
The big day arrived, and on our way out we picked up our refrigerated samples. When we arrived at their corporate headquarters I could tell Sid was pumped. The buyer came out and introduced himself, and we followed him back to his office. We sat dawn and he looked across his desk at Sid and asked, “What makes you think your product is any better than your competitors?”
Well, that was Sid’s cue to perform. He starts talking about the potato salad which is the #1 seller in the deli. He tells about how we cook the potatoes, about our fresh-diced vegetables, our special dressing and our state of the art plant. But then he said, “Bob, I’ve saved the best for last...you’re going to love how it tastes!”
With that, Sid popped open the lid of the sample container, and I couldn’t believe it! Sitting right on top was a large, black, rotten potato about the size of a quarter! But Sid, seeing the potato before the buyer did, reached down and popped it in his mouth and said, “Bob, I just can’t get enough of this stuff!” And to my surprise the buyer also reached down, grabbed some salad, and said, “Sid, you’re right. It does taste great.”
It was a magical moment! I had just witnessed a sophisticated buyer eating potato salad with his fingers and he didn’t even know it!
And it was all for one reason...Sid’s unbridled enthusiasm
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