One of my clients was recently at an impasse with his supervisor at work. They simply did not see eye-to-eye on a long-term issue. And while the disagreement could be shelved for the time being, it was bound to boil at some point. My client knew he simply could not bury his head in the sand and hope for the best.

While we were talking out the various options my client had and as he provided me with more and more background to this obstacle, he casually referenced a job opening in a different company. It paid more, the hours were better, and, at least on paper, the job description seemed ideally suited to him. I tried to probe further, but my client had a wall up about this issue. The timing wasn't right, it was a new environment, and a longer commute. In his mind, he was not applying for this job.

Now, as a life coach, my job is not to instruct or direct. It is not my place to advise him to look for other work. My job is to talk out your options with you and help you form an aggressive plan to overcome your challenges.

We continued to talk out his options, to figure out how to move past the clash of two divergent approaches. A week passed and, after an illuminating session, my client came to the conclusion that pursuing the new position was at least worth a shot. Let the chips fall where they may, but he's putting himself in a position to make a decision.

And that reminded me of Benny.

The Trouble With Opportunity Is That It Always Comes Disguised As Hard Work
A very close friend of my dad's, Benny, asked him to be on the lookout for a "good line" to sell on the road since he couldn't make ends meet on the men's underwear line he was currently peddling.

It just so happened that my Pops had heard of an opening with one of the most popular and best-selling sweater lines in the country. "University Sweaters" was interviewing the next day in Cleveland, which, in the early 50s, was a four-hour-drive from Benny's home in Pittsburgh.

My dad tells Benny about this OPPORTUNITY and Benny yells in response, "Jack, every salesman I know is applying for that job. I'll have to drive all night in the rain, wait in line to get in front of the president of University Sweaters (editor's note: that's how it was done in those days), and then hope that out of the 90 or so people in that line, he'll pick me. On top of that, after I don't get picked, I have to drive another four hours back home. No thanks!"

A Poem
Jones, beset by stress and strife
Begged this single boon of life:
"Give me half a chance!" Know what?
Half a chance was all he got!

A Salesman Is A Salesman Is A Salesman
Well, my dad was tough as nails, and he gave it to Benny. I mean, he ripped him a brand, spanking new one...something like this: "Benny, don't you ever again ask me for help. I tell you about this, the holy grail of lines, and you find every reason to say no. GO FIND YOUR OWN LINE!"

Embarrassed and humiliated, Benny gets in his car, drives the four hours in the rain through the night to Cleveland, stands in line for another couple of hours with about 70 other wet and cold aspirants with resumes in hand. Exhausted, soaked, and miserable, he hands his resume to the CEO who scans it, looks up, and says, "Mr. Stoff, your resume says that you sell underwear. The name of this company is University Sweaters. What do you know about sweaters?"

That was it for Benny. He was done, just too pissed and frustrated to go on with the interview. "I don't know a damned thing about sweaters. I don't know about yarns or dies or stitches or V-necks or Q necks. I probably don't know a medium from a large. All I can tell you is that I am a SALESMAN. That's all I do. I SELL. If the name of your company was University Hot Dogs, then I would sell your stupid hot dogs, and more of them than anyone else who has stood in line outside; if the name of your company was University Tires, I'd sell them, too. Because I am a SALESMAN, the best that will ever stand in line outside your door. Now, Mr. President of University Sweaters, I'm going back to Pittsburgh!"

As Benny was walking out, without even saying goodbye, he hears, "get your ass back in here and tell me when you can start!"

A Jack On Your Shoulder: Always Take Advantage Of The Possibilities In Front Of You
I think back to my dad's friend, Benny, often. As is always the case with good and true stories, there are several important lessons that Benny's tale demonstrated. Above all else, however, it is an exemplary case of knocking on every door no matter what. If you look for reasons why an opportunity is not ideal for you, you will certainly find them. You need a "Jack" on your shoulder to constantly remind you that opportunities barely knock audibly, let alone ring the doorbell incessantly. It's what professor Brian Wansink calls the Intelligence Trap where, "Intelligent people especially can figure out a rationalization for anything they want to believe." Benny – albeit inadvertently – seized an opportunity. The CEO recognized Benny's sales-purity and captured an opportunity of his own to hire the best salesman.

So as you proceed with in your professional and personal lives, I ask you to think hard about the possibilities in front of you before you pass up what could be an opportunity. Put yourself in a position to make a decision. Even if you get a little cold and wet in the process.

PS

Benny worked 40 years for University Sweaters. He was consistently their top salesman.

Forging Personal Connections And Boosting The Bottom Line
Let's say I'm a business owner with several thousands of clients. I'm sitting in the Kansas City airport waiting for a flight and an idea pops into my head for my next promotion. I scribble it down on a yellow legal pad, get home, make some copies, and actually send it personally (misspelled words and corrections included) to 6,000 of my most favored customers. 

Hundreds read it and respond. Some call and thank me for personally writing this to them. Many (so many more than expected) respond by showing up for this "unbelievable offer." The results are spectacular. Not only have I jolted my cash register, but I've fostered personal connections en masse to boot.

Making Your Customers Believe
When I wrote this letter, I wasn't in the Kansas City airport. Actually I was sitting comfortably in my office planning this promotion and trying to live up to the exceedingly high expectations of my cherished clientele: to provide them with value, which I did through the promotion and to make them feel individually special and appreciated, which I accomplished through the handwritten letter. I got them to respond and reinforced that their shopping experience was unique and rewarding.

Being Edgy Pays Off
You have to understand the two-fold objective. In this case, simply getting them in the door was not enough. If I get them in the door but don't impress them with a personal signature, then I have not succeeded. I wanted them to feel personally connected. Any ol' direct mail flyer cannot establish a connection.

This is about "you," Mr. Davidson. YOU as an individual have choices to make throughout your day, and I value the choice you make to patron my store. YOU. Without YOU, I am zilch...nada. My job is to create an extraordinary experience for you. My expectation is that, by the end of the transaction, not only will we have completed a sale or exchange, but I will have empowered a new spokesman for my business.

We're looking for the subtle moments of expression, the ones where a board member surprises a new donor with a phone call to thank them for their gift or where an inspirational note is discreetly placed in a grocery bag. When you focus on delivering emotional gratification in additional to an exchange of goods and services, you start to understand that you can build an army of advocates for your brand.

Creating Your Signature, And Signing It
My signature was be "Unmatched, Unequaled, Customer/Client/Congregant/Patient/Donor Care." It's not just about raising money or dispensing legal or medical advice, selling suits or giving a sermon. It's about creating an exemplary and ingratiating environment, a warm and nurturing atmosphere. Every lawyer knows the law, every cardiologist can give an EKG. You have many places of worship and fitness centers to choose from and, excuse this expression, jewelry stores are a "thousand a dozen" (because a dime ain't worth nothing anymore).

The Real Magic of Disney World
We once took a family trip to Disney World years ago. What amazed me more than anything else about the amusement park was the authenticity of the happiness and kindness of Disney World employees. Everyone from Minnie herself to the guy working Space Mountain to the janitorial crew sweeping up after the parade wore a genuine smile and offered very real and very helpful advice with seemingly endless patience. It was years later that I learned the method to the madness.

Disney does not have "employees" but rather "cast members." They don’t interview for jobs so much as audition for a role. To them, we – the patrons – were guests, not customers. And every cast member was acting in an elaborate performance, not going through the motions of a job.

Supposedly, the janitorial staff at Disney World consists of the most highly trained actors and actresses since they are the most visible to the public and are obvious targets for questions about restroom locations, parade times, and rides.

Disney knows its signature: create a magical universe where enchantment is commonplace. They hire their employees based on it.

Your mission: find your signature and relentlessly pursue it. The next spokesman for your brand is next in line, waiting for an extraordinary experience. 

The Incredible Tale of Johnny the Bagger
Here's one that never made it to Oprah's Book Club: the book The Simple Truths of Service, which tells the story of Johnny the Bagger. It's 76 pages long, literally a 15 minute read. I encourage you to read the book, but here is a video the authors Ken Blanchard and Barbara Glantz created from the book. By the end, not only will you be smiling, but you will innately begin thinking about your personal "signature" and vocational values. 

Care Means Not Always Thinking About Dollars And Cents
I always wanted my signature to be unmatched customer care; thus, I get turned on when I see someone else with the same aspirations. All the more so when I see them achieve it.

My son, daughter-in law, and newborn grandson live in a small apartment building. Recently they saw one of the maintenance folks and chatted a bit about the new baby. A few days later they get a card from the multi-building owner/landlord welcoming their newest tenant.  The card read, "You're the person we've been waiting for." 

This gesture struck me because property management companies are not typically in the business of customer service. (I despise that word SERVICE...everyone thinks they offer it and so few deliver it or understand it. It's all about CARE.) My kids already signed their lease. There's no more business to be done, and do they think that this card is going to be the difference between the kids renewing or moving out? 

The ONLY reason for the card, the real signature, is to let their tenants know that "we care".

Your Mistakes Define You...In The Most Positive Way
Signatures can take on a couple of different identities. In the world of client/customer/congregant-care, you don't generally receive a standing ovation for doing what you're supposed to be doing. It's your job to make that hospital visit, to check the legal precedent, to call when the desired item comes in. 

But what separates you from those service providers is how you handle that "whoops." How you recoup from mistakes can be the difference between quality care and inattentiveness. 

When I had my men's clothing store, each time a customer picked up a garment, tried it on, and exclaimed that "these pants are way too tight and I don't know when I can come back to try them on again," I saw an opportunity. Here is a chance to not only impress, recover, and retain a customer but a chance to get someone to brag about me to his friends. 

By merely offering him a cup of coffee (and, let's be honest, sometimes a shot of Crown Royal) asking him about his job or his kids, and using the 15 minutes it takes to let the waist out by showing him I care, I turned the tables and turned a potentially lost customer into an ally. If the tailoring took more than 15 minutes? No problem. I would send him on his way and drop it off later at his home or office. 

We received referral after referral based on scenarios like this. 

Creating Your Signature
Signatures can be overt, like always handwriting your thank you notes and making them personal, or the Johnny the Bagger way. Or, they can be subtle. The important thing is that they are constant and ingrained in what you do. Paying attention to details, so often overlooked, can be the easiest signature... remembering someone's name after your first encounter or picking up from the last conversation you had with them. Making sure your waiting room has fresh coffee and a plate of cookies... making sure your store's sidewalk is perfectly shoveled, walking around and greeting all of your congregants personally before services begin (my rabbi actually does this), quickly and efficiently handle your mistakes. 

I keep thinking of my son's landlords. They clearly understand that the small touches add up to a much larger whole, that the greeting card most certainly contributes in a substantial way to an environment we want to be part of. 

Create your signature, create it from within, from whom you are. And then start signing it.  

A few weeks back I wrote about a post about preppy shirts and the opportunity to constantly create...well, opportunities. I'm staying with that theme (not the shirts, but that opportunity knockin' concept that our parents started drumming into our heads when we were nine-years-old).
 
We're Losing Market Share
The CEO of a major athletic shoe company in the good ole USA (can't say the name here, but I'd bet my wingtips that you've worn 'em and worked out in 'em) called his two best salespeople into his office in NYC and laid it out: "Men", he said, "our sales are down, our market share is down, our profits are down, our return on investment is down, our stock is down, and your income is down. The  only thing that is up is competition...and lots of it."
 
As I tracked this company and trend, I didn't see or hear anything unique about this CEO's or his company's plight. Addidas, Nike...they all were facing the same downturn.
 
"Our marketing department has identified an opportunity," the CEO continued. "It' a small developing country and I want you two, the best of the best salesmen, to travel there, spend the week gathering as much information as you can.  Come back to HQ and tell me if this is the type of untapped market potential we need and lack. Split up to cover more ground and don't come back without a thorough conclusion.
 
Recognizing Opportunity Is The Difference Between Success And Failure 
Off they go, marketing research materials in hand and head. Once in this small country, one heads east, the other west. They spend five grueling days with people in different villages. They ask questions, observe the customs and traditions, the daily life. They watch them at work, at home, at play, at school. They take notes on the weather, the foliage. They spend time in the various shops and bazaars and then return back to New York, detailed reports and recommendations in hand.
 
Even When Opportunity Knocks, You Still Have To Get Up Off Your Seat And Open The Door
Salesman #1 gets in front of the CEO and says softly, "I spoke with hundreds of villagers: moms, dads, teachers, kids, ministers. I observed these people playing sports. I noted what they wear to work and to church, in the fields and at home. I know this country's climate changes and it's landscaping. I can tell you what the shopkeepers sell and what they don't sell. And and I can tell you this: THESE PEOPLE DON'T WEAR SHOES!"

He continues, "They don't understand shoes...they don't have shoes. They run, walk, kick balls barefooted; they cook, teach and work in the fields barefooted. This is simply no market for us."
 
Opportunity Is Often Missed Because We Broadcast When We Should Be Tuning In
Salesman #2 takes a sip of water, clears his throat and begins. "I don't want to bore you, boss, with the same important and appropriate details as my talented colleague. Please understand that our model for gathering data was precisely the same and we completely agree that these are a people who don't have shoes.  They run, walk, kick balls barefooted; they cook, teach and work in the fields barefooted. But when I saw these family without shoes, a different thought than my coworker's arose. These people don't wear shoes yet! We have a totally untapped market in front of us. Let's go get there first."

If You Want To Launch Big Ships, You Have To Go Where The Water Is Deep  
I think you get the point. No matter what stage of life you find yourself, opportunity abounds. And if you can't see it, you're simply not looking hard enough.  

What challenges in your life can you turn into opportunities?

P.S. That Question Was Not Rhetorical
Leave a comment, anonymous if need be, about what struggles you're working to overcome. Tell me what situations you'd like to turn into opportunities. It can be something like "I'm having trouble finding motivation to change jobs" or "I can't seem to actually sit down and create a financial budget for myself." These are real challenges that can really be turned into tremendous pools of untapped potential.