| Or, on the importance of "right association." | | | | I told them a story... |
| "When a wild elephant is to be tamed and trained, the | | | | There are two major organic food markets in the |
| best way to begin is by yoking it to one that has | | | | Kansas City area, where I am right now: Whole Foods |
| already been through the process. By contact, the wild | | | | and Wild Oats. |
| one comes to see that the condition it is being led | | | | Someone who works at the Wild Oats store related |
| toward is not wholly incompatible with being an | | | | recently how the new owners there had decided to |
| elephant -- that what is expected of it does not | | | | add "regular" products like Tide and Crest toothpaste, |
| contradict its nature categorically, but heralds a | | | | because, they thought their customers might want to |
| condition that, though startlingly different, is viable. The | | | | buy those things there, instead of having to go to say |
| constant, immediate, and contagious example of its | | | | Price Chopper, to get them. |
| yoke fellow can teach it as nothing else can. | | | | The other store, Whole Foods, is planning to do the |
| Training for the life of the spirit (or learning, KK) is no | | | | opposite: go ALL organic, and drop lines that are not |
| different. The transformation facing the untrained is | | | | organic from their stores. |
| neither smnaller than the elephant's nor less demanding. | | | | Question 1: Which store would you go to? |
| Without visible evidence that success is possible, | | | | (Response: about half and half) |
| without a continuous transfusion of courage, | | | | Question 2: Which store do you think organic fanatics |
| discouragement is bound to set in..." -Huston Smith, | | | | will go to? (Are there regular grocery store fanatics, |
| Buddhism, 2004. | | | | even?) |
| Smith is also the author of "The Soul of Christianity." | | | | (Response: to the all-organic store) |
| Isn't this what Jesus meant when he told his disciples | | | | Question 3. Which kind of people would you prefer to |
| to go "two-by-two", side by side, to tell the story? One | | | | represent YOUR product line? Fanatics or luke-warm, |
| who was trained, the other in training, watching and | | | | half hearted ones? |
| being in the "right association" with the trained one? | | | | (Response: fanatics) |
| Two-by-two been one of the most reliable training | | | | Indeed. Fanatics will tell fence-sitter friends of theirs |
| methods in training new people in door-to-door and | | | | where to shop, so you don't have to. Luke warm ones |
| direct sales. For the same reasons it works for the | | | | won't. |
| elephants. | | | | There are way fewer fanatics than luke warm types, |
| Is there anyone in our business anymore who | | | | and if you can attract a fanatic, because YOU are |
| practices two-by-two with a new recruit? | | | | one, you will earn their loyalty and their evangalism. |
| For example, learning to talk to people together first, | | | | Saves you marketing effort for the luke warm ones. |
| e.g. cadaver calling together, before the new recruit | | | | If you are a fanatic, and act like it, other fanatics will |
| goes calling on their best prospects? Something which | | | | join you. |
| you know many will do no matter what you say? | | | | Are you fanatic about what you market? Do you love |
| *** | | | | it madly because of what it did for you in your life? |
| ~ The Case for Fanatics... ~ | | | | Do you know how to tell that fanatic story so other |
| Tonight I had a group of guys who were discussing | | | | fanatics hear the call and come running? |
| how to get more aces, or evangelist types, to help | | | | P.S. As an organic fanatic, where do you think I will be |
| them build their businesses. | | | | shopping from now on? |