Topology of knowledge

I just checked a website and saw a quote stuck in the home page that to me, had no relation to what the website was about, or at least I couldn’t make the connection. It seems everyone these days is using the saying, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” I call this DKDK. I became aware of this term during sales training many years ago and it struck a chord with me as it relates to the psychology of sales. Frankly, I think a lot of people throw this term around without even giving it much thought. “Hey, Charlie, you don’t know what you don’t know. Know what I mean?” Ummm, not really….

I’ll try to put DKDK into context for sales and review the other three quadrants as I know them. By the way, if any of my readers have input for this, let me know. After all, this is about sharing and increasing our collective knowledge!
First, let’s take a look at knowledge- the dictionary definition, culled from Wikipedia:
Knowledge is defined (Oxford English Dictionary) variously as

1. expertise, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education;
2. the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject,
3. what is known in a particular field or in total;
4. known facts and information or
5. awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation.

Philosophical debates in general start with Plato’s formulation of knowledge as “justified true belief”. There is however no single agreed definition of knowledge presently, nor any prospect of one, and there remain numerous competing theories.
Knowledge acquisition involves complex cognitive processes: perception, learning, communication, association and reasoning. The term knowledge is also used to mean the confident understanding of a subject with the ability to use it for a specific purpose if appropriate.

So, here’s the topology of knowledge, as I’m familiar with it. You…

• KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW(KK): knowledge that you know you have (explicit knowledge- clearly defined, specific). Think of this as your education and experience- formal schooling, books, seminars, training, real life experiences that taught you something or imprinted something significant in your brain. For instance, I know a specific sales process that works, because I’ve studied it and have applied it. I also know how to wash a car. I know how to cook scrambled eggs. I know that I know these things.
• KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW(KDK): knowledge that you know you don’t have (known gaps). OK, here’s a few good examples for me, and you know you have some too! I know that I don’t know anything about the study of quantum mechanics in physics. I know that I don’t know how to design a 70 story skyscraper that will have at the very least, structural integrity. I also don’t know anything about how to structure complicated financial derivatives…maybe that’s a really good thing in light of the current sub-prime mess!
• DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW(DKK): knowledge that you don’t know you have (tacit knowledge- implied by or inferred from actions or statements). This is akin to intuition. Sometimes we have a sense or idea about something even though we haven’t studied it. There is knowledge waiting in your head to pop out at a certain time. For example, and this falls along the lines of emotional intelligence, have you ever met someone that you instantly didn’t care for? You just knew the person didn’t match up with your standards. And, over time, you were proven right. That’s because you sensed something based on external factors, your senses, your experiences, etc. Or perhaps, as another example, you’re in a conversation with someone in a totally new subject area. Someone makes a statement and you respond. Your prior experiences and knowledge residing in your brain give you the ability to impart valid opinions and thoughts that can apply and add value to the conversation. You can draw on what’s in your head and make very reasonable and thoughtful comments…”Hey, that’s interesting. I had a situation once in a very different area but some of what I learned could apply here. Think about it this way…”
• DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW(DKDK): knowledge that you don’t know that you don’t have (unknown gaps). For sure, I’m unique as a human and so is everyone. Each one of us has had our brains developed over the years and our individual knowledge is just that. Mine is mine. What I think, feel, believe and remember (TFBR) is just me. What you TFBR is just you. And so on for everyone. Do I have a clue as to what a goat herder in Nepal TFBRs? No. I definitely DKDK about that world. I’ve never given it any thought. I’m not even aware of the knowledge that is sitting there. I’m not aware of the knowledge that exists in specific disciplines or cultures. I don’t think about it because I only can relate to what I TFBR.

There’s another way to think about the body of knowledge as related to each of us. Think of a pie-chart circle. Divide it into three sections, with two sections equal in size and the third section bigger…much bigger. The first two sections represent WHAT YOU KNOW and WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW, and together account for about 10% of the pie. The other 90%, the large part, is DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW. It’s huge because each of really doesn’t have a clue as to what the collective knowledge of the world is and has been over centuries. We simply cannot fathom it. We can’t even think about it because we’re not aware of it.

So, what might this have to do with sales (or other interactions)? Since everyone is unique and since you don’t have a clue about the total body of knowledge, it makes it absolutely imperative that you practice, what Stephen Covey refers to as Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood. Meaning of course, that you need to ask a lot of questions, talk less and show genuine interest in the person you’re with to get to the heart of who they are, what they think and how they see the world. There are roughly five and a half billion people on the planet and each sees the world in their own way. Particularly in sales, it’s not about you. It’s not about all of your cool products and services. People really don’t care what you think. They care about what they care about and they think what they think about (and, they’re not thinking about you). It’s your job to figure out what that is and to see if your offerings fit their needs. You DKDK. The only way you can know is to ask. Ask and ye shall receive.

Topology of knowledge

I just checked a website and saw a quote stuck in the home page that to me, had no relation to what the website was about, or at least I couldn’t make the connection. It seems everyone these days is using the saying, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” I call this DKDK. I became aware of this term during sales training many years ago and it struck a chord with me as it relates to the psychology of sales. Frankly, I think a lot of people throw this term around without even giving it much thought. “Hey, Charlie, you don’t know what you don’t know. Know what I mean?” Ummm, not really….

I’ll try to put DKDK into context for sales and review the other three quadrants as I know them. By the way, if any of my readers have input for this, let me know. After all, this is about sharing and increasing our collective knowledge!

First, let’s take a look at knowledge- the dictionary definition, culled from Wikipedia:

Knowledge is defined (Oxford English Dictionary) variously as

· expertise, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education;

· the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject,

· what is known in a particular field or in total;

· known facts and information or

· awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation.

Philosophical debates in general start with Plato’s formulation of knowledge as “justified true belief”. There is however no single agreed definition of knowledge presently, nor any prospect of one, and there remain numerous competing theories.

Knowledge acquisition involves complex cognitive processes: perception, learning, communication, association and reasoning. The term knowledge is also used to mean the confident understanding of a subject with the ability to use it for a specific purpose if appropriate.

So, here’s the topology of knowledge, as I’m familiar with it. You:

· KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW(KK): knowledge that you know you have (explicit knowledge- clearly defined, specific). Think of this as your education and experience- formal schooling, books, seminars, training, real life experiences that taught you something or imprinted something significant in your brain. For instance, I know a specific sales process that works, because I’ve studied it and have applied it. I also know how to wash a car. I know how to cook scrambled eggs. I know that I know these things.

· KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW(KDK): knowledge that you know you don’t have (known gaps). OK, here’s a few good examples for me, and you know you have some too! I know that I don’t know anything about the study of quantum mechanics in physics. I know that I don’t know how to design a 70 story skyscraper that will have at the very least, structural integrity. I also don’t know anything about how to structure complicated financial derivatives…maybe that’s a really good thing in light of the current sub-prime mess!

· DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW(DKK): knowledge that you don’t know you have (tacit knowledge- implied by or inferred from actions or statements). This is akin to intuition. Sometimes we have a sense or idea about something even though we haven’t studied it. There is knowledge waiting in your head to pop out at a certain time. For example, and this falls along the lines of emotional intelligence, have you ever met someone that you instantly didn’t care for? You just knew the person didn’t match up with your standards. And, over time, you were proven right. That’s because you sensed something based on external factors, your senses, your experiences, etc. Or perhaps, as another example, you’re in a conversation with someone in a totally new subject area. Someone makes a statement and you respond. Your prior experiences and knowledge residing in your brain give you the ability to impart valid opinions and thoughts that can apply and add value to the conversation. You can draw on what’s in your head and make very reasonable and thoughtful comments…”Hey, that’s interesting. I had a situation once in a very different area but some of what I learned could apply here. Think about it this way…”

· DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW(DKDK): knowledge that you don’t know that you don’t have (unknown gaps). For sure, I’m unique as a human and so is everyone. Each one of us has had our brains developed over the years and our individual knowledge is just that. Mine is mine. What I think, feel, believe and remember (TFBR) is just me. What you TFBR is just you. And so on for everyone. Do I have a clue as to what a goat herder in Nepal TFBRs? No. I definitely DKDK about that world. I’ve never given it any thought. I’m not even aware of the knowledge that is sitting there. I’m not aware of the knowledge that exists in specific disciplines or cultures. I don’t think about it because I only can relate to what I TFBR.

There’s another way to think about the body of knowledge as related to each of us. Think of a pie-chart circle. Divide it into three sections, with two sections equal in size and the third section bigger…much bigger. The first two sections represent WHAT YOU KNOW and WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW, and together account for about 10% of the pie. The other 90%, the large part, is DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW. It’s huge because each of really doesn’t have a clue as to what the collective knowledge of the world is and has been over centuries. We simply cannot fathom it. We can’t even think about it because we’re not aware of it.

So, what might this have to do with sales (or other interactions)? Since everyone is unique and since you don’t have a clue about the total body of knowledge, it makes it absolutely imperative that you practice, what Stephen Covey refers to as Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood. Meaning of course, that you need to ask a lot of questions, talk less and show genuine interest in the person you’re with to get to the heart of who they are, what they think and how they see the world. There are roughly five and a half billion people on the planet and each sees the world in their own way. Particularly in sales, it’s not about you. It’s not about all of your cool products and services. People really don’t care what you think. They care about what they care about and they think what they think about (and, they’re not thinking about you). It’s your job to figure out what that is and to see if your offerings fit their needs. You DKDK. The only way you can know is to ask. Ask and ye shall receive.

True Lies Five Myths explained

Jeanette Nyden, Tracy Corley and I have determined that there are Five Myths that all small companies face when going after business with a large company.

Here they are:

1. The sales process is the same for large accounts as it is for small accounts.

2. I’m an approved supplier, the work will start rolling in.

3. We have an agreement; that means the enterprise and our company see eye-to-eye.

4. The contract is firm and non-negotiable. I’d better be pleased I got it and comply.

5. I’m dealing with a big, solid company. The money will be steady and so will we!

So, let’s take a look at them one by one-

Myth #1 The sales process is the same for large accounts as it is for small accounts.

Pete’s thoughts-

Not true. When dealing with larger accounts it is a more complex sale. It is definitely not transactional or simple. There are more people to deal with, more issues to uncover and usually a longer time frame to work through the process. One key to success is in building multiple relationships and alliances within the organization. There are many more decision makers involved. Another key is to do a whole lot more homework to uncover the major, global issues that the corporation is dealing with and to understand the financial goals and strategic imperatives that business owners and CEO’s have in place.

Building Relationships Tip: make for yourself a list of at least fifteen people you need to or should know in a large enterprise. Then, make an org chart or map of the organization with notes about how each functional area ties in with, works with or functions. Put a ¶ next to the most important players- the top three decision makers and influencers.

Jeanette’s thoughts-

Actually, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The entire sales process, from getting your foot in the door, talking to the right people, negotiating different aspects of the deal and finally documenting the deal are all different. Large companies are much more fragmented, process oriented and diversified than are small companies. That is true across the board from retailing to manufacturing.

Myth #2 I’m an approved supplier, the work will start rolling in.

Pete’s thoughts-

Again, this is a myth. There is a huge difference between getting approved and actually getting a Purchase Order. Often, the approval process for a large company can take months. And then once you are approved, it can take many months more to get your first order. Why? Well, often you are dealing with two sets of players in the organization. Approvers aren’t necessarily the purchasers. And, you have to build credibility (read, relationships) with numerous people in the purchasing arena. They are the ones ‘writing the check’ so to speak. They have to believe you are worthy of risk.

Jeanette’s thoughts-

This again is not necessarily true. There are approved suppliers and sole source suppliers. These distinctions are huge. Some companies ask vendors to apply to become an approved supplier as part of a vetting process. In no way does this mean that they have a project ready for you, or that after the one project they have in mind for you, you will automatically get more projects. Furthermore, companies use the approved supplier process to negotiate terrific pricing structures and impose their terms and conditions upon you, the smaller company. It is worth your while to keep your eye on the terms and conditions of being an approved or preferred provider when going through any approval process.

Myth #3 We have an agreement; that means the enterprise and our company see eye-to-eye.

Pete’s thoughts-

In my career, dealing with companies such as Sun Microsystems, Intel, Apple Computer and other large companies, I found that occasionally there were real misunderstandings about the supplier-customer relationship. Just because there was a signed proposal by the customer, a signed contract by the supplier and other letters and emails of ‘understandings’, there was no guarantee that problems could arise from time to time. Sometimes there were verbal agreements or understandings that became the standard or default or expected way of providing additional services. When those weren’t met then there were problems. Whenever you do something outside of the official scope or language of a quote or contact, be sure to cover your bases with a letter or email stating it is a one-time thing or favor, you’re doing it because you’re such a good supplier.

Jeanette’s thoughts-

To get technical on you for a moment, what does the word “agreement” mean to you? Is it a blanket purchase order? Is it an email? Is it a formal contract or Master Services Agreement? Reaching an agreement is one step in the process, following the agreement is yet another. I’ve seen clients misstep because they assume that the language of the agreement (in whatever form) that they have with the large company means the same thing to the large company as it does to the small company. Not so. I’ve seen large companies blame smaller vendors for things that were clearly the large company’s fault. Just because there was an agreement in place does not mean that when push comes to shove, you and they will still see eye-to-eye.

Myth #4 The contract is firm and non-negotiable. I’d better be pleased I got it and comply.

Pete’s thoughts-

Well, I was always pleased to get it. But, as a Sales Rep, Sales Manager or CEO, I always took the time to read any contract line by line to ensure that the terms and conditions would not be unfavorable to our company so as to cause financial harm. When clauses or words didn’t seem quite right, I took the time to point these out to the purchasing buyer or group and, to ask for a change in language or to strike something altogether. Although I didn’t get everything I wanted every time, I was successful more often than not. And, my asking for changes did not damage the relationship. In fact, many times your customers really do want you to be successful with them and will make changes to ensure that your comfort in the supplier role helps their success. If you’re a really good supplier, why would the customer want to jerk you around too much? Step up and negotiate when it makes sense.

Jeanette’s thoughts-

Nonsense. OK. Many of you have heard my rant before. All forms of agreements and relationships are negotiable. In fact, one person will tell you that something is non-negotiable with so-and-so company, but someone else will tell you that they negotiated that provision out of the agreement. I learned a valuable lesson about negotiable provisions just last month. I told a client that I thought the large company’s indemnification provision within a Master Services Agreement was non-negotiable. She told me that no one in her industry has indemnification clauses in this particular type of agreement, and, . . . she was right. She put me straight. Agreements and relationships are all negotiable. It is a matter of knowing what is worth negotiating and what you should just leave alone.

Myth #5 I’m dealing with a big, solid company. The money will be steady and so will we!

Pete’s thoughts-

Even before the current economic crisis and the associated major company failures, I can tell you first hand, that there has always been risk in dealing with big companies. As a supplier, you have to be all over the key indicators of your relationship- among others, things like product changeover into new product introductions, inventory turnover, accounts receivable (AR) days outstanding and turnover in personnel. Each one of these areas can impact your ability to collect the cash you’re due and the future relationship. I always paid really close attention to both inventory turns on warehoused product and AR. It’s not just the finished inventory you may be holding for the customer, it’s also the raw materials you have planned to bring in specifically for them. As for AR, often, big companies use their suppliers as a bank and abuse the already generous payment terms they’ve been given. Your business is not a bank- stay on top of the $ and watch the movement of cash. You should have a nice steady payment from the customer within a five day range over a number of months and an attitude of “Pay me first before you pay the other guys.” The squeaky wheel does get oiled.

It’s sad, but too many small companies have been burned by the biggies and been left with inventory that will never be paid for or unpaid invoices. Be on guard.

Jeanette’s thoughts-

Lehman Brothers. WaMu. IndyMac Bank. Linens-n-Things. Enough said. Nothing is a sure thing. Cash today is better than the promise of more cash tomorrow.

So, now you’ve gotten a bit of a feel for the five myths, over the past few newsletters. You might recall from a recent newsletter that we had to cancel our November 6^th Full Day Conference. We will be developing the content of the True Lies into a downloadable CD, available for sale on our websites in late 2008 or early 2009. So, look for this in the next few months.

True Lies Five Myths explained

True Lies: How To Get Real About Landing Large Accounts

Jeanette Nyden, Tracy Corley and I have determined that there are Five Myths that all small companies face when going after business with a large company. This is a compilation of our material from the four briefings held earlier this year. Stay tuned for information on a down-loadable DVD which will have a lot more insight and comments from professional purchasing experts!

Here they are:

1. The sales process is the same for large accounts as it is for small accounts.

2. I’m an approved supplier, the work will start rolling in.

3. We have an agreement; that means the enterprise and our company see eye-to-eye.

4. The contract is firm and non-negotiable. I’d better be pleased I got it and comply.

5. I’m dealing with a big, solid company. The money will be steady and so will we!

So, let’s take a look at them one by one-

Myth #1 The sales process is the same for large accounts as it is for small accounts.
Pete’s thoughts-
Not true. When dealing with larger accounts it is a more complex sale. It is definitely not transactional or simple. There are more people to deal with, more issues to uncover and usually a longer time frame to work through the process. One key to success is in building multiple relationships and alliances within the organization. There are many more decision makers involved. Another key is to do a whole lot more homework to uncover the major, global issues that the corporation is dealing with and to understand the financial goals and strategic imperatives that business owners and CEO’s have in place.

Building Relationships Tip: make for yourself a list of at least fifteen people you need to or should know in a large enterprise. Then, make an org chart or map of the organization with notes about how each functional area ties in with, works with or functions. Put a ¶ next to the most important players- the top three decision makers and influencers.
Jeanette’s thoughts-
Actually, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The entire sales process, from getting your foot in the door, talking to the right people, negotiating different aspects of the deal and finally documenting the deal are all different. Large companies are much more fragmented, process oriented and diversified than are small companies. That is true across the board from retailing to manufacturing.

Myth #2 I’m an approved supplier, the work will start rolling in.
Pete’s thoughts-
Again, this is a myth. There is a huge difference between getting approved and actually getting a Purchase Order. Often, the approval process for a large company can take months. And then once you are approved, it can take many months more to get your first order. Why? Well, often you are dealing with two sets of players in the organization. Approvers aren’t necessarily the purchasers. And, you have to build credibility (read, relationships) with numerous people in the purchasing arena. They are the ones ‘writing the check’ so to speak. They have to believe you are worthy of risk.
Jeanette’s thoughts-
This again is not necessarily true. There are approved suppliers and sole source suppliers. These distinctions are huge. Some companies ask vendors to apply to become an approved supplier as part of a vetting process. In no way does this mean that they have a project ready for you, or that after the one project they have in mind for you, you will automatically get more projects. Furthermore, companies use the approved supplier process to negotiate terrific pricing structures and impose their terms and conditions upon you, the smaller company. It is worth your while to keep your eye on the terms and conditions of being an approved or preferred provider when going through any approval process.

Myth #3 We have an agreement; that means the enterprise and our company see eye-to-eye.
Pete’s thoughts-
In my career, dealing with companies such as Sun Microsystems, Intel, Apple Computer and other large companies, I found that occasionally there were real misunderstandings about the supplier-customer relationship. Just because there was a signed proposal by the customer, a signed contract by the supplier and other letters and emails of ‘understandings’, there was no guarantee that problems could arise from time to time. Sometimes there were verbal agreements or understandings that became the standard or default or expected way of providing additional services. When those weren’t met then there were problems. Whenever you do something outside of the official scope or language of a quote or contact, be sure to cover your bases with a letter or email stating it is a one-time thing or favor, you’re doing it because you’re such a good supplier.
Jeanette’s thoughts-
To get technical on you for a moment, what does the word “agreement” mean to you? Is it a blanket purchase order? Is it an email? Is it a formal contract or Master Services Agreement? Reaching an agreement is one step in the process, following the agreement is yet another. I’ve seen clients misstep because they assume that the language of the agreement (in whatever form) that they have with the large company means the same thing to the large company as it does to the small company. Not so. I’ve seen large companies blame smaller vendors for things that were clearly the large company’s fault. Just because there was an agreement in place does not mean that when push comes to shove, you and they will still see eye-to-eye.

Myth #4 The contract is firm and non-negotiable. I’d better be pleased I got it and comply.
Pete’s thoughts-
Well, I was always pleased to get it. But, as a Sales Rep, Sales Manager or CEO, I always took the time to read any contract line by line to ensure that the terms and conditions would not be unfavorable to our company so as to cause financial harm. When clauses or words didn’t seem quite right, I took the time to point these out to the purchasing buyer or group and, to ask for a change in language or to strike something altogether. Although I didn’t get everything I wanted every time, I was successful more often than not. And, my asking for changes did not damage the relationship. In fact, many times your customers really do want you to be successful with them and will make changes to ensure that your comfort in the supplier role helps their success. If you’re a really good supplier, why would the customer want to jerk you around too much? Step up and negotiate when it makes sense.
Jeanette’s thoughts-
Nonsense. OK. Many of you have heard my rant before. All forms of agreements and relationships are negotiable. In fact, one person will tell you that something is non-negotiable with so-and-so company, but someone else will tell you that they negotiated that provision out of the agreement. I learned a valuable lesson about negotiable provisions just last month. I told a client that I thought the large company’s indemnification provision within a Master Services Agreement was non-negotiable. She told me that no one in her industry has indemnification clauses in this particular type of agreement, and, . . . she was right. She put me straight. Agreements and relationships are all negotiable. It is a matter of knowing what is worth negotiating and what you should just leave alone.

Myth #5 I’m dealing with a big, solid company. The money will be steady and so will we!
Pete’s thoughts-
Even before the current economic crisis and the associated major company failures, I can tell you first hand, that there has always been risk in dealing with big companies. As a supplier, you have to be all over the key indicators of your relationship- among others, things like product changeover into new product introductions, inventory turnover, accounts receivable (AR) days outstanding and turnover in personnel. Each one of these areas can impact your ability to collect the cash you’re due and the future relationship. I always paid really close attention to both inventory turns on warehoused product and AR. It’s not just the finished inventory you may be holding for the customer, it’s also the raw materials you have planned to bring in specifically for them. As for AR, often, big companies use their suppliers as a bank and abuse the already generous payment terms they’ve been given. Your business is not a bank- stay on top of the $ and watch the movement of cash. You should have a nice steady payment from the customer within a five day range over a number of months and an attitude of “Pay me first before you pay the other guys.” The squeaky wheel does get oiled.

It’s sad, but too many small companies have been burned by the biggies and been left with inventory that will never be paid for or unpaid invoices. Be on guard.
Jeanette’s thoughts-
Lehman Brothers. WaMu. IndyMac Bank. Linens-n-Things. Enough said. Nothing is a sure thing. Cash today is better than the promise of more cash tomorrow.

So, now you’ve gotten a bit of a feel for the five myths, over the past few newsletters. You might recall from a recent newsletter that we had to cancel our November 6^th Full Day Conference. We will be developing the content of the True Lies into a downloadable CD, available for sale on our websites in late 2008 or early 2009. So, look for this in the next few months.

Stand up and get slugged

One fall evening, right about now in late October, I was in 10th grade and I was out for a walk with one of my buddies. It was a typical teenage deal- ‘let’s get out of the house and roam around because we’re bored’. We weren’t trouble makers. We were just getting out and seeing if we could find anything fun to do or people to hang with. Now, this was an era in which we walked everywhere.

On one street, we came across a couple of young punks who were mouthing off and giving an elderly couple a hard time by swearing at them and throwing things at their porch. I knew one of the kids, and he really wasn’t a bad kid- heck, he’d bought my paper route from me a few years earlier. He was just caught up with the wrong guy that evening.

So, in my infinite wisdom, I stepped in and said that they should knock it off, go on their way and leave the older people alone. Evidently, that wasn’t what the tough punk wanted to hear. Immediately he challenged me to a fight. And when I didn’t take the bait I just stood there. “I’m not going to fight. You can punch me if you want to, but I’m not going to fight”. So, he punched me- a nice looping right hand cold cock to my jaw. It hurt, big time. The punch almost broke my jaw. But I just stood there, with my jaw smarting, staring at him. He challenged me again and I didn’t respond. I didn’t move and I just repeated, “I’m not going fight.” He started swearing at me, called me a few names (chicken, coward, etc.), used some bad language and eventually threw up his hands and walked away.

Frankly, I didn’t fight for two reasons: (1) I knew a fight wouldn’t solve anything (2) to be honest, I sensed that he would clean my clock (turns out, he was one of the toughest wrestlers on our H.S. championship team). Do I feel bad about not taking him on? Not at all. I think I did the right thing in stepping in and getting his attention away from the elderly couple. My being there distracted him from the older people who were relieved of dealing with this punk.

So, what’s my lesson, what did I learn way back when? There is a time to fight and a time not to. In my opinion, the time to fight is when your survival is at stake. Mine wasn’t, just my pride. I think business owners face the same challenge today. The economy is souring, we’re on the edge of a recession (if we’re not already in one) and the forecast is downright scary. What do you do? Fight or get slapped around a bit?

I think this is the time to fight- your survival is at stake. You must be proactive. You must decide to have courage and be the aggressor in your industry. Businesses (people) who get too cautious and too timid lose their edge. You don’t just get down in a bunker and wait it out. You advance. It’s a time to look for new ways of doing things. Seek out others to help you. Put more effort into your marketing and sales strategies and the development of your sales team. Take the time to really cement relationships with key customers and suppliers- they’re in the same boat you are. They can use your support, ideas and help. Put extra effort into building your relationships with your employees. Building trust will pay off with more engagement. More engagement means more collaboration, ideas and unity in fighting through the tough times.

Put your gloves on. It’s time to fight.