Christian Universities - Christians in Business
Discussion Two - Item In Stock
Discussion Two - Item In Stock
From a Christian Perspective
We are actually still talking about truth in business but now the stakes are a little higher. We’ve moved from rubber washers at 10 cents a piece, to a “machine down” time at $15,000.00 per hour. (By the way, “machine down” is a standard term used in industry, it’s like a Mayday of the mechanical world. It sounds pretty dramatic doesn’t it? Like a wounded comrade?)
So, is it a bigger lie at bigger dollars? Nope. It works out about the same as far as the wrongness of it goes. Lies are traps, any way you look at it. Broken promises or false promises turn into lies when you peel back the details. In fact Jesus made a special effort to make people understand just how important promises were. Matthew verse 37 of Chapter 5 records Jesus words this way, “Simply let your yes be “yes” and your “no”, no. …” Now that’s pretty simple wouldn’t you say? It’s pretty simple for a problem that has such serious repercussions, don’t you think? Remember, Satan’s favorite tool is the lie. We have to beat Satan at his own game without lying ourselves. When we do this we rub Satan’s nose in it. It’s his best tool and we’ve worked around it.
Right, right. But Jesus was talking about big whoppers and broken promises to God. We know that certain promises are pretty serious but just how important is a business promise anyway? They are broken by the bushel every minute of every day, aren’t they? Look at the big box stores and car dealers advertising and car mechanic quotes. If lies were Christmas lights every night would be lit up like Times Square on New Years Eve from the east coast to the west.
That’s true. What you can legally say and what is fair and honest are in two different ball parks. Christians don’t walk the fine line, they stay on the side of truth. So how do Christians handle this kind of a bombardment?
Christians must always be different from the majority of the world. One of my favorite biblical writers, James put it this way. “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.” The world is very quick to speak. They don’t think.
What James was telling us, is that if we are slow to speak, it will give our brains just a little longer to think about the words we are about to spew out. He explained further in Chapter 1: 26 , “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” Whoa James. Holy mackerel am I really that worthless? I don’t like to admit it but I’ve been known to stretch the truth now and again. Am I really worthless?
James is telling it like it is. There are all kinds of “fair weather” Christians who mold their religion into a convenience. You are definitely worthless as a Christian if you practice lying and making promises you know you cannot keep! Notice I said ”practice”. All of us occasionally stretch the truth for one reason or another. That doesn’t make you totally worthless but combine that with Jesus words in Matthew and the message gets exceptionally clear. Add to that John’s words we discussed earlier. Don’t take this lightly. The truth will free you and lies will shackle you. You have your answer. It’s your move. You make the decision.
I am totally convinced that all Christian young people in a Christian university will one day become leaders in business or leaders in life in this world. Don’t think anything otherwise. This is your time. This is your opportunity to move ahead under your own steam, down your own path, walking by your own values. And I never want you to lose that mindset.
That said, let’s examine this as if you are this sales rep’s manager. Lackluster Larry … is yours.
What do you do? Well first, you take the remedial action we outlined earlier and you do everything in your power to assist that customer. You look for a replacement valve, you turn everything upside-down to find that part. You spend the money, you do what you have to do. Work alongside Lying Larry and do not let your anger influence your attitude or actions toward him.
Remember you are a Christian first, a manager second. But you are a good manager, you aren’t a push over. You and Larry will have your talk before the day is out, never fear. Actually, you may want to delay that talk if you don’t feel that you have the Christian spirit to handle it right away. After being raked over the coals yourself by Supervisors and VP’s all day, you may not be as slow about speaking as you might be tomorrow for instance. Cool down. Be cool. Be Christian.
Right now you need some positive action. You need something as close to tangible as possible to assure your customer that all is being done to remedy the situation and that you will succeed. You probably don’t want to step in and contact the customer yourself at this point. Larry is still the contact person and Larry is attempting to clear the situation up. Larry may even still be working here next week. It wouldn’t be a Christian thing to humiliate Larry or make Larry look incompetent ( obviously he can do that all on his own) in front of either his coworkers or the customer. Larry might have been a moron but Larry is a person too. Larry isn’t very old so go easy on him. He is still a little green. We learn by our mistakes, right?
Force yourself to separate the emotion from the situation.
Cool down and pray hard for God’s spirit to help you. "Pray hard, you say? Carumba, this is business. I’m at work under a lot of pressure and you tell me to pray hard? Isn’t that a little unreasonable under the circumstances?"
Not from my feeder it’s not. Right now you are on Satan’s turf, using Satan’s tools and Satan’s spirit is just humming all around you. You are under pressure to fix this situation fast but at the least cost because you will be hung for it later. You stand to lose a good customer with a large account and you cannot replace Larry quickly no matter what he’s done. You don’t have a lot of time. I’d say, you’re having a bad day. Why would you go that all alone?
Christ didn’t die for you so as you can take the Devil’s world on by yourself. Jesus is there to help no matter when or where. What is it going to take you, fifteen seconds to pray for help? (You may want to pray more than once, I’m thinking) Don’t be confused about this. God doesn’t care a bit about business but he cares a whole lot about you and he also cares about the person who screwed up. He also cares about whether Satan is going to win over you or whether you are going to win over Satan. Yes, I said win. Memorize this scripture: “ …Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7).
We don’t call on God to step in and make the problem go away, we call on God to help us handle the problem. We call on God to give us more of his Spirit to empower us to solve the problem. We call on God to touch the hearts of those angry ones all around us . We call on God to touch our own hearts, to humble us and assist us in showing compassion when we really don’t feel compassionate. We call on God to help us to show real love for both our charges and for our enemies who would destroy us. We call on God to take away our false pride when we feel humiliated or embarrassed. We even call on God to embrace us and comfort us.
God will never fail sincere Christians and their pleas for help.
I love this scripture. It was the eve of Jesus death and he went away to pray and this is what he said in part. Speaking in a context that came to include all of us today, he said, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world …but that you protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:15)
We are all stuck in this world for now, so lets make it a better place by taking away Satan’s most powerful tool, lies and twisted words.
Through Christian Eyes
Matt the Buyer, should be more than ticked off with Loose Lips Larry, but because he is a Christian he is not going to fly into a rage and go beating up on Larry’s manager with angry threats and warnings and complaints. Matt knows that Larry is a human being with failings. If Larry is a young person Matt will take the inexperience into account. This doesn’t mean that Matt can ignore the issue and not address it in a very diligent manner. He must. A little research and Matt will know how many logistical problems and how much money his company has lost due to the supplier in question, even above Larry and his lax work habits. Larry may be only a part of a much larger problem.
Many factors will dictate how hard and how far Matt will go in resolving this issue so it won’t happen again. Matt’s Manager will speak to him about the problem as will the Production Manager, the VP and others without a doubt. Any number of people will get involved over the next few weeks. The issue will grow in the days ahead just like a tough old piece of steak in your mouth where the more you chew on it the bigger and the tougher it gets. It will become the size of a football before it’s all over.
Again, depending upon the fallout from above, Matt may not have any choice but to turn Larry into Lonesome Larry. He may be forced to find a replacement supplier immediately and cut all ties with Larry’s company. If Larry’s track record has been dismal or even mediocre, the decision may be made to sacrifice him on the supplier altar without another word spoken. It will at least pacify a manager or two and the Board of Directors in the short term.
One of Matt’s jobs is to document the facts and the cost of the slip up. He must report it in an impartial manner. But as a Christian, Matt cannot ride upon the tide of emotion that will be washing everyone else overboard at that time. He must remain objective, empathetic and optimistic while remaining highly focused upon the risk factor associated with working with Larry.
Based upon his findings, Matt will proceed so as to serve the best interests of his company, his employer. As a Christian, Matt must know that whatever action he takes it would be the same action he would take if Jesus himself was somehow involved.
How’s that for a tough assignment?
What if you are one of the Workers who went for the part but it wasn’t there? How angry and crazy are you going to get? Yes, it sure wrecks your day, and no, it doesn’t matter if you are union or otherwise, you still want to get your plant up and operational. You had intended to get the machine up and running by 2 p.m.. Now you can’t do that. Matt the Buyer has screwed up and it isn’t the first time. Maybe you should make some noise, shake things up a bit.
Okay Worker, maybe you should look into why the part is late but as a Christian is it your place to yell and scream? Shouldn’t you suggest having the situation investigated first? Shouldn’t your Supervisor or Manager take this up at their level? Are you permitted to go and talk to Matt to find out the problem? Don’t break procedure to do it but maybe when you meet him next time you can casually bring up the late part problem and the fallout from it. Use that great imagination of yours. Be kind and follow the example Jesus asked us to follow. Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt.22:34)
So you are Matt’s (or the Workers) Manager. Matt is a great Buyer but he has had a few bad breaks lately where material hasn’t been in on time. True they are short staffed, the Purchasing department always is short staffed for the work they do, but this valve business is going to upset the company President and the Board. Maybe Matt needs to be made an example of. Upper Management calms down much quicker when a body is sacrificed it seems. Everyone still wants blood these days, it’s just not shed physically anymore. Yes, you feel like a Centurian guard sometimes. The only thing missing is the arena.
But I’m a Christian and a manager and I know Matt is a hard worker. I also know that Matt was misled by the supplier. The trouble is, Procurement people know from experience that some suppliers walk and talk and pirouette around the truth when it suits them. It’s the way business is done by some these days. As wrong as it is, as dishonest as it is, it’s a reality.
Professional Buyers must wring the truth out of certain contacts in every detail. That’s what makes a professional a professional, these days. You cannot assume honesty or intelligence. It sounds morbidly pessimistic but it’s also a reality. When you assume, it really does make an “ass” of “u” and “me”.
Other things have also been late, so what do you do? Again, you must talk to Matt. He will already know that he is under scrutiny for his part in this.
You need all the facts, you also need to remember that Matt has been there for you every single day in a thousand different ways. Matt juggles twenty balls at once every minute of every day not just for you but for the company. You cannot replace Matt in a week or a month or even six months. Matt has a wealth of experience that only comes with years of being on the front line. You know Matt’s work ethic because you are a good manager and your people really are your people.
You may lose. Head office or Upper Management may quash your most sincere efforts but you will do your very best for Matt. That is what Christians do. It doesn’t matter if Matt is a Christian or not, he is a person. He is a part of your team.
As Procurement Manager, Plant Manager, Operations Manager, VP, President, any of the upper management positions, our jobs are to keep the plant running at all costs. A least that is what is drilled into your heads and it’s what you drill into the heads of all in your authority. So what do you do when the plant fails or shuts down unexpectedly for mechanical reasons?
Everyone has a boss except God, even CEO’s. The proverbial “kaka” will hit the fan over any plant shutdown no matter how long it is and there will be talk of heads rolling. You really don’t want that head to be your own. And you shouldn’t want it to be anyone else’ either. Rolling heads do nothing for morale.
Fortunately, it costs a lot of money to replace Managers but it does happen. Three strikes and you are generally considered out. At least in baseball you get another turn at bat every inning. Not so in business. So your job (depending upon where you happen to fit in the chain) is to somehow balance between supporting your workers either on the floor or in the office, and supporting upper management, Boards of Directors and stock holders. Maybe you cannot please them all but you can appease them all, with good sense and good actions.
It’s a human failing that we tend to immediately search for a scapegoat when there is a problem within reach of us. Let’s face it, we don’t want to be associated with it. If we can alienate ourselves from the reach of the problem, if we can ensure that someone else is entirely to blame, it’s like a reprieve to us. It gives us relief.
But we will then behave in one of two ways. Either we will become an ally to the guilty party or we’ll become an enemy.
If we become an ally to the guilty party, it doesn’t mean that we agree with everything done in the matter. It does mean that we sincerely want to resolve the issue and move on from there. It means that we are willing to listen, that we are maintaining an open mind, that we are seeking solutions rather than demanding heads on platters. That doesn’t mean a head will not roll, it just means that this is not your aim. You aren’t intent on wielding the axe.
If you fall in the latter category, you are insecure in your position, you are flawed as an individual and probably not good management material. Some people are so very quick to seek blood, to immediately and sometimes proactively push for the removal of another team member thinking that to put another person down somehow elevates themselves. It’s almost a primal defense, a self preserving mentality. You consider a wounded pack member, fair game.
Christians should never fall into that trap. No person is our enemy. This is the Devil’s tactic. (1 Peter 5:8) Genuine Christian love prevents this. Jesus Christ was innocent of any sin and yet he took the sins of all of mankind and bore them in an excruciating death rather than let our own sin and guilt destroy us. That is not the action of an enemy. Jesus didn’t sacrifice any one of us, so how can we sacrifice one of our own without remorse and without doing everything we can to prevent it? (John 15:13) Think about it.
So does this mean that we close our eyes to a problem or smooth over wrong for the sake of our faith? No.
We have a clear responsibility to our employer (Board, stockholders, etc) to accomplish what they pay us to accomplish. It doesn’t matter where we are in the company. Christians are not exempt from disciplinary actions on either end. Christians do however, review the situation from all angles. Christians do all things in love for the greater good of all and as God expects us to. (Ro.13:1-6)
.
No exceptions.
Discussion-Questions and Answers
We are actually still talking about truth in business but now the stakes are a little higher. We’ve moved from rubber washers at 10 cents a piece, to a “machine down” time at $15,000.00 per hour. (By the way, “machine down” is a standard term used in industry, it’s like a Mayday of the mechanical world. It sounds pretty dramatic doesn’t it? Like a wounded comrade?)
So, is it a bigger lie at bigger dollars? Nope. It works out about the same as far as the wrongness of it goes. Lies are traps, any way you look at it. Broken promises or false promises turn into lies when you peel back the details. In fact Jesus made a special effort to make people understand just how important promises were. Matthew verse 37 of Chapter 5 records Jesus words this way, “Simply let your yes be “yes” and your “no”, no. …” Now that’s pretty simple wouldn’t you say? It’s pretty simple for a problem that has such serious repercussions, don’t you think? Remember, Satan’s favorite tool is the lie. We have to beat Satan at his own game without lying ourselves. When we do this we rub Satan’s nose in it. It’s his best tool and we’ve worked around it.
Right, right. But Jesus was talking about big whoppers and broken promises to God. We know that certain promises are pretty serious but just how important is a business promise anyway? They are broken by the bushel every minute of every day, aren’t they? Look at the big box stores and car dealers advertising and car mechanic quotes. If lies were Christmas lights every night would be lit up like Times Square on New Years Eve from the east coast to the west.
That’s true. What you can legally say and what is fair and honest are in two different ball parks. Christians don’t walk the fine line, they stay on the side of truth. So how do Christians handle this kind of a bombardment?
Christians must always be different from the majority of the world. One of my favorite biblical writers, James put it this way. “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.” The world is very quick to speak. They don’t think.
What James was telling us, is that if we are slow to speak, it will give our brains just a little longer to think about the words we are about to spew out. He explained further in Chapter 1: 26 , “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” Whoa James. Holy mackerel am I really that worthless? I don’t like to admit it but I’ve been known to stretch the truth now and again. Am I really worthless?
James is telling it like it is. There are all kinds of “fair weather” Christians who mold their religion into a convenience. You are definitely worthless as a Christian if you practice lying and making promises you know you cannot keep! Notice I said ”practice”. All of us occasionally stretch the truth for one reason or another. That doesn’t make you totally worthless but combine that with Jesus words in Matthew and the message gets exceptionally clear. Add to that John’s words we discussed earlier. Don’t take this lightly. The truth will free you and lies will shackle you. You have your answer. It’s your move. You make the decision.
I am totally convinced that all Christian young people in a Christian university will one day become leaders in business or leaders in life in this world. Don’t think anything otherwise. This is your time. This is your opportunity to move ahead under your own steam, down your own path, walking by your own values. And I never want you to lose that mindset.
That said, let’s examine this as if you are this sales rep’s manager. Lackluster Larry … is yours.
What do you do? Well first, you take the remedial action we outlined earlier and you do everything in your power to assist that customer. You look for a replacement valve, you turn everything upside-down to find that part. You spend the money, you do what you have to do. Work alongside Lying Larry and do not let your anger influence your attitude or actions toward him.
Remember you are a Christian first, a manager second. But you are a good manager, you aren’t a push over. You and Larry will have your talk before the day is out, never fear. Actually, you may want to delay that talk if you don’t feel that you have the Christian spirit to handle it right away. After being raked over the coals yourself by Supervisors and VP’s all day, you may not be as slow about speaking as you might be tomorrow for instance. Cool down. Be cool. Be Christian.
Right now you need some positive action. You need something as close to tangible as possible to assure your customer that all is being done to remedy the situation and that you will succeed. You probably don’t want to step in and contact the customer yourself at this point. Larry is still the contact person and Larry is attempting to clear the situation up. Larry may even still be working here next week. It wouldn’t be a Christian thing to humiliate Larry or make Larry look incompetent ( obviously he can do that all on his own) in front of either his coworkers or the customer. Larry might have been a moron but Larry is a person too. Larry isn’t very old so go easy on him. He is still a little green. We learn by our mistakes, right?
Force yourself to separate the emotion from the situation.
Cool down and pray hard for God’s spirit to help you. "Pray hard, you say? Carumba, this is business. I’m at work under a lot of pressure and you tell me to pray hard? Isn’t that a little unreasonable under the circumstances?"
Not from my feeder it’s not. Right now you are on Satan’s turf, using Satan’s tools and Satan’s spirit is just humming all around you. You are under pressure to fix this situation fast but at the least cost because you will be hung for it later. You stand to lose a good customer with a large account and you cannot replace Larry quickly no matter what he’s done. You don’t have a lot of time. I’d say, you’re having a bad day. Why would you go that all alone?
Christ didn’t die for you so as you can take the Devil’s world on by yourself. Jesus is there to help no matter when or where. What is it going to take you, fifteen seconds to pray for help? (You may want to pray more than once, I’m thinking) Don’t be confused about this. God doesn’t care a bit about business but he cares a whole lot about you and he also cares about the person who screwed up. He also cares about whether Satan is going to win over you or whether you are going to win over Satan. Yes, I said win. Memorize this scripture: “ …Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7).
We don’t call on God to step in and make the problem go away, we call on God to help us handle the problem. We call on God to give us more of his Spirit to empower us to solve the problem. We call on God to touch the hearts of those angry ones all around us . We call on God to touch our own hearts, to humble us and assist us in showing compassion when we really don’t feel compassionate. We call on God to help us to show real love for both our charges and for our enemies who would destroy us. We call on God to take away our false pride when we feel humiliated or embarrassed. We even call on God to embrace us and comfort us.
God will never fail sincere Christians and their pleas for help.
I love this scripture. It was the eve of Jesus death and he went away to pray and this is what he said in part. Speaking in a context that came to include all of us today, he said, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world …but that you protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:15)
We are all stuck in this world for now, so lets make it a better place by taking away Satan’s most powerful tool, lies and twisted words.
Through Christian Eyes
Matt the Buyer, should be more than ticked off with Loose Lips Larry, but because he is a Christian he is not going to fly into a rage and go beating up on Larry’s manager with angry threats and warnings and complaints. Matt knows that Larry is a human being with failings. If Larry is a young person Matt will take the inexperience into account. This doesn’t mean that Matt can ignore the issue and not address it in a very diligent manner. He must. A little research and Matt will know how many logistical problems and how much money his company has lost due to the supplier in question, even above Larry and his lax work habits. Larry may be only a part of a much larger problem.
Many factors will dictate how hard and how far Matt will go in resolving this issue so it won’t happen again. Matt’s Manager will speak to him about the problem as will the Production Manager, the VP and others without a doubt. Any number of people will get involved over the next few weeks. The issue will grow in the days ahead just like a tough old piece of steak in your mouth where the more you chew on it the bigger and the tougher it gets. It will become the size of a football before it’s all over.
Again, depending upon the fallout from above, Matt may not have any choice but to turn Larry into Lonesome Larry. He may be forced to find a replacement supplier immediately and cut all ties with Larry’s company. If Larry’s track record has been dismal or even mediocre, the decision may be made to sacrifice him on the supplier altar without another word spoken. It will at least pacify a manager or two and the Board of Directors in the short term.
One of Matt’s jobs is to document the facts and the cost of the slip up. He must report it in an impartial manner. But as a Christian, Matt cannot ride upon the tide of emotion that will be washing everyone else overboard at that time. He must remain objective, empathetic and optimistic while remaining highly focused upon the risk factor associated with working with Larry.
Based upon his findings, Matt will proceed so as to serve the best interests of his company, his employer. As a Christian, Matt must know that whatever action he takes it would be the same action he would take if Jesus himself was somehow involved.
How’s that for a tough assignment?
What if you are one of the Workers who went for the part but it wasn’t there? How angry and crazy are you going to get? Yes, it sure wrecks your day, and no, it doesn’t matter if you are union or otherwise, you still want to get your plant up and operational. You had intended to get the machine up and running by 2 p.m.. Now you can’t do that. Matt the Buyer has screwed up and it isn’t the first time. Maybe you should make some noise, shake things up a bit.
Okay Worker, maybe you should look into why the part is late but as a Christian is it your place to yell and scream? Shouldn’t you suggest having the situation investigated first? Shouldn’t your Supervisor or Manager take this up at their level? Are you permitted to go and talk to Matt to find out the problem? Don’t break procedure to do it but maybe when you meet him next time you can casually bring up the late part problem and the fallout from it. Use that great imagination of yours. Be kind and follow the example Jesus asked us to follow. Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt.22:34)
So you are Matt’s (or the Workers) Manager. Matt is a great Buyer but he has had a few bad breaks lately where material hasn’t been in on time. True they are short staffed, the Purchasing department always is short staffed for the work they do, but this valve business is going to upset the company President and the Board. Maybe Matt needs to be made an example of. Upper Management calms down much quicker when a body is sacrificed it seems. Everyone still wants blood these days, it’s just not shed physically anymore. Yes, you feel like a Centurian guard sometimes. The only thing missing is the arena.
But I’m a Christian and a manager and I know Matt is a hard worker. I also know that Matt was misled by the supplier. The trouble is, Procurement people know from experience that some suppliers walk and talk and pirouette around the truth when it suits them. It’s the way business is done by some these days. As wrong as it is, as dishonest as it is, it’s a reality.
Professional Buyers must wring the truth out of certain contacts in every detail. That’s what makes a professional a professional, these days. You cannot assume honesty or intelligence. It sounds morbidly pessimistic but it’s also a reality. When you assume, it really does make an “ass” of “u” and “me”.
Other things have also been late, so what do you do? Again, you must talk to Matt. He will already know that he is under scrutiny for his part in this.
You need all the facts, you also need to remember that Matt has been there for you every single day in a thousand different ways. Matt juggles twenty balls at once every minute of every day not just for you but for the company. You cannot replace Matt in a week or a month or even six months. Matt has a wealth of experience that only comes with years of being on the front line. You know Matt’s work ethic because you are a good manager and your people really are your people.
You may lose. Head office or Upper Management may quash your most sincere efforts but you will do your very best for Matt. That is what Christians do. It doesn’t matter if Matt is a Christian or not, he is a person. He is a part of your team.
As Procurement Manager, Plant Manager, Operations Manager, VP, President, any of the upper management positions, our jobs are to keep the plant running at all costs. A least that is what is drilled into your heads and it’s what you drill into the heads of all in your authority. So what do you do when the plant fails or shuts down unexpectedly for mechanical reasons?
Everyone has a boss except God, even CEO’s. The proverbial “kaka” will hit the fan over any plant shutdown no matter how long it is and there will be talk of heads rolling. You really don’t want that head to be your own. And you shouldn’t want it to be anyone else’ either. Rolling heads do nothing for morale.
Fortunately, it costs a lot of money to replace Managers but it does happen. Three strikes and you are generally considered out. At least in baseball you get another turn at bat every inning. Not so in business. So your job (depending upon where you happen to fit in the chain) is to somehow balance between supporting your workers either on the floor or in the office, and supporting upper management, Boards of Directors and stock holders. Maybe you cannot please them all but you can appease them all, with good sense and good actions.
It’s a human failing that we tend to immediately search for a scapegoat when there is a problem within reach of us. Let’s face it, we don’t want to be associated with it. If we can alienate ourselves from the reach of the problem, if we can ensure that someone else is entirely to blame, it’s like a reprieve to us. It gives us relief.
But we will then behave in one of two ways. Either we will become an ally to the guilty party or we’ll become an enemy.
If we become an ally to the guilty party, it doesn’t mean that we agree with everything done in the matter. It does mean that we sincerely want to resolve the issue and move on from there. It means that we are willing to listen, that we are maintaining an open mind, that we are seeking solutions rather than demanding heads on platters. That doesn’t mean a head will not roll, it just means that this is not your aim. You aren’t intent on wielding the axe.
If you fall in the latter category, you are insecure in your position, you are flawed as an individual and probably not good management material. Some people are so very quick to seek blood, to immediately and sometimes proactively push for the removal of another team member thinking that to put another person down somehow elevates themselves. It’s almost a primal defense, a self preserving mentality. You consider a wounded pack member, fair game.
Christians should never fall into that trap. No person is our enemy. This is the Devil’s tactic. (1 Peter 5:8) Genuine Christian love prevents this. Jesus Christ was innocent of any sin and yet he took the sins of all of mankind and bore them in an excruciating death rather than let our own sin and guilt destroy us. That is not the action of an enemy. Jesus didn’t sacrifice any one of us, so how can we sacrifice one of our own without remorse and without doing everything we can to prevent it? (John 15:13) Think about it.
So does this mean that we close our eyes to a problem or smooth over wrong for the sake of our faith? No.
We have a clear responsibility to our employer (Board, stockholders, etc) to accomplish what they pay us to accomplish. It doesn’t matter where we are in the company. Christians are not exempt from disciplinary actions on either end. Christians do however, review the situation from all angles. Christians do all things in love for the greater good of all and as God expects us to. (Ro.13:1-6)
.
No exceptions.
Discussion-Questions and Answers
Lesson/Discussion 2 - "In Stock"
More about Promises:
Kinds of promises
·Webster: a declaration, verbal or written, made by one person to another, which binds the person who makes it to do or forbear to do, a specific act. A declaration which gives to the person to whom it is made, a right to expect or to claim that performance or forbearance of a specified act.
·Legal: an engagement by one person to another either in words or in writing but properly not under seal for the performance or the nonperformance of some particular thing. The word promise is used to denote the mere engagement of a person without regard to the consideration for it, or the corresponding duty of the party to whom it is made. Chitty, Parsons Burill
·Contract: In contract law, if the parties exchange promises, each promise is "consideration" (a valuable item) for the other promise. Failure to fulfill a promise in a contract is a breach of the contract, for which the other party may sue for performance and/or damages.
·Election Promise: thinking it may make him or her look useful, intelligent or honest, any form of gibberish, babble or nonsense spilling from a politicians mouth.
·Threat: a promise to carry out a negative action against another person or party if a certain criteria isn’t met.
Example: “if you don’t get out of my yard I’ll tell your mother….”
·Advertising/Illusory : an agreement to do something that is so indefinite one cannot tell what is to be done, or the performance is optional (usually because it is just a gesture and not a true agreement). Therefore, the other party need not perform or pay since he/she got nothing in what he/she may have thought was a contract. (Sounds like most warranties)
Example: the engine goes in your one year old car. Smoke is pouring from it, oil is spewing onto the ground and it knocks so loudly the neighboring town has been complaining.
So you go to the dealer where you purchased the car and after a two hour wait, the technician takes your car into the shop. They actually have to pull it in with the tow truck. The car has 47000 miles on it. The warrantee is up at 50,000 miles. ( which shows you how much confidence that manufacturer has in their product … watches last longer)
Nevertheless after an hour of waiting the service manager returns and calling you to the counter informs you that their technician has examined your vehicle extensively and other than normal sounds coming from a car that age ( it is actually 11 months old) he cannot detect a problem. The car is fine. They have changed your oil at no charge to you as an expression of good will and because you are a valuable customer.
He advises you to take your car home today and if you still believe there is a problem after driving it another 3001 miles be sure and bring it back to the service department and anyone there would be pleased to look at it for you.
Slack jawed and dazed, you stand there dumfounded.
Unfortunately when the technician attempts to start your car, to remove it from the garage, a gigantic flaming volcano explodes from under the hood and seventeen men and two women with fire extinguishers spend twenty minutes battling the blaze.
When the smoke clears, after the fire trucks are gone and there is traffic flowing again through the city, the service manager once again calls you to the service desk and informs you that it appears that there seems to have been a minor difficulty with the engine after all, and the cost to replace the engine would be $6200.00.
“But it’s still under warrantee”, you protest. “The car only has 47000 miles on it and the warrantee is good for 50000 miles. In fact the extended warrantee you purchased for $250.00, covers the car from bumper to bumper for seven years.
The service manager smiles patiently. “I appreciate that it would certainly seem as if that would be the case Mrs. So and So, but you see, we have checked our records very carefully and it seems that your warrantee has been compromised.”
You gasp and clutch your heart, praying for a paper bag in which to either vomit or ventilate, whichever comes first. “But … but … why? How?” you finally gasp as you slowly feel blood returning to your face and the bile almost returned to your stomach.
The service manager is calm because he’s had Customer Brainwashing 101 at car sales school. He hands you a glass of water. You can see the smelling salts through the material of his shirt pocket. “ It appears that upon examination of your vehicle service records, we did notice that on one occasion you did not bring your automobile to us for its 1000 mile oil and filter change.
“Yes” you explain desperately, “ but I definitely did have the oil and filter changed at the proper time at a reputable dealer in another city and I have the records to prove that. (provided they weren’t burned in the fire a few moments ago)
“I’m terribly sorry Mrs. So and So”, sympathizes the drone who now like David Copperfield has produced a copy of the warrantee from up his sleeve and is indicating a clause on the contract so small that even he can’t read it without rubbing his nose on the paper. “ The warrantee expressly states ma’am, that all oil changes MUST be performed in our facility, using OUR oil. I’m sorry but you didn’t do that, ma’am.”
“But that happened only once and I was attending a funeral for my mother in Winnipeg. The other 17 oil changes were all done here using your wonderful oil. I’ve cancelled vacations and missed my sister’s wedding and everything to be here for my oil changes. Doesn’t that count for anything?”
With downcast eyes, the Customer Service Manager shakes his head sadly. So you vomit anyway.
Hang the bag. Let them get a mop and a spoon.
·Children’s Promise: words of convenience dependant entirely upon which way the wind is blowing at that exact moment.
Example: Eight year old Johnnie is sitting on the step with his four year old sister Sally. The ice cream truck has just passed and they are licking their cones together in 30 degree heat ( 92F.)
Suddenly Sally needs to go to the bathroom and asks Johnnie to hold her ice cream. “But first,” she emphasizes dramatically, “You have to promise not to lick it while I’m gone. “
She looks at Johnnie through open and trusting, clear blue eyes. “Do you really promise?”
“Yeah, I promise,” says Johnnie as he licks his cone without looking at her.
So Sally goes in the house and Johnnie sits there on the step licking his cone.
A few moments later Johnnie notices that Sally’s ice cream is not only a lot bigger than his but it’s starting to melt from the heat. Johnny loves strawberries. He’s promised Sally he won’t lick it but it’s going to melt onto his hand soon if she doesn’t get back out there. Maybe just one lick.
There’s a big strawberry sticking out so maybe he’ll just lick it there a little.
Sally takes longer to pee than some women do to give birth so when Sally finally makes it back outside both hers and Johnnie’s ice cream are a whole lot smaller.
“Did you lick my ice cream? demands Sally.
Johnnies answer, “I had to. It was starting to melt.”
“Mom” cries Sally. “Johnnie ate my ice cream. And he promised not to.”
Johnnie shrugs and turns back to his ice cream.
·Marriage Vow: My darling, I swear before God and all present, to love you with all of my heart from this time forward. Through good times and bad times, from now until forever, I will walk proudly at your side. I make a solemn vow this day to be your best friend and your bosom companion, your lover, your confidant and the one who will be there to hold you and to comfort you whenever you are unhappy or feeling low. I will be there for you in sickness and in health, in times of sorrow and days of joy. I will be at your side during small troubles or when the burdens of life are heavy upon you. I will support you and nurture you. I will kiss you in the morning and tuck you in at night. I will remain yours before God and before men and I will neither leave you or forsake you until death puts us apart. That’s how much I love you.
50% of marriages today fail.
·Your First Promise to God.: God, I truly believe in your son Jesus Christ, I believe that his sacrificial death was for my sins and I will follow his example always in my life. Thank you Jesus. Thank you.
Footnote: You are probably anywhere from eight to eighteen when you first expressed words of that sort and everyone knows what transpires in those Hormonal Years. Many times our attempts to follow the footsteps of Jesus go wandering off of the path onto a broad and unfortunate road and we find ourselves concocting some pretty good reasons and some very valid and plausible excuses why we should deviate here and turn off there. We need more education, we are young, we only live once, our friends are doing it. And our commitment becomes watered down. You’re probably due for a renewal now and again. I know I am!
You can renew your vows as often as you wish with God. Just be sincere when you do it.
·God’s Promises:God has made hundreds of promises to us through the scriptures. They range from comforting us in trials and sickness to building up our faith and strength during adversities and persecution. God promises to heal us, comfort us, inspire us, resurrect us and bless us. He promises further to fortify us against Satan, to teach us and to help us overcome our weakness and change our faults. God promises to help us with every problem that we have in life. He is there for us when we call him.
Footnote: Regarding God’s promises, you may think that God has missed you helping sometimes but there is just one condition to them all coming true. You must believe that they will. And what would keep us from believing? A guilty conscience might do that, a lack of study might do that, lack of genuine appreciation and application of God’s word might do that and not knowing God well enough might also do that. These things may hinder our belief, our faith and the fulfillment of God’s promises to us. (Prov. 15:8, 29, 1 Peter 3:7)
God’s promises come true for believers.
Question:
So what is the commonality in all of these kinds and types of promises ?
Answer:
All point toward a word or a deed blossoming to fruition, to something becoming a truth or a reality!
Ok so we laid the foundation. Now tell me, what is different about “Business” promises? The promises we make in every day business, every day!
All promises have an impact. Even little Johnnie eating Sally’s ice cream had an impact. Sally lost faith in Johnnie’s word. Johnnie was probably scolded by his mother and lost a point he might need somewhere else. Sally lost most of her ice cream but probably learned to pee faster and not to buy flavors her brother liked.
Everything has an impact.
Discussion 2- “ In Stock”
So you are sitting in your cubicle one day (ironically enough neither did you land that corporate managerial position you had expected immediately upon graduation)… and ironically again, the telephone rings. Go figure, you’re at a sales desk.
The phone rings. Get used to this if you are in the world of either Sales or Procurement …. It’s another thoughtless customer interrupting your “Quiet Time”. Yeesh, what next? So much for your collective agreement.
It’s Matt. Matt is a regular customer with a large established account who is looking for a machine part. No surprise there, that’s what you do here, you sell parts. Okay, okay. No problem, yes, these are stock parts. Yes, Mr. Persistent Buyer, the part is IN STOCK. Can I get it out today? Well, I’ll try. When will you have it? You’ll have it tomorrow. No, I can’t get it out today. Yes, I am entering the order now.” Why do all customers think we are idiots in Sales, anyway?
Alright, you think to yourself, after you have hung up, so the part isn’t literally in stock, it’s in Toronto and I’m in Halifax. (Or Michigan and Maine, same idea) Toronto is roughly a thousand miles away from Halifax. It’s a long walk and longer pushing a Volkswagon but that’s a whole other story. You just told a customer that the part they need for their pulp and paper machine is “in stock” and that they will have it tomorrow.
Well, how are you to know that the cost of that machine being down for maintenance is over $15,000.00 per hour? Gee, what am I a mind-reader? I’m in Sales, not Accounting!
The parts isn’t literally here on the shelf but generally if you order these parts from the Toronto (or Michigan) warehouse before two in the afternoon, the part will be in on the truck at 0800 the next morning for delivery to the customer by about noon the next day, the same as always. (Did I say “always”, hmmm … well almost always, anyway.) ”So what if the bossy Buyer thinks it is on it’s way today. What’s in a day anyway? Those guys are union workers, they’ll take their time. They don’t care.
The telephone rings again. What the heck is going on here, anyway? What’s the matter with people? Doesn’t anyone respect a man’s “quiet hour” around here?
At three o’clock in the afternoon it dawns on you that you did not place the order for Matt’s paper machine part. The part isn’t ordered. It won’t be here tomorrow. Darn.
Oh well. The Leafs are playing the Redwings tonight. It should be quite a game….
Consequences
So what are the consequences of your little efficiency breakdown? Any repercussions to your little white prevarication?
Well, let’s see. Actually, you aren’t going to see a great deal on delivery day until guess what? Until the phone rings! I know. You’ve got a “quiet time” but I think you might just have to kiss that little treasure goodbye for at least a day or two.
You see, when these “union boys” went to pick up their part, based upon your promised delivery, they found that lo and behold, there was no part!
Matt, their Buyer told them that the part would be there and they had stopped the paper machine to replace that valve. The machine is critical to production and they really needed to meet their target for this month. These valves have been causing the plant a headache lately and the maintenance department has used the very last spare.
When they’d learned that there was a new valve in Halifax they had decided to stop the machine and perform the required maintenance routine in conjunction with the valve replacement. It made sense, saved money and saved time. Now the maintenance is complete but they can’t start up again! They had counted on the new valve being installed in tandem with the maintenance, hoping that they could go back to maximum production that evening and meet the monthly production target. But no. Not now. Thank you, O Thoughtless One. Hope you enjoyed the game.
They shut down the machine at 0600 that morning in expectation of that part. It takes a while to cool down and a while to get the old part off. They had already lost six hours.
When the valve didn’t arrive by eleven o’clock which was normally when parts from ABC company would have been available to the floor, the technician went to the Warehouse, then to his Floor Manager, who went to the Shop Supervisor, who went to the Buyer, who checked with the Warehouse and Receiving Department and then the QA department just in case the part was there in the building somewhere but misplaced. Everyone lost a good deal of time confirming that the part was not in the building and so much for lunch for some of them.
When the part was not found in the plant the Buyer then called the supplier, that would be Mr. Quiet Hour, while Matt’s manager chewed rapaciously upon Matt’s ear and spat fire all around him like something out of Monty Python's Holy Grail. In the background the Plant Manager paced and fumed silently, just a few tendrils of wispy smoke rising from under his hard hat.
The machine is down, in the middle of an unscheduled stoppage which will impact monthly production, so now the Plant Manager, Procurement Manager, VP of Operations and President of the company will now have to undergo reprimand or at the least negative comments from the owners at the coming Board Meeting on Friday. And of course, the Board must also advise their stock holders of another monthly production loss. Tell me again why I didn’t go to Medical school?
The Accounting manager and others will then have to revise profit and loss statements. It was only a little lie, right?
Matt, the Buyer, YOUR customer is now literally “on the mat”. He is in trouble because he listened to you and believed your promised delivery. When you said the part was “in stock” in Halifax (or Bangor), Matt knew that at the very least he could send a truck or a courier to pick up that part from you should the part miss the truck. Your company has been known to do that, remember?
Now, after Matt has been thoroughly humiliated and flogged by all, Matt has to rake you over the coals. He will be under considerable pressure to call your Manager as well. He will also have no choice but to look for another supplier for future sales and he will run a report showing your late shipments, i.e. the Back Order \ Expediting Report for your company. He will forward this to his manager. The report will then go to all of the managers who will use it in the board meeting as at least a partial defense for failing to meet this month’s production target.
Your name is “Mud” and that’s being kind. You have let down a whole string of people including your own team and management.
Nope, it doesn't end there. Even if you are representing the OEM, Matt the Buyer will search for another manufacture’s rep. The great thing about China is that they have a knock off for everything these days. Matt, the Buyer has been burned by you and because he is human he is ticked off. You had better like the taste of crow and you had better be mighty quick and good at sucking up because this is your day for it. Or you could just kiss their business good bye and start searching the Employment ads. Either way, it’s a nail in your coffin. Maybe not the last one but every one counts.
Making it Right
Don’t even breath before you start fixing this mess you’ve created. We call it “firefighting” in the business and you are today’s featured arsonist. Makes you feel proud doesn’t it? It should look good on your reference letter. Hey, put it on your resume. Okay. so seriously, what are you going to do?
And no excuses, forget that. No more adolescent idiocy. What are you going to say to the customer? And don’t tell me you are going to dream up a cock and bull story about the bin being empty when you got there or that the last one sold while you were entering the order or that it missed the truck in Michigan, or that the part was lost in transit. (You can’t say that anyway because you told the customer that the part was specifically IN STOCK, “in” Halifax/Bangor!)
There isn’t any more time for games. The customer needs that part now. Hours count, minutes count. Can you afford the $15,000.00 per hour they are losing, out of your paycheck? Feel like taking a mortgage out on your home? That’s a nice car you’re driving…. Is that an Armani?
OK, let me give you a few quick pointers of what you might want to do here.
1.Before you call the customer and prostrate yourself begging for forgiveness, take some proactive and logical remedial steps.
2.Check your files. Do you have other customers using this same valve? Are there any of these valves at your location being held for other customers by other Buyers? Where are they? Find out.
3.If another customer has a valve in stock and they are nearby, call and ask them if they can spare the valve for a day or so. Explain the circumstances.
4.Are there any of these valves already en route to you from another source for another customer. If there are, call and ask if you can reallocate the part to another customer who has a “machine down” situation.
5.Is there another valve that can be modified easily. (Sometimes valves only differ in fittings sizes or configuration) If you think so, check with Engineering. Confirm the specs. Confirm that you have the correct fittings. Confirm that the revamped valve can be certified and accepted by QA.
6.Are there any of these valves anywhere else in the city that you know of, even with your competitors? Find out.
7.Can the valve at the paper mill be repaired? How long would it take? Is there a kit available?
8.If you locate a valve or a kit, how would you get it to the customer?
9.ONLY after checking these options and any others you can think of, will you call your customer and explain what you have found and how you are fixing it. You can now begin the prostrating and apologizing. Do not lie, not even a small one. Your account is dangling by a thread. Your job may be dangling along with it. Anything dangling is in danger, believe me.
10.Expedite. Follow it through every inch of the way.
11.If you cannot help the customer in any way, explain all you have tried to do.
12.Don’t even think of counting the cost. It is your company who must eat whatever expenses are incurred in assisting this customer.
I have to ask the same question again. “ Exactly how many customers have you “helped” recently?”
If I were management I‘d be checking your back trail.
Summary
More so today then ever, customers rely very heavily upon the supplier sales rep, to accurately deliver on what they promise, when they promise it. The reason? Customers today don’t carry near the stock they did in the past, so when you mislead a customer as to when they will receive their order, your deceit has let them down in a big way with effects reaching all the way back to corporate stockholders. I know, you don’t care about that much but it’s the truth. It’s a lot bigger than what you think.
Call it stretching the truth or disguise it as you will, it is unforgivably bad policy. You have risked losing the trust of a customer who depends upon you. Your customer may have gone to bat for you any number of times regarding past late deliveries or missing documentation or whatever. Now you have slapped him or her in return.
Sound harsh? Sorry. We are not talking about a mistake or an unforeseen event here, we are talking about a premeditated untruth and you only get away with that once. No amount of pizzazz nowadays will cover the offense of lying to a Buyer regarding deliveries. Don’t do it.
The world operates these days on a tight agenda. Everything has a schedule, a plan, a time frame when it is due to be completed and delivered. Think JIT. Have you heard of the concept? It means that there is no inventory in house at the factory. Everything is ordered and scheduled to arrive “Just In Time”. No waiting. In the big leagues, there is a finite schedule and a deadline for everything where money and production is concerned.
Everything revolves around a clock, a watch or a calendar. Do you buy a ticket to a hockey or a basketball game without getting a firm date and time so as you don’t miss a minute? What if the Superbowl was held without fixed details telling fans the day and the hour? Would advertisers be paying the mega dollars they do to advertise if there was only a remote possibility of a few fans catching it because they played it early or late? Come on. Think about it.
What if your furnace is broken? Do you accept it in January when the repairman says that the parts are still on the way but you’ve been waiting with your family and freezing since November? Do you all sit contentedly for months shivering under a blanket while you watch TV with icicles on our nose and frozen pop in your glass? No. You expect service and you want it now or as soon as you can get it. You want action and integrity. Well so do people in business. (Oh yes, fire that furnace man)
Bigger business is even more regimented, in fact, it is more synchronized than ever. In sales, you can make or break a client relationship, with a single false promise. There is too much riding on performance to risk purchasing from an unstable supplier.
Deliberately misleading delivery promises cause the Buyer to doubt your integrity. Believe me, they do piece it together in time. Yes you can fool them once in a while. You can get lucky. That would be the day to buy a lottery ticket. When Buyer’s learn of your slip ups and how regular they are, they immediately start hunting for a replacement for you and your products. They have to. They begin to mistrust you and wonder on how many other occasions they’ve been misled or deceived into believing something which wasn’t true. They can even suspect the quality of your product and the integrity of your firm. That’s human nature.
A Buyer cannot afford to allow his/her company to assume this type of risk. What if the situation was an emergency where production of a whole plant (not just a department) depended on the part that you lied about and didn’t take seriously?
Even if the Buyer has no proof of past deceptions, the flag has been raised and a supplier may find themselves removed from the Prime Venders List. If that happens you can immediately expect sales to drop dramatically. The Buyer has little choice. Too many people depend upon a Buyer to accomplish their tasks on time.
You are the linchpin to the Buyers success. Make him wobble and YOU’LL fall down!
Conclusion.
It may all sound like management is making a huge mountain out of a mole hill but the consequence of everyone’s actions encompasses a far reaching impact going much further than you may realize. Maybe you should think about your job and your position. Not counting today, you are very important to your company. Don’t ever think that because you work in a cubicle or the warehouse or the mill, instead of the front office that you are less integral to your employer.
Traditionally, managers fall far short of convincing their staff just how important they are to the team. In fact the term “team” is something of a joke in most plants. Managers, especially middle managers, are too often part of this problem. Oops, we better not go there just now. YOUR job … is to do YOUR job. Your company needs you. You need your company.
A Buyer can produce a report on your company in the time it takes to pour a cup of coffee. No one needs remind anyone else just how quickly things are changing in this age of computers and instant communication. The old paper and pencil, typewriter and dial telephone are pretty well history when it comes to information collating. Our new electronic tools allow us all to do our jobs much faster and way more efficiently. And this includes Report writing. Managers love reports and don’t think they don’t.
In both Purchasing and in Sales there is data and there are statistics to prove in black and white, how good any supplier actually is. In other words, you just can’t pull people’s legs anymore. You can fool the customer once or twice but after that … there will be a report telling on you. Never kid yourself.
Never lie. Do not make false promises. Don’t fib, stretch the truth or think that a few pens or make any false promise of any sort. No matter what the situation or how small the matter, never, ever, promise what you know you can not deliver.
If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. Mark Twain
Questions and Answers
Question 1:
What does the term” in stock” mean?
Answer:
It depends on the company, the speaker and the listener. There don’t seem to be any hard or fast rules which everyone adheres to. ABC company may tell a customer that they have a huge quantity of inventory “in stock” meaning that they have the inventory there in that location where they are speaking from.
XYZ company may say they have a huge inventory in “stock” wherever they happen to have a warehouse but they don’t tell the customer where it is unless they specifically ask. It could be in Timbuktu. “Just saying “in stock” is ambiguous.
As a Buyer and as a Sales rep it is your responsibility to be exceptionally clear on what you need and what you mean. A Buyer naturally understands “in stock” to mean, there at the location he/she has called. Buyers patronize local distributors expecting the stock to be local and readily available. And in the “good old days”, that was true.
Question 2:
Whose responsibility is it to verify the location of the quotation item?
Answer:
The supplier, distributor, manufacturer, in other words the seller, has a clear obligation to the customer to be transparent and truthful regarding where the item is physically in stock. If they are professionals they will appreciate completely the position of the customer and be straightforward and open in explaining where the stock is physically located.
Question 3:
Why is there so much confusion regarding the term “in stock”?
Answer:
There are a number of reasons. One particular reason is that when the recession of the nineteen eighties hit North America, it caused many manufacturers and distributors to examine how much inventory they were carrying. Almost all inventory levels at that time were very high and most companies didn’t realize how much this capital investment was costing them.
In order to use their money more wisely, and to become more competitive, many companies began to manufacture smaller quantities, keep fewer units on the shelf in physical inventory and to centralize their warehouses. In Canada, this centralization was logically in the Toronto or Montreal area for the most part. In the US it was often in either the eastern industrial belt or the central industrial belt.
Realizing that this would not sit well with their customers who often enjoyed the security of a local distributor warehousing everything they required, manufactures and their distributors or agents began to reform the meaning of “in stock” to mean wherever the inventory was located, not necessarily where the distributor was located.
Another reason impacting the confusion, is that in order to compensate for this less desirable situation, some sales reps began to imply that an item was locally stocked when it was not, so as to receive the order.
Question 4:
How can a Buyer/Customer keep from being “burned” in this way?
Answer:
A Buyer must always take control. He/she must now learn to know each sales rep individually. He/she cannot trust that all reps will be upfront and honest. He cannot assume that the rep will even be knowledgeable and aware of the true stock location. High sales employee turnover also results in errors due to reps being unskilled.
The Buyer must assume complete purchasing control. He must question everything, including the stock location, with every order or quotation. Buyers learn very quickly which suppliers are professional and proactive, who are honest and forthright, and they will deal exclusively with that supplier type or individual if possible in order to reduce risk for their company.
More about Promises:
Kinds of promises
·Webster: a declaration, verbal or written, made by one person to another, which binds the person who makes it to do or forbear to do, a specific act. A declaration which gives to the person to whom it is made, a right to expect or to claim that performance or forbearance of a specified act.
·Legal: an engagement by one person to another either in words or in writing but properly not under seal for the performance or the nonperformance of some particular thing. The word promise is used to denote the mere engagement of a person without regard to the consideration for it, or the corresponding duty of the party to whom it is made. Chitty, Parsons Burill
·Contract: In contract law, if the parties exchange promises, each promise is "consideration" (a valuable item) for the other promise. Failure to fulfill a promise in a contract is a breach of the contract, for which the other party may sue for performance and/or damages.
·Election Promise: thinking it may make him or her look useful, intelligent or honest, any form of gibberish, babble or nonsense spilling from a politicians mouth.
·Threat: a promise to carry out a negative action against another person or party if a certain criteria isn’t met.
Example: “if you don’t get out of my yard I’ll tell your mother….”
·Advertising/Illusory : an agreement to do something that is so indefinite one cannot tell what is to be done, or the performance is optional (usually because it is just a gesture and not a true agreement). Therefore, the other party need not perform or pay since he/she got nothing in what he/she may have thought was a contract. (Sounds like most warranties)
Example: the engine goes in your one year old car. Smoke is pouring from it, oil is spewing onto the ground and it knocks so loudly the neighboring town has been complaining.
So you go to the dealer where you purchased the car and after a two hour wait, the technician takes your car into the shop. They actually have to pull it in with the tow truck. The car has 47000 miles on it. The warrantee is up at 50,000 miles. ( which shows you how much confidence that manufacturer has in their product … watches last longer)
Nevertheless after an hour of waiting the service manager returns and calling you to the counter informs you that their technician has examined your vehicle extensively and other than normal sounds coming from a car that age ( it is actually 11 months old) he cannot detect a problem. The car is fine. They have changed your oil at no charge to you as an expression of good will and because you are a valuable customer.
He advises you to take your car home today and if you still believe there is a problem after driving it another 3001 miles be sure and bring it back to the service department and anyone there would be pleased to look at it for you.
Slack jawed and dazed, you stand there dumfounded.
Unfortunately when the technician attempts to start your car, to remove it from the garage, a gigantic flaming volcano explodes from under the hood and seventeen men and two women with fire extinguishers spend twenty minutes battling the blaze.
When the smoke clears, after the fire trucks are gone and there is traffic flowing again through the city, the service manager once again calls you to the service desk and informs you that it appears that there seems to have been a minor difficulty with the engine after all, and the cost to replace the engine would be $6200.00.
“But it’s still under warrantee”, you protest. “The car only has 47000 miles on it and the warrantee is good for 50000 miles. In fact the extended warrantee you purchased for $250.00, covers the car from bumper to bumper for seven years.
The service manager smiles patiently. “I appreciate that it would certainly seem as if that would be the case Mrs. So and So, but you see, we have checked our records very carefully and it seems that your warrantee has been compromised.”
You gasp and clutch your heart, praying for a paper bag in which to either vomit or ventilate, whichever comes first. “But … but … why? How?” you finally gasp as you slowly feel blood returning to your face and the bile almost returned to your stomach.
The service manager is calm because he’s had Customer Brainwashing 101 at car sales school. He hands you a glass of water. You can see the smelling salts through the material of his shirt pocket. “ It appears that upon examination of your vehicle service records, we did notice that on one occasion you did not bring your automobile to us for its 1000 mile oil and filter change.
“Yes” you explain desperately, “ but I definitely did have the oil and filter changed at the proper time at a reputable dealer in another city and I have the records to prove that. (provided they weren’t burned in the fire a few moments ago)
“I’m terribly sorry Mrs. So and So”, sympathizes the drone who now like David Copperfield has produced a copy of the warrantee from up his sleeve and is indicating a clause on the contract so small that even he can’t read it without rubbing his nose on the paper. “ The warrantee expressly states ma’am, that all oil changes MUST be performed in our facility, using OUR oil. I’m sorry but you didn’t do that, ma’am.”
“But that happened only once and I was attending a funeral for my mother in Winnipeg. The other 17 oil changes were all done here using your wonderful oil. I’ve cancelled vacations and missed my sister’s wedding and everything to be here for my oil changes. Doesn’t that count for anything?”
With downcast eyes, the Customer Service Manager shakes his head sadly. So you vomit anyway.
Hang the bag. Let them get a mop and a spoon.
·Children’s Promise: words of convenience dependant entirely upon which way the wind is blowing at that exact moment.
Example: Eight year old Johnnie is sitting on the step with his four year old sister Sally. The ice cream truck has just passed and they are licking their cones together in 30 degree heat ( 92F.)
Suddenly Sally needs to go to the bathroom and asks Johnnie to hold her ice cream. “But first,” she emphasizes dramatically, “You have to promise not to lick it while I’m gone. “
She looks at Johnnie through open and trusting, clear blue eyes. “Do you really promise?”
“Yeah, I promise,” says Johnnie as he licks his cone without looking at her.
So Sally goes in the house and Johnnie sits there on the step licking his cone.
A few moments later Johnnie notices that Sally’s ice cream is not only a lot bigger than his but it’s starting to melt from the heat. Johnny loves strawberries. He’s promised Sally he won’t lick it but it’s going to melt onto his hand soon if she doesn’t get back out there. Maybe just one lick.
There’s a big strawberry sticking out so maybe he’ll just lick it there a little.
Sally takes longer to pee than some women do to give birth so when Sally finally makes it back outside both hers and Johnnie’s ice cream are a whole lot smaller.
“Did you lick my ice cream? demands Sally.
Johnnies answer, “I had to. It was starting to melt.”
“Mom” cries Sally. “Johnnie ate my ice cream. And he promised not to.”
Johnnie shrugs and turns back to his ice cream.
·Marriage Vow: My darling, I swear before God and all present, to love you with all of my heart from this time forward. Through good times and bad times, from now until forever, I will walk proudly at your side. I make a solemn vow this day to be your best friend and your bosom companion, your lover, your confidant and the one who will be there to hold you and to comfort you whenever you are unhappy or feeling low. I will be there for you in sickness and in health, in times of sorrow and days of joy. I will be at your side during small troubles or when the burdens of life are heavy upon you. I will support you and nurture you. I will kiss you in the morning and tuck you in at night. I will remain yours before God and before men and I will neither leave you or forsake you until death puts us apart. That’s how much I love you.
50% of marriages today fail.
·Your First Promise to God.: God, I truly believe in your son Jesus Christ, I believe that his sacrificial death was for my sins and I will follow his example always in my life. Thank you Jesus. Thank you.
Footnote: You are probably anywhere from eight to eighteen when you first expressed words of that sort and everyone knows what transpires in those Hormonal Years. Many times our attempts to follow the footsteps of Jesus go wandering off of the path onto a broad and unfortunate road and we find ourselves concocting some pretty good reasons and some very valid and plausible excuses why we should deviate here and turn off there. We need more education, we are young, we only live once, our friends are doing it. And our commitment becomes watered down. You’re probably due for a renewal now and again. I know I am!
You can renew your vows as often as you wish with God. Just be sincere when you do it.
·God’s Promises:God has made hundreds of promises to us through the scriptures. They range from comforting us in trials and sickness to building up our faith and strength during adversities and persecution. God promises to heal us, comfort us, inspire us, resurrect us and bless us. He promises further to fortify us against Satan, to teach us and to help us overcome our weakness and change our faults. God promises to help us with every problem that we have in life. He is there for us when we call him.
Footnote: Regarding God’s promises, you may think that God has missed you helping sometimes but there is just one condition to them all coming true. You must believe that they will. And what would keep us from believing? A guilty conscience might do that, a lack of study might do that, lack of genuine appreciation and application of God’s word might do that and not knowing God well enough might also do that. These things may hinder our belief, our faith and the fulfillment of God’s promises to us. (Prov. 15:8, 29, 1 Peter 3:7)
God’s promises come true for believers.
Question:
So what is the commonality in all of these kinds and types of promises ?
Answer:
All point toward a word or a deed blossoming to fruition, to something becoming a truth or a reality!
Ok so we laid the foundation. Now tell me, what is different about “Business” promises? The promises we make in every day business, every day!
All promises have an impact. Even little Johnnie eating Sally’s ice cream had an impact. Sally lost faith in Johnnie’s word. Johnnie was probably scolded by his mother and lost a point he might need somewhere else. Sally lost most of her ice cream but probably learned to pee faster and not to buy flavors her brother liked.
Everything has an impact.
Discussion 2- “ In Stock”
So you are sitting in your cubicle one day (ironically enough neither did you land that corporate managerial position you had expected immediately upon graduation)… and ironically again, the telephone rings. Go figure, you’re at a sales desk.
The phone rings. Get used to this if you are in the world of either Sales or Procurement …. It’s another thoughtless customer interrupting your “Quiet Time”. Yeesh, what next? So much for your collective agreement.
It’s Matt. Matt is a regular customer with a large established account who is looking for a machine part. No surprise there, that’s what you do here, you sell parts. Okay, okay. No problem, yes, these are stock parts. Yes, Mr. Persistent Buyer, the part is IN STOCK. Can I get it out today? Well, I’ll try. When will you have it? You’ll have it tomorrow. No, I can’t get it out today. Yes, I am entering the order now.” Why do all customers think we are idiots in Sales, anyway?
Alright, you think to yourself, after you have hung up, so the part isn’t literally in stock, it’s in Toronto and I’m in Halifax. (Or Michigan and Maine, same idea) Toronto is roughly a thousand miles away from Halifax. It’s a long walk and longer pushing a Volkswagon but that’s a whole other story. You just told a customer that the part they need for their pulp and paper machine is “in stock” and that they will have it tomorrow.
Well, how are you to know that the cost of that machine being down for maintenance is over $15,000.00 per hour? Gee, what am I a mind-reader? I’m in Sales, not Accounting!
The parts isn’t literally here on the shelf but generally if you order these parts from the Toronto (or Michigan) warehouse before two in the afternoon, the part will be in on the truck at 0800 the next morning for delivery to the customer by about noon the next day, the same as always. (Did I say “always”, hmmm … well almost always, anyway.) ”So what if the bossy Buyer thinks it is on it’s way today. What’s in a day anyway? Those guys are union workers, they’ll take their time. They don’t care.
The telephone rings again. What the heck is going on here, anyway? What’s the matter with people? Doesn’t anyone respect a man’s “quiet hour” around here?
At three o’clock in the afternoon it dawns on you that you did not place the order for Matt’s paper machine part. The part isn’t ordered. It won’t be here tomorrow. Darn.
Oh well. The Leafs are playing the Redwings tonight. It should be quite a game….
Consequences
So what are the consequences of your little efficiency breakdown? Any repercussions to your little white prevarication?
Well, let’s see. Actually, you aren’t going to see a great deal on delivery day until guess what? Until the phone rings! I know. You’ve got a “quiet time” but I think you might just have to kiss that little treasure goodbye for at least a day or two.
You see, when these “union boys” went to pick up their part, based upon your promised delivery, they found that lo and behold, there was no part!
Matt, their Buyer told them that the part would be there and they had stopped the paper machine to replace that valve. The machine is critical to production and they really needed to meet their target for this month. These valves have been causing the plant a headache lately and the maintenance department has used the very last spare.
When they’d learned that there was a new valve in Halifax they had decided to stop the machine and perform the required maintenance routine in conjunction with the valve replacement. It made sense, saved money and saved time. Now the maintenance is complete but they can’t start up again! They had counted on the new valve being installed in tandem with the maintenance, hoping that they could go back to maximum production that evening and meet the monthly production target. But no. Not now. Thank you, O Thoughtless One. Hope you enjoyed the game.
They shut down the machine at 0600 that morning in expectation of that part. It takes a while to cool down and a while to get the old part off. They had already lost six hours.
When the valve didn’t arrive by eleven o’clock which was normally when parts from ABC company would have been available to the floor, the technician went to the Warehouse, then to his Floor Manager, who went to the Shop Supervisor, who went to the Buyer, who checked with the Warehouse and Receiving Department and then the QA department just in case the part was there in the building somewhere but misplaced. Everyone lost a good deal of time confirming that the part was not in the building and so much for lunch for some of them.
When the part was not found in the plant the Buyer then called the supplier, that would be Mr. Quiet Hour, while Matt’s manager chewed rapaciously upon Matt’s ear and spat fire all around him like something out of Monty Python's Holy Grail. In the background the Plant Manager paced and fumed silently, just a few tendrils of wispy smoke rising from under his hard hat.
The machine is down, in the middle of an unscheduled stoppage which will impact monthly production, so now the Plant Manager, Procurement Manager, VP of Operations and President of the company will now have to undergo reprimand or at the least negative comments from the owners at the coming Board Meeting on Friday. And of course, the Board must also advise their stock holders of another monthly production loss. Tell me again why I didn’t go to Medical school?
The Accounting manager and others will then have to revise profit and loss statements. It was only a little lie, right?
Matt, the Buyer, YOUR customer is now literally “on the mat”. He is in trouble because he listened to you and believed your promised delivery. When you said the part was “in stock” in Halifax (or Bangor), Matt knew that at the very least he could send a truck or a courier to pick up that part from you should the part miss the truck. Your company has been known to do that, remember?
Now, after Matt has been thoroughly humiliated and flogged by all, Matt has to rake you over the coals. He will be under considerable pressure to call your Manager as well. He will also have no choice but to look for another supplier for future sales and he will run a report showing your late shipments, i.e. the Back Order \ Expediting Report for your company. He will forward this to his manager. The report will then go to all of the managers who will use it in the board meeting as at least a partial defense for failing to meet this month’s production target.
Your name is “Mud” and that’s being kind. You have let down a whole string of people including your own team and management.
Nope, it doesn't end there. Even if you are representing the OEM, Matt the Buyer will search for another manufacture’s rep. The great thing about China is that they have a knock off for everything these days. Matt, the Buyer has been burned by you and because he is human he is ticked off. You had better like the taste of crow and you had better be mighty quick and good at sucking up because this is your day for it. Or you could just kiss their business good bye and start searching the Employment ads. Either way, it’s a nail in your coffin. Maybe not the last one but every one counts.
Making it Right
Don’t even breath before you start fixing this mess you’ve created. We call it “firefighting” in the business and you are today’s featured arsonist. Makes you feel proud doesn’t it? It should look good on your reference letter. Hey, put it on your resume. Okay. so seriously, what are you going to do?
And no excuses, forget that. No more adolescent idiocy. What are you going to say to the customer? And don’t tell me you are going to dream up a cock and bull story about the bin being empty when you got there or that the last one sold while you were entering the order or that it missed the truck in Michigan, or that the part was lost in transit. (You can’t say that anyway because you told the customer that the part was specifically IN STOCK, “in” Halifax/Bangor!)
There isn’t any more time for games. The customer needs that part now. Hours count, minutes count. Can you afford the $15,000.00 per hour they are losing, out of your paycheck? Feel like taking a mortgage out on your home? That’s a nice car you’re driving…. Is that an Armani?
OK, let me give you a few quick pointers of what you might want to do here.
1.Before you call the customer and prostrate yourself begging for forgiveness, take some proactive and logical remedial steps.
2.Check your files. Do you have other customers using this same valve? Are there any of these valves at your location being held for other customers by other Buyers? Where are they? Find out.
3.If another customer has a valve in stock and they are nearby, call and ask them if they can spare the valve for a day or so. Explain the circumstances.
4.Are there any of these valves already en route to you from another source for another customer. If there are, call and ask if you can reallocate the part to another customer who has a “machine down” situation.
5.Is there another valve that can be modified easily. (Sometimes valves only differ in fittings sizes or configuration) If you think so, check with Engineering. Confirm the specs. Confirm that you have the correct fittings. Confirm that the revamped valve can be certified and accepted by QA.
6.Are there any of these valves anywhere else in the city that you know of, even with your competitors? Find out.
7.Can the valve at the paper mill be repaired? How long would it take? Is there a kit available?
8.If you locate a valve or a kit, how would you get it to the customer?
9.ONLY after checking these options and any others you can think of, will you call your customer and explain what you have found and how you are fixing it. You can now begin the prostrating and apologizing. Do not lie, not even a small one. Your account is dangling by a thread. Your job may be dangling along with it. Anything dangling is in danger, believe me.
10.Expedite. Follow it through every inch of the way.
11.If you cannot help the customer in any way, explain all you have tried to do.
12.Don’t even think of counting the cost. It is your company who must eat whatever expenses are incurred in assisting this customer.
I have to ask the same question again. “ Exactly how many customers have you “helped” recently?”
If I were management I‘d be checking your back trail.
Summary
More so today then ever, customers rely very heavily upon the supplier sales rep, to accurately deliver on what they promise, when they promise it. The reason? Customers today don’t carry near the stock they did in the past, so when you mislead a customer as to when they will receive their order, your deceit has let them down in a big way with effects reaching all the way back to corporate stockholders. I know, you don’t care about that much but it’s the truth. It’s a lot bigger than what you think.
Call it stretching the truth or disguise it as you will, it is unforgivably bad policy. You have risked losing the trust of a customer who depends upon you. Your customer may have gone to bat for you any number of times regarding past late deliveries or missing documentation or whatever. Now you have slapped him or her in return.
Sound harsh? Sorry. We are not talking about a mistake or an unforeseen event here, we are talking about a premeditated untruth and you only get away with that once. No amount of pizzazz nowadays will cover the offense of lying to a Buyer regarding deliveries. Don’t do it.
The world operates these days on a tight agenda. Everything has a schedule, a plan, a time frame when it is due to be completed and delivered. Think JIT. Have you heard of the concept? It means that there is no inventory in house at the factory. Everything is ordered and scheduled to arrive “Just In Time”. No waiting. In the big leagues, there is a finite schedule and a deadline for everything where money and production is concerned.
Everything revolves around a clock, a watch or a calendar. Do you buy a ticket to a hockey or a basketball game without getting a firm date and time so as you don’t miss a minute? What if the Superbowl was held without fixed details telling fans the day and the hour? Would advertisers be paying the mega dollars they do to advertise if there was only a remote possibility of a few fans catching it because they played it early or late? Come on. Think about it.
What if your furnace is broken? Do you accept it in January when the repairman says that the parts are still on the way but you’ve been waiting with your family and freezing since November? Do you all sit contentedly for months shivering under a blanket while you watch TV with icicles on our nose and frozen pop in your glass? No. You expect service and you want it now or as soon as you can get it. You want action and integrity. Well so do people in business. (Oh yes, fire that furnace man)
Bigger business is even more regimented, in fact, it is more synchronized than ever. In sales, you can make or break a client relationship, with a single false promise. There is too much riding on performance to risk purchasing from an unstable supplier.
Deliberately misleading delivery promises cause the Buyer to doubt your integrity. Believe me, they do piece it together in time. Yes you can fool them once in a while. You can get lucky. That would be the day to buy a lottery ticket. When Buyer’s learn of your slip ups and how regular they are, they immediately start hunting for a replacement for you and your products. They have to. They begin to mistrust you and wonder on how many other occasions they’ve been misled or deceived into believing something which wasn’t true. They can even suspect the quality of your product and the integrity of your firm. That’s human nature.
A Buyer cannot afford to allow his/her company to assume this type of risk. What if the situation was an emergency where production of a whole plant (not just a department) depended on the part that you lied about and didn’t take seriously?
Even if the Buyer has no proof of past deceptions, the flag has been raised and a supplier may find themselves removed from the Prime Venders List. If that happens you can immediately expect sales to drop dramatically. The Buyer has little choice. Too many people depend upon a Buyer to accomplish their tasks on time.
You are the linchpin to the Buyers success. Make him wobble and YOU’LL fall down!
Conclusion.
It may all sound like management is making a huge mountain out of a mole hill but the consequence of everyone’s actions encompasses a far reaching impact going much further than you may realize. Maybe you should think about your job and your position. Not counting today, you are very important to your company. Don’t ever think that because you work in a cubicle or the warehouse or the mill, instead of the front office that you are less integral to your employer.
Traditionally, managers fall far short of convincing their staff just how important they are to the team. In fact the term “team” is something of a joke in most plants. Managers, especially middle managers, are too often part of this problem. Oops, we better not go there just now. YOUR job … is to do YOUR job. Your company needs you. You need your company.
A Buyer can produce a report on your company in the time it takes to pour a cup of coffee. No one needs remind anyone else just how quickly things are changing in this age of computers and instant communication. The old paper and pencil, typewriter and dial telephone are pretty well history when it comes to information collating. Our new electronic tools allow us all to do our jobs much faster and way more efficiently. And this includes Report writing. Managers love reports and don’t think they don’t.
In both Purchasing and in Sales there is data and there are statistics to prove in black and white, how good any supplier actually is. In other words, you just can’t pull people’s legs anymore. You can fool the customer once or twice but after that … there will be a report telling on you. Never kid yourself.
Never lie. Do not make false promises. Don’t fib, stretch the truth or think that a few pens or make any false promise of any sort. No matter what the situation or how small the matter, never, ever, promise what you know you can not deliver.
If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. Mark Twain
Questions and Answers
Question 1:
What does the term” in stock” mean?
Answer:
It depends on the company, the speaker and the listener. There don’t seem to be any hard or fast rules which everyone adheres to. ABC company may tell a customer that they have a huge quantity of inventory “in stock” meaning that they have the inventory there in that location where they are speaking from.
XYZ company may say they have a huge inventory in “stock” wherever they happen to have a warehouse but they don’t tell the customer where it is unless they specifically ask. It could be in Timbuktu. “Just saying “in stock” is ambiguous.
As a Buyer and as a Sales rep it is your responsibility to be exceptionally clear on what you need and what you mean. A Buyer naturally understands “in stock” to mean, there at the location he/she has called. Buyers patronize local distributors expecting the stock to be local and readily available. And in the “good old days”, that was true.
Question 2:
Whose responsibility is it to verify the location of the quotation item?
Answer:
The supplier, distributor, manufacturer, in other words the seller, has a clear obligation to the customer to be transparent and truthful regarding where the item is physically in stock. If they are professionals they will appreciate completely the position of the customer and be straightforward and open in explaining where the stock is physically located.
Question 3:
Why is there so much confusion regarding the term “in stock”?
Answer:
There are a number of reasons. One particular reason is that when the recession of the nineteen eighties hit North America, it caused many manufacturers and distributors to examine how much inventory they were carrying. Almost all inventory levels at that time were very high and most companies didn’t realize how much this capital investment was costing them.
In order to use their money more wisely, and to become more competitive, many companies began to manufacture smaller quantities, keep fewer units on the shelf in physical inventory and to centralize their warehouses. In Canada, this centralization was logically in the Toronto or Montreal area for the most part. In the US it was often in either the eastern industrial belt or the central industrial belt.
Realizing that this would not sit well with their customers who often enjoyed the security of a local distributor warehousing everything they required, manufactures and their distributors or agents began to reform the meaning of “in stock” to mean wherever the inventory was located, not necessarily where the distributor was located.
Another reason impacting the confusion, is that in order to compensate for this less desirable situation, some sales reps began to imply that an item was locally stocked when it was not, so as to receive the order.
Question 4:
How can a Buyer/Customer keep from being “burned” in this way?
Answer:
A Buyer must always take control. He/she must now learn to know each sales rep individually. He/she cannot trust that all reps will be upfront and honest. He cannot assume that the rep will even be knowledgeable and aware of the true stock location. High sales employee turnover also results in errors due to reps being unskilled.
The Buyer must assume complete purchasing control. He must question everything, including the stock location, with every order or quotation. Buyers learn very quickly which suppliers are professional and proactive, who are honest and forthright, and they will deal exclusively with that supplier type or individual if possible in order to reduce risk for their company.
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For Book Orders order now via - email: books@toughworld.net
For information email: mc.mills@ns.sympatico.ca
Book early for Speaking engagements - email: speaker@toughworld.net
For Book Orders order now via - email: books@toughworld.net
For information email: mc.mills@ns.sympatico.ca
For Book Orders order now via - email: books@toughworld.net
For information email: mc.mills@ns.sympatico.ca
Book early for Speaking engagements - email: speaker@toughworld.net
For Book Orders order now via - email: books@toughworld.net
For information email: mc.mills@ns.sympatico.ca
For Book Orders order now via - email: books@toughworld.net
For information email: mc.mills@ns.sympatico.ca
Book early for Speaking engagements - email: speaker@toughworld.net
For Book Orders order now via - email: books@toughworld.net
For information email: mc.mills@ns.sympatico.ca
For Book Orders order now via - email: books@toughworld.net
For information email: mc.mills@ns.sympatico.ca