20 May Old Pro and the Cold-Canvas Call
The Old Pro had just returned from his vacation. He was suntanned and ready to go. The summer was over, and it was time to get back to work; so we had invited him into the office to talk to some brand new people we had just recruited.
We had not even finished introducing the Old Pro, when he began, āSelling businesses is tough work, but for those who are willing to pay their dues, it can be very rewarding. There are no short cuts to success, especially in the beginning. Your manager is going to make you learn the hard way āI know, because I trained him.
āHeās going to tell you to go out and talk to the small-business owner. This may not sound like itās the easiest or most efficient way to get listings,āand maybe it isnātābut thereās a method to all this. Small-business people are a breed all to themselves and you need to get to know them. You also have to learn to think on your feet; in fact, thatās a big plus in this business.
āSure you can use the telephone, work on getting referrals, follow up on the for-sale by owner ads, and all the other āshortcutsāāyouāll get your share of leads; but thereās nothing like the old face-to-face contact. Youāve got to learn to deal with what youāre going to find out thereāthe rejection, some nasty people, the characters, the storiesāitās the basic training of the business. It may sound old fashioned, but Iām a firm believer that if you canāt handle the cold-call, you canāt master the rest of the business. Itās the best way to see whatās out there. How else do you find those businesses that, if you could ever get them listed, would be like money in your pocket? You canāt see anything or meet anybody on the telephone or by the mail.
āThis is a great business, itās a way of life, and itās an addiction. For those who are successful, itās a great way of life. You are really in business for yourself. You control how much you work, how much money you makeāyour only limitation is your own effort. But, as I said earlier, you have to pay your dues.
āDo what your manager tells you for your six monthsā trainingāthereās no easy way to learn this business, no matter how smart you think you are. The road is filled with the failures that tried to take the easy route. Remember, you are getting the best business education in the world. In this business, you have to be patient and persistent, handle the ups and downs, and work hard. Donāt give upāhang in, itās there!ā
We hadnāt dared interrupt the Old Pro. We had heard him on this theme many times before, but his enthusiasm and love for the business came through once again.