Mark's Highway  

Welcome Back Friends!

Welcome back to E-Zine Street! When you're green you grow, when you're ripe you rot. So let's get growing. If you need a little fertilizer, that's why we're here. No - not because we're full of it either. Here's something to help keep you growing. We are starting a book of the month club. Actually it's the book in our "One for the Road" section below. It will always be a book that coming highly recommended so no risk of reading junk here. There is a section setup in our Forum "Street Talk" to discuss the book. Give us your take, be general or be specific or ask a question of another reader. There's a link to buy the book through Amazon and when you do, Amazon gives a percentage to "Make a Wish".

"When the grass appears greener on the other side of the fence... fertilize your grass"
 

 Watch "The Road" Buddy!

Matteson Avenue has much to offer and it changes and grows all the time. Here are some of the places to visit and find out what's new:

Special Report on Clutter

Start at the "Street Talk" Forum. Post an item or read a discussion.

Select this to listen to Mark on the radio.

Say, were those Trunk Monkeys in the Humor section?

Several articles to read at the "Gratis" page.

So many great sites on the Links page.

Some great books are at the "Reading List".

Shopping is good therapy waiting in Mark's newest book "Freedom From Fear Forever - Len's Last Lesson".

Road Improvements

“HUMUNGOUS Lesson"

Perhaps the most difficult thing to sell in the HVAC Business is Commercial Service Agreements in the Northwest. Other parts of the country have extremes, sweltering hot summers or below zero winters that force people into taking action. Not so in Seattle. When you get good at Maintenance Sales, you can sell anything!

Getting lost is a virtue in service sales. I consistently took roads I had never been on in towns I was unfamiliar with. I was cold calling in Woodinville. Woodinville! Sounds like a town from a Steven King novel, complete with vampires, children with mind control or rabid dogs chasing housewives and little kids. I stumbled across two buildings that were mirror images. They were 3-story commercial office buildings, 30,000 square feet each. I learned from experience the secret to cold calling (or "Just Walkin' In!" as I liked to call it) was to walk like you belonged there. Fast, with a file in hand, straight to the elevator. The mistake most sales people make is to talk to the first person they see when they walk in. Big mistake. These people are sick of sales people and some are down right mean. The say things like, "Do you have an appointment?" or "Where’s your ID?" I had an appointment all right, with meeting my sales plan.

Up the elevator I went to the third floor, all the way to the end of the building. People in this part of any office building NEVER have visitors. They gladly talk with strangers. If you’re nice, they will tell you everything you want to know. The fellow I spoke to told me everything, as I said, "I was just wondering, who do you call when you have a problem with your Air Conditioning?" hunched over a little like Columbo minus the cigar. "Oh, that would be Craig. He is the property manager. I have his number memorized. We call him once a week. This building’s HVAC is a mess." Jackpot! I could hardly contain my glee. "Really, tell me about it." He was an employee of Humungous Software. Their lease was coming up. They were unhappy. They leased the whole building and half of the other one!

Craig agreed to see me because I was singing his song. "I would like to talk to you about 'Tenant Retention' and perhaps demonstrating how we can solve your tenant’s discomfort." There was a pause and then he said, "Can you come by tomorrow at 2:00 pm?" "Yes," I said. "See you then." I knew I had made a sale.

I asked several well structured, open ended questions. "How old is the equipment?" "How long will the owner keep the building?" "When is the lease up?" He talked for two hours, I listened actively. Finally, he said, "I would like you to meet Bob. He owns the building. Why don’t you put a proposal together and we can meet on Friday at 10:00 am."

Bob was 83 years young. He wore coveralls that were well worn, threadbare. He had on a tie that I am certain was very fashionable when Eisenhower was President. It curled up like Dilbert’s tie. It had tobacco stains on it. He just listened while Craig and I discussed the agreement.

It was time to ask "The" question. "What will it cost you if Humungous moves out?" There was silence. Bob leaned forward, spit some tobacco on the floor and said, "$450,000 over the next five years! Any other questions?"

"Just one more, did you want the agreement billed monthly or quarterly?"
Silence. Craig leaned back. Bob stood up, walked over to Craig and said, "If they solve these problems and Humungous stays, give him another building, the one in Everett." Bob shook my hand and left.

The "Cost of Not Doing Anything Different" was what closed the sale. Four other contractors had tried and failed. Bob didn’t look like a millionaire. He owned dozens of buildings and hundreds of acres of land. He was a shrewd business man that dressed like a handyman. It was a humungous lesson. One I will never forget. You just never know. Sales is a four-legged chair. Trust, relationship, competency and timing. We ended up with five of Bob's buildings.

 

One for the road

This month is another ground breaking "One for the Road" book.

It is "Season of Life" by Richard Marx - An extra-ordinary story of compassion, leadership and turning your life's work into a meaningful cause, with purpose!

The story of Joe Ehrmann, former Pro Football player turned street pastor and football coach. 

He and his coaching partner, now teach young high school football players the meaning of life, serving others.  Building Men for Others!

"A must read for any parent, coach, player or son."  

This book came highly recommended by my good friend (who is actually my twin brother of a different mother); Andrew Bennett.
 

This months special site is Adams Hudson's Hudson, Ink. Adam's site has so many great features we can only touch on few here. He has a green bar on the left of his home page that opens up to 14 frêe articles. There's also audio so can here that great Alabama voice of his. www.hudsonink.com.

End Construction