Began my professional career selling electronic mail before it was a thing. The year was 1982. Can remember it like yesterday. That’s BobbytheH, Grumdelagrum, and Browny (not sure who the dude in the white shirt is). These boys knew how to sell…
I began working for CompuServe (CNS) as a young, green, sales rep. The veteran sales dudes sat in the office dialing for dollars. I’d just finished playing college golf and only went into sales because it felt a lot like competition. The idea of sitting in some corporate cube, dialing for dollars, sounded like slow death. So, I drove around the city and showed up at all the BIG companies lobby’s and went through the sign in sheets to see who the exec’s were and who was calling on ’em.
Felt like a game. Loved it.
On one such honey hunt, I wandered into Wendy’s International. Was told not to bother by my sales brothers. Wendy’s hated us from a bad experience with previous CNS teams and had proclaimed they would never do business with us again. I was undeterred.
As I scrolled through the sign in sheets that warm, summer day, I noticed one of our competitors had been in earlier calling on the VP of International (forget his name). Quickly I hopped in my car and drove a few blocks down 161 to a public pay phone and called Mr. V.P.
Shocker, he answered.
So I got curious before he realized he was talking to a damn sales rep. Asked him about his international stores and how they collected sales data. He told me everything including how Dave Thomas (Wendy’s founder) was all over him to get more timely sales reporting abroad. After fifteen good minutes of questions, I knew enough to know we could help these fine folks. Asked if we could meet. He said he was crazy busy as he looked at his Daytimer. Before he had completed his last sentence, I told him I was just down the street and could be there in five minutes if he had a couple right now.
He. Said. Yes.
Two weeks and one trip with one of our Systems Engineers later? Wendy’s was a customer. Within a year? A BIG one. Within two years? They promoted me to Branch Manager over all those old dudes stuck in their seats dialing for dollars. So began my career in leadership…
Here’s the truth about leading anything. You can’t lead the way you’re told, that’s called following. You’ve got to lead from your CORE – aimed at your OPUS. You’ve got to dream and do. You’ve got to FIO (figure it out).
And, you’ve got to win. Damn.
Leaders are BELIEVERS. Leaders are connectors. Leaders initiate. Leaders are always selling something. This I believe. You?
Live hard. Love harder. Sell something…
BUILT TO LEAD 
Chet .. how can I not respond ? It’s pure Chet. And yes, Bobby the H could sell, Brownie crushed it in Sales. And the Grumdelagrum had a few wins too. Selling is a competitive sport. Selling is a team sport. Selling is binary, you win or you lose. Losing is awful, but a teacher. Losing, if you let it, will ‘sharpen your the sword’. It will prepare you for the next battle. Check your EGO and you grow.
The Wendy’s story is pure David and Goliath. You must be fearless. Chet with help, captured the Wendy’s deal. And he captured the hearts of many, including this man. My OPUS is on the field. I’m wired that way — others like Chet, could lead. His entire sales team would follow him over a cliff. We loved his ways. He changed lives. He changed mine.
PS: After the Wendy’s deal, Chet decided to call on McDonalds in Chicago. He believed that if we were to install “a Single network connection” at McDonalds without prior permission, we’d look super pro-active. The thinking was the meeting would go well, and we could then say, your service will be up the very next day. It didn’t work. ATT saw an order and jumped on the request before the meeting. Chet walked into a ‘buzzsaw’. McDonalds was pissed. They didn’t like the idea of someone from CompuServe Network just showing up without any prior knowledge to install the network. Funny, clever, but you could say .. the meeting didn’t go that well. LOL.
I joined CompuServe in 1990 based in Chicago. Chet called me one day early on in my career.
Asked me to focus on getting in at McDonalds. LOL again. It took 3 years, but it was got that
logo too.
Grumdelagrum
The guy in the white shirt is Jim Mori. Prior Head of Sales, SAVVIS. I’d go over a cliff for him too.
Pure Grumdelagrum story telling, right there. Thank you for the kind words. Teared me up. God bless you, my friend…Sent from my iPad
Your cold calling story brings back a lot of memories
—
David Lockton
Lead Director
Board Member
Lockton Companies
Office 816.960.9120
Mobile 816.806.8105
444 W 47th St., Suite 900, Kansas City, MO 64112
Executive Assistant: Julie L King – jlking@lockton.comjlking@lockton.com
Office 816.960.9083 Mobile 816.204.8199
Thanks, Dave. I’m sure you have so so many
Great to hear legendary stories I was there from afar watching it all unfold 🙂
Love these stories. Can’t have the big wins without some big whiffs. Fun to learn from reading these – thanks fellas.