Things are moving quickly in the world of promotion, marketing and sales. I have barely recovered from learning about Google ad words, RSS feeds and Linkedin and now I have to figure out Twitter and Tweets. Technology is spinning fast. Hang on and enjoy the ride.
Is Technology the Answer?
Technology is a big part of the puzzle, but if we hang our hat on and rely exclusively on high tech tools and toys to drive our business we may be disappointed.
Seminar Selling…an Old Friend
I have always liked seminar selling. There is nothing high tech about it. You target some new friends, tune up your message, book a room, send an invitation, follow-up with a phone call and talk to the group at the appointed day and time. If you feed them, your response will be even better.
My Biggest Sale
In the mid-1980’s I hosted a seminar on a snowy Friday at the Holiday Inn in Grand Rapids. At the time I was selling Medical Billing Systems. The turnout was poor. Three attended. One Doctor slept through the entire presentation. I had lots of donuts left when the meeting was over. The results? The two that stayed awake were part of a computer software search team for the Michigan State University Department of Human Medicine. Friends, they purchased a medical billing system for every clinic in their network. Their referral caused the University of Wisconsin to make a similar purchase. These sales were responsible for my best year ever. The irony of the story is that I probably would not have met these people any other way.
My Biggest Save
A few years ago, a good friend of mine asked me to help him sell his Internet services to C-Level Executives at Fortune 500 Companies. I’m not sure if you have every tried to make a sales call on these men and women, but take my word for it, it is very difficult to get them on the phone, let alone book an audience with them. My friend was running out of money while being hard pressed by his board of directors to make a sale. The curtain was falling. My answer was simple. We would make the “C’s” an offer they might accept. I went on the road and hosted luncheons in most major cities at the best restaurants in town. The luncheons were reasonably well attended and because of it I landed a major contract that helped the company secure a million dollars in funding. The travel was grueling, but seminar selling was the answer for my friend and client.
Breakfast at the Coney Island Restaurant
Another good friend of mine sells point of sale (POS) computer systems to specialty retail stores. He is one of the brightest guys I know. He recently hired me to train and coach his sales staff and design programs to uncover opportunities, qualify leads and make sales. Really, who doesn’t want that? Among the problems we faced is that the retailers are hurting in this economy like everyone else. They are also hard to sell because they are busy working long hours at their stores during the day and evenings. A retail store is not an ideal venue for a sales call or a software presentation. I suggested that he host a breakfast seminar to attract prospects and to qualify leads. My idea was accepted. A venue was secured, a hard hitting message was created, and an invitation was mailed to 150 specialty retailers, followed by a phone call. To my delight, 15 retailers attended the breakfast. My friend delivered a terrific presentation and he certainly will sell point-of-sales computer systems to a handful of the attendees. Wow.
Old School Still Works
Seminar selling remains a solid tactic to attract and qualify prospects. Seminars are time tested. They do require careful strategic planning and execution and must deliver value to succeed. I strongly suggest that you consider seminars to build your business.
Tweet!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Qualifying Leads
Qualifying leads is a very important part of the sales process.
The concept is straightforward. Do not spend your valuable time attempting to sell to people who are not qualified to be your customer. Your time should be spent with prospects that you have a fair shot at selling.
Before you can qualify leads as those who meet your requirements, determine what “qualified” means to you. For years, I would not spend time with any prospect unless they clearly had a need, a budget and could make a decision. Without investing too much time you can ask a few questions to your prospect to determine if they are qualified and to what degree they are qualified to do business with you.
Here are some common sense ideas to consider when qualifying prospects.
Need
From your experience, you already know the profile of a good customer. They may really need what you are selling but don’t see the value. The chance you take by spending time with an “unaware of their needs” prospect is that they may never understand and you will have wasted your time. The solution is to invest a few minutes in a great consultative sales call by phone or in person to get them to acknowledge their needs. You accomplish this by asking probing questions and getting them to agree that they need what you have to sell.
Budget
There are business cycles where prospects are not inclined to spend money. Just like prospects that don’t see a need for your product or service; they may not see any value in buying from you. Assuming you are offering something of value that streamlines operations, cuts costs or creates revenue, it is up to you to engage in a consultative conversation to get the prospect thinking right about the value they will enjoy by working with you. Qualifying the budget might be as simple as offering terms or waiting until next month when they will have the money.
Decision Making
Decision making is a formidable roadblock to the sales process. If you spend time working a non-decision maker you are probably wasting your time. The non-decision maker, at best, will tell your story to the decision maker if they are convinced that you have something of value to consider. I don’t want to rely on a non-decision maker to tell my story to their boss. The facts will surely be mixed up or omitted and questions will go unanswered. A good strategy here is to ask your contact who the decision maker is and insist that they participate in your process.
It’s Your Call
Who you chase and under what circumstances you launch your campaigns is your call. I have successfully pursued opportunities that were less than qualified based on a sense or feeling that I could make the sale.
I guess the rule of thumb is that if you’re flush with highly qualified leads you can enforce strict rules. Common sense says that if your sales funnel is empty, you should work less than qualified leads.
More Leads
The best strategy to increase the number of qualified leads in your sales funnel is to prospect for more leads. (Duh!) There are some powerful emerging tools and tactics that will help you to increase your volume of sales opportunities.
More to Come…
The concept is straightforward. Do not spend your valuable time attempting to sell to people who are not qualified to be your customer. Your time should be spent with prospects that you have a fair shot at selling.
Before you can qualify leads as those who meet your requirements, determine what “qualified” means to you. For years, I would not spend time with any prospect unless they clearly had a need, a budget and could make a decision. Without investing too much time you can ask a few questions to your prospect to determine if they are qualified and to what degree they are qualified to do business with you.
Here are some common sense ideas to consider when qualifying prospects.
Need
From your experience, you already know the profile of a good customer. They may really need what you are selling but don’t see the value. The chance you take by spending time with an “unaware of their needs” prospect is that they may never understand and you will have wasted your time. The solution is to invest a few minutes in a great consultative sales call by phone or in person to get them to acknowledge their needs. You accomplish this by asking probing questions and getting them to agree that they need what you have to sell.
Budget
There are business cycles where prospects are not inclined to spend money. Just like prospects that don’t see a need for your product or service; they may not see any value in buying from you. Assuming you are offering something of value that streamlines operations, cuts costs or creates revenue, it is up to you to engage in a consultative conversation to get the prospect thinking right about the value they will enjoy by working with you. Qualifying the budget might be as simple as offering terms or waiting until next month when they will have the money.
Decision Making
Decision making is a formidable roadblock to the sales process. If you spend time working a non-decision maker you are probably wasting your time. The non-decision maker, at best, will tell your story to the decision maker if they are convinced that you have something of value to consider. I don’t want to rely on a non-decision maker to tell my story to their boss. The facts will surely be mixed up or omitted and questions will go unanswered. A good strategy here is to ask your contact who the decision maker is and insist that they participate in your process.
It’s Your Call
Who you chase and under what circumstances you launch your campaigns is your call. I have successfully pursued opportunities that were less than qualified based on a sense or feeling that I could make the sale.
I guess the rule of thumb is that if you’re flush with highly qualified leads you can enforce strict rules. Common sense says that if your sales funnel is empty, you should work less than qualified leads.
More Leads
The best strategy to increase the number of qualified leads in your sales funnel is to prospect for more leads. (Duh!) There are some powerful emerging tools and tactics that will help you to increase your volume of sales opportunities.
More to Come…
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Hang in There
A Dartnell study from a while ago determined that the average business to business sale is made on the fifth sales call. They also learned that forty-eight percent of salespeople don’t make the second call. Almost half of sales people are statistically out of the competition after the first call. I’m not going to dispute their numbers. They are close enough for me.
We all know that a minority of salespeople make most of the sales. There are a number of reasons why some thrive while others just survive.
Some of the success factors are within the power of individuals to manage. Other factors are out of our control. Is there a market for your product or service? If so who are the buyers and why do they buy from you? If you are selling carbon paper you are out of luck no matter how good you are.
Part of a successful sales career is the ability to accept rejection. It goes with the landscape. We mostly lose and win once in a while. That happens to be enough to make a good to great living.
Good to great
What separates the good from the great? If you’ve been with me for a while you know that I believe that a slight edge wins the day in sales and every other competitive activity.
Don’t give up too soon
Let’s go back to the forty-eight percent of salespeople who don’t make the second call. I believe that these people gave up on their lead too soon. OK, sometimes there is no hope, but most of the time they give up too soon. For those that give up because they are going through the motions and don’t really care, I can’t help you. If you aren’t getting the results you need and care, here is some good advice that will help you break through barriers and land the second encounter.
Ask another question or two…
If your prospect tells you “no” or “not interested” and if you terminate the call, you are selling yourself short. You must ask the next question and then another question. By doing so, you’ll find out what it will take to move the sales forward or really confirm that there is no opportunity.
Let’s role play
Here are some examples of the right and wrong way to handle a prospect for your product or service.
This is the wrong way:
“I’m not interested”
“OK, good bye”
This is a much better tactic:
“I’m not interested”
“Why not?”
“I can’t afford your product”
“What if we offered twelve easy payments?”
“Now I’m interested. Tell me more”
It’s just that simple
The message is clear. If you give up too easily and bail out too early you will squander a lot of opportunities and leave them for others to close. If you will just condition yourself to ask one or two more questions when on the phone or in front of your prospect, some prospects will open up and give you what you need to develop your sales opportunity. Now...step over the line into the fifty percent of salespeople who earn the chance to make the second call and develop new business by not giving up too soon.
We all know that a minority of salespeople make most of the sales. There are a number of reasons why some thrive while others just survive.
Some of the success factors are within the power of individuals to manage. Other factors are out of our control. Is there a market for your product or service? If so who are the buyers and why do they buy from you? If you are selling carbon paper you are out of luck no matter how good you are.
Part of a successful sales career is the ability to accept rejection. It goes with the landscape. We mostly lose and win once in a while. That happens to be enough to make a good to great living.
Good to great
What separates the good from the great? If you’ve been with me for a while you know that I believe that a slight edge wins the day in sales and every other competitive activity.
Don’t give up too soon
Let’s go back to the forty-eight percent of salespeople who don’t make the second call. I believe that these people gave up on their lead too soon. OK, sometimes there is no hope, but most of the time they give up too soon. For those that give up because they are going through the motions and don’t really care, I can’t help you. If you aren’t getting the results you need and care, here is some good advice that will help you break through barriers and land the second encounter.
Ask another question or two…
If your prospect tells you “no” or “not interested” and if you terminate the call, you are selling yourself short. You must ask the next question and then another question. By doing so, you’ll find out what it will take to move the sales forward or really confirm that there is no opportunity.
Let’s role play
Here are some examples of the right and wrong way to handle a prospect for your product or service.
This is the wrong way:
“I’m not interested”
“OK, good bye”
This is a much better tactic:
“I’m not interested”
“Why not?”
“I can’t afford your product”
“What if we offered twelve easy payments?”
“Now I’m interested. Tell me more”
It’s just that simple
The message is clear. If you give up too easily and bail out too early you will squander a lot of opportunities and leave them for others to close. If you will just condition yourself to ask one or two more questions when on the phone or in front of your prospect, some prospects will open up and give you what you need to develop your sales opportunity. Now...step over the line into the fifty percent of salespeople who earn the chance to make the second call and develop new business by not giving up too soon.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Be the Answer
It is no secret that the business climate has toughened up for everyone. Commerce has slowed down, particularly in the Detroit area, but it has not stopped. Transactions are still happening, money is still changing hands, and value is still being exchanged. Let’s say that the glass is half full.
A lot of local firms are struggling with slumping sales and don’t quite know what to do about it. Some have been so busy servicing their customers during good times that they forgot how to hunt for new business. Others, who purchased or inherited existing companies, never really knew how to develop new clients.
Helping Hands
Sales consultants, sales coaches, business development programs, seminars and other sales information sources are doing a land office business. Events are sold out. Companies are looking for answers.
I recently wrote about the value of developing and maintaining a slight competitive edge as a tactic for winning business. I also have noted that you have to want to sell to be successful. And, that sales activities count toward success. More sales calls equal more sales. There is a more important truth. The path to recovering and rebuilding your business is based on problem solving.
Solving Problems
At the very core of the sales elite are problem solvers. They understand that buyers will invest in solutions to their problems. As a problem solver, you immediately separate yourself from the pack of order takers and underachievers.
Your product or service has value to someone. Do you have a clear understanding of who is served by and why they are better off for dealing with you? Figure it out. It’s the first step to business recovery. Problem solving is the essential factor in getting back in the hunt.
Be the Ball
“Be the ball” is a saying in sports that when roughly translated means to be focused on task like a laser beam. In the sport of sales you don’t need to be the ball but you do need to be the answer.
A lot of local firms are struggling with slumping sales and don’t quite know what to do about it. Some have been so busy servicing their customers during good times that they forgot how to hunt for new business. Others, who purchased or inherited existing companies, never really knew how to develop new clients.
Helping Hands
Sales consultants, sales coaches, business development programs, seminars and other sales information sources are doing a land office business. Events are sold out. Companies are looking for answers.
I recently wrote about the value of developing and maintaining a slight competitive edge as a tactic for winning business. I also have noted that you have to want to sell to be successful. And, that sales activities count toward success. More sales calls equal more sales. There is a more important truth. The path to recovering and rebuilding your business is based on problem solving.
Solving Problems
At the very core of the sales elite are problem solvers. They understand that buyers will invest in solutions to their problems. As a problem solver, you immediately separate yourself from the pack of order takers and underachievers.
Your product or service has value to someone. Do you have a clear understanding of who is served by and why they are better off for dealing with you? Figure it out. It’s the first step to business recovery. Problem solving is the essential factor in getting back in the hunt.
Be the Ball
“Be the ball” is a saying in sports that when roughly translated means to be focused on task like a laser beam. In the sport of sales you don’t need to be the ball but you do need to be the answer.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Why Most People Don't Like Selling
Why Don’t They Like to Sell?
After decades on the job I have been conditioned to deal with the negatives associated with selling. There are some things about selling that ordinary people don’t want to or can’t deal with.
Before going there, let’s review what real selling is. Mark Thelen said it best. “Selling is activity based on a fair exchange of value. After the transaction, both parties are better off.” Now what is wrong with that?
One other thing…top producing salespeople are well compensated. They are always among the top earners at their company. It’s a fact.
So why isn’t their a line to sign up for sales jobs? Why do most salespeople fail?
A couple of weeks ago, I was in the car listening to the Jim Rome radio show. Jim is a sports commentator and a funny guy. The day I tuned in he was rambling on about when he sold office machines. It was hilarious. He really hated the job and his rational was right on.
Why They Hate Selling
Selling is a competitive activity. If you don’t like fighting for business you probably aren’t fit for sales.
Selling is hard work. Successful salespeople not only have to work hard and long but they also have to work smart. More sales calls equal more sales. A lot of people don’t have the appetite to do what it takes to sell.
Salespeople take a beating. It’s continual. If you work the phones to book appointments it isn’t unusual to hear “no” a lot before getting to “yes”. The cold hard reality of selling is that you lose most of the time and win once in a while. It can wear on you. It can wear you out.
Business, markets, the economy, sales strategies, tactics and tools and the rules of conduct are constantly changing. I have just recently been introduced to blogcasts. Blogcasts? Really? What next? You can’t sit still in sales. You must be forward thinking or you will be left behind.
Selling jobs offer no security. Sales Executives want to know what you have done for them lately and what is pending. Selling is about results. Have a couple of bad months in a row and your popularity meter will fade.
Born to Sell?
No. Conditioning yourself to deal with the many negatives that constantly confront you is essential to a long and successful sales career.
Dealing with the Negatives
After just short of 40 years in the field, being in the trenches, fighting for every sales opportunity and doing my best to win every deal, I can speak with authority on how to live with the negative issues.
Start by understanding the sales landscape. Things happen. Circumstances set you back. There are hurdles that get in the way. Deal with them.
Rejection is the rule, acceptance is the exception. Don’t take rejection personal. If you care to take rejection personal, blame yourself, not your prospective client. Mark Thelen correctly pointed out that no is not no. No is non-yes. If you believe Mark, when no is the answer it is your fault. If you had done your job better the no would have been yes. If you believe this, as I do, you can fix what caused the no and try again.
This leads to taking responsibility for yourself and your outcomes. In a recent posting I discussed the concept of the slight edge. You earn a slight edge by knowing more about your market, products or services and the art and science of your profession. You also get the edge by working harder and smarter than your competition.
You Can Do It
The answer to why people aren’t attracted to selling or fail at sales is simple. Selling is very hard and there are lots of built in hurdles. You can become a top producing salesperson. The answer to enjoying a successful sales career is that you have to want to do it. If you want to sell you will. Face the negatives...deal with them. Things will become easier over time, you'll be happier and make a great living.
After decades on the job I have been conditioned to deal with the negatives associated with selling. There are some things about selling that ordinary people don’t want to or can’t deal with.
Before going there, let’s review what real selling is. Mark Thelen said it best. “Selling is activity based on a fair exchange of value. After the transaction, both parties are better off.” Now what is wrong with that?
One other thing…top producing salespeople are well compensated. They are always among the top earners at their company. It’s a fact.
So why isn’t their a line to sign up for sales jobs? Why do most salespeople fail?
A couple of weeks ago, I was in the car listening to the Jim Rome radio show. Jim is a sports commentator and a funny guy. The day I tuned in he was rambling on about when he sold office machines. It was hilarious. He really hated the job and his rational was right on.
Why They Hate Selling
Selling is a competitive activity. If you don’t like fighting for business you probably aren’t fit for sales.
Selling is hard work. Successful salespeople not only have to work hard and long but they also have to work smart. More sales calls equal more sales. A lot of people don’t have the appetite to do what it takes to sell.
Salespeople take a beating. It’s continual. If you work the phones to book appointments it isn’t unusual to hear “no” a lot before getting to “yes”. The cold hard reality of selling is that you lose most of the time and win once in a while. It can wear on you. It can wear you out.
Business, markets, the economy, sales strategies, tactics and tools and the rules of conduct are constantly changing. I have just recently been introduced to blogcasts. Blogcasts? Really? What next? You can’t sit still in sales. You must be forward thinking or you will be left behind.
Selling jobs offer no security. Sales Executives want to know what you have done for them lately and what is pending. Selling is about results. Have a couple of bad months in a row and your popularity meter will fade.
Born to Sell?
No. Conditioning yourself to deal with the many negatives that constantly confront you is essential to a long and successful sales career.
Dealing with the Negatives
After just short of 40 years in the field, being in the trenches, fighting for every sales opportunity and doing my best to win every deal, I can speak with authority on how to live with the negative issues.
Start by understanding the sales landscape. Things happen. Circumstances set you back. There are hurdles that get in the way. Deal with them.
Rejection is the rule, acceptance is the exception. Don’t take rejection personal. If you care to take rejection personal, blame yourself, not your prospective client. Mark Thelen correctly pointed out that no is not no. No is non-yes. If you believe Mark, when no is the answer it is your fault. If you had done your job better the no would have been yes. If you believe this, as I do, you can fix what caused the no and try again.
This leads to taking responsibility for yourself and your outcomes. In a recent posting I discussed the concept of the slight edge. You earn a slight edge by knowing more about your market, products or services and the art and science of your profession. You also get the edge by working harder and smarter than your competition.
You Can Do It
The answer to why people aren’t attracted to selling or fail at sales is simple. Selling is very hard and there are lots of built in hurdles. You can become a top producing salesperson. The answer to enjoying a successful sales career is that you have to want to do it. If you want to sell you will. Face the negatives...deal with them. Things will become easier over time, you'll be happier and make a great living.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Born to Sell?
A Pretty Good Book
I wrote a book titled “Born to Sell”. The book was both autobiographical and instructional. I wrote the book in the early 90’s. It was a fun project. At the time, I thought I knew everything about selling and had a very high opinion of myself and my thoughts on the topic. Although the fundamental principles and truths about sales endure, I have learned a lot more about selling since then.
A Great Question from George
After my recent speech to the Wayne State University's Entrepreneur’s Breakfast, a WSU Program Director, George Azrak, asked me if people are born to sell. He explained that his father and brothers are salespeople and had encouraged him for years to join them in the profession. George’s problem with the idea was that selling just didn’t interest him.
George asked me if there is such a thing as natural born salespeople.
Natural Born Salespeople
There is no such thing as a natural born salesperson. No one is born to sell. In reality, all salespeople are different. A better characterization of the journey sales professionals follow is “learn to sell”. Salespeople learn to sell…it’s a process. When people enter the profession they bring different attributes to the table. Our sales brethren are young and old, big and small, happy and sad, educated or not, excited or indifferent. Hey, the profile of sales people is just like that of any other trade or profession.
The Answer
I think the best answer to George’s question is that salespeople must want to sell. If there is a desire to join the sales team and have a great career, it can be accomplished by anyone. No kidding.
I wrote a book titled “Born to Sell”. The book was both autobiographical and instructional. I wrote the book in the early 90’s. It was a fun project. At the time, I thought I knew everything about selling and had a very high opinion of myself and my thoughts on the topic. Although the fundamental principles and truths about sales endure, I have learned a lot more about selling since then.
A Great Question from George
After my recent speech to the Wayne State University's Entrepreneur’s Breakfast, a WSU Program Director, George Azrak, asked me if people are born to sell. He explained that his father and brothers are salespeople and had encouraged him for years to join them in the profession. George’s problem with the idea was that selling just didn’t interest him.
George asked me if there is such a thing as natural born salespeople.
Natural Born Salespeople
There is no such thing as a natural born salesperson. No one is born to sell. In reality, all salespeople are different. A better characterization of the journey sales professionals follow is “learn to sell”. Salespeople learn to sell…it’s a process. When people enter the profession they bring different attributes to the table. Our sales brethren are young and old, big and small, happy and sad, educated or not, excited or indifferent. Hey, the profile of sales people is just like that of any other trade or profession.
The Answer
I think the best answer to George’s question is that salespeople must want to sell. If there is a desire to join the sales team and have a great career, it can be accomplished by anyone. No kidding.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Keep an Open Mind in 2009
Looking For Some Fun
One of my softball buddies, Joe Patti, worked for the Ilitch family on the side. They own Little Caesars Pizza, The Detroit Tigers, The Detroit Red Wings, The Fox Theater and much more. A telephone installer by trade, he and his brother minded the elevator systems at Joe Louis Arena for all Detroit Red Wing games, concerts, etc. Their compensation was season tickets. Joe sold the seats to the games and concerts for cash.
Joe and I, and our best gals, got together one night and the girls decided that it would be fun if we could go to a concert together. There were a lot of major acts scheduled at The Fox. After studying the list of shows, the girls decided that that they wanted to see Johnny Mathis. Johnny Mathis? No way.
There Was a Time
There was a time for Johnny Mathis. I recall that when young and in love, Johnny Mathis music was a value add. I am now old and in love and I can tolerate Johnny. When I was middle aged and in love, and a man’s man softball junkie, the farthest thing from my mind, the absolute worst use of my time and the last place in the world I wanted to be, let alone seen, was at a Johnny Mathis concert.
There was no way we could talk the girls out of seeing Johnny. We were going, no matter what. Joe and I were beside ourselves.
The Long Drive
It was a long drive, on a cold winter night, to The Fox Theater. The place was packed. As luck had it, we had great seats. Up front and in the middle. Joe and I were praying that we wouldn’t be seen by anyone we knew. I had my collar up and did not look up. Once in the seat, I slid down for cover.
Out Came Johnny
Well, here’s why we should all keep an open mind in 2009. The concert was spectacular. Johnny Mathis was extremely entertaining. He sang great songs, had a great voice and was terrific. It was an evening to remember. Joe and I stood up at the end, arms in the air, yelling “Johnny, Johnny, Johnny”. We left the event better off than when we arrived.
I don’t know about Joe, but the lesson I’ve carried over is to keep an open mind in 2009.
One of my softball buddies, Joe Patti, worked for the Ilitch family on the side. They own Little Caesars Pizza, The Detroit Tigers, The Detroit Red Wings, The Fox Theater and much more. A telephone installer by trade, he and his brother minded the elevator systems at Joe Louis Arena for all Detroit Red Wing games, concerts, etc. Their compensation was season tickets. Joe sold the seats to the games and concerts for cash.
Joe and I, and our best gals, got together one night and the girls decided that it would be fun if we could go to a concert together. There were a lot of major acts scheduled at The Fox. After studying the list of shows, the girls decided that that they wanted to see Johnny Mathis. Johnny Mathis? No way.
There Was a Time
There was a time for Johnny Mathis. I recall that when young and in love, Johnny Mathis music was a value add. I am now old and in love and I can tolerate Johnny. When I was middle aged and in love, and a man’s man softball junkie, the farthest thing from my mind, the absolute worst use of my time and the last place in the world I wanted to be, let alone seen, was at a Johnny Mathis concert.
There was no way we could talk the girls out of seeing Johnny. We were going, no matter what. Joe and I were beside ourselves.
The Long Drive
It was a long drive, on a cold winter night, to The Fox Theater. The place was packed. As luck had it, we had great seats. Up front and in the middle. Joe and I were praying that we wouldn’t be seen by anyone we knew. I had my collar up and did not look up. Once in the seat, I slid down for cover.
Out Came Johnny
Well, here’s why we should all keep an open mind in 2009. The concert was spectacular. Johnny Mathis was extremely entertaining. He sang great songs, had a great voice and was terrific. It was an evening to remember. Joe and I stood up at the end, arms in the air, yelling “Johnny, Johnny, Johnny”. We left the event better off than when we arrived.
I don’t know about Joe, but the lesson I’ve carried over is to keep an open mind in 2009.
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