Being Prepared = Control

Here in New Jersey we are recovering from Superstorm Sandy with a Nor'easter bearing down on us on Wednesday. It feels as though we've been we've spent a week in suspended animation.  There are lots of things we can't control in this world. The weather is certainly one of them.  However, we can control how we react to events. For example, I made sure I had flashlights, batteries, candles, water, fire wood for the fireplace, a full tank of gas in the car and electronics fully charged with car chargers for backup.

I was lucky. I didn't have to use my preparations. However, I was prepared as much as I could be for the storm. It makes me a lot less stressed.

It's a good philosophy for life in general. It's definitely a good philosophy when you work in sales. We can't always control our situations but we can control how we react to them We strategize and  prepare our approach. We create an atmosphere in which we make it easy to say yes. We're calling our targeted customers, not just any name in a listing.

 Last Monday, as "Sandy" bore down on us, I received a sales call on my office line. It was a 3rd party calling on behalf of a well-known telecommunications company (that I do not use). They wanted to offer me an opportunity to switch to their company. Needless to say, I was speechless. I was in my office firing off last minute emails and finishing up reports in anticipation of losing power. All over New Jersey people were hunkering down for the coming storm. Yet, a major company is trying to sell me something unrelated to my current situation. My response? "Do you know where you are calling?" A reluctant, sighing "yes" was my answer. Poor inside rep, having to listen to people like me.Tell me, did this company prepare adequately? Would it not have served a national calling campaign better to target areas of the country where people would be disposed to listen? Instead, they waste the time and talent of their workforce, calling people who certainly wouldn't be listening to them. I can't control a Frankenstorm bearing down on the East Coast, but I can control who I will contact.  I can put my resources to their best use. I can be prepared and help control my outcomes.