Between 10 and 2

My sister, Jackie, has a friend, Ted, that’s been a salesmen for the 30 plus years I’ve known him.  My first recollection of him is as a medical supply salesmen.  During that run he also sold shoes on Tuesday evenings.  He’s a few years older than me, but he’s still hitting the bricks.  Medical supplies and shoes have been replaced with a part time gig selling batteries. He bleeds sales.  He enjoys the interaction with customers.  You gotta make a buck any way you can, and besides, who wants to just sit home all day?

The only piece of advice he ever offered up regarding sales is:  “If it can’t be done between 10 and 2, it can’t be done.”  It’s not that he’s lazy.  Just a realist.  When selling medical supplies, doctors were available around the lunch hour, so that’s when he made the majority of his calls.  He sold shoes one night a week just because he could and built a solid following.  He met with people on their terms.

My three kids-in-law are all in sales.  When they landed their jobs I told them of Ted’s mantra.  Without publicly stating it, they all follow his advice.  Their go to times may not fall between 10 and 2, but they must adjust their schedules to meet their customers’ needs.

When Sutton sold seafood, he had to reach out to customers as soon as the day’s catch landed.  Striking early insured they received the freshest product possible.  Kate lives in California, but has a home office in Chicago, and customers throughout the country.  She has to constantly monitor the time zone she services to provide best for her customers.  As a sales team leader, Lindsay has to be aware of her members’ strengths and weaknesses and work with them accordingly.  Different folks may require different strokes. Being nimble helps insure success.

I had my hair cut the other day by a young mother who is preparing for her kids’ return to school.  They’ve been off since mid-March when the country began to shut down.  She’s sending them for face to face instruction, though she has the option for on-line learning.  “They’ve got to go to school so I can go to work.  If they close the schools again, I’ll have to figure something out.”  That’s what people do in times of trouble.  They figure it out.

Michael has worked harder the past several months figuring and refiguring than I expect any time in his life.  His restaurant company with a home office crew of forty has cut to nine.  He’s developed and redeveloped plans to keep the sixteen company locations open and helped the one hundred and fifty franchisees do the same. They’ve been completely closed, open for pick-up only, developed agreements with several companies that provide pickup and drop off service, made arrangements for inside service, and moved into parking lots to provide seated outside service.   Everything is a moving target.  Life has given him lemons, so he’s done his best to make lemonade.

Elizabeth works for hospice.  She’s helping people cope with end of life decisions and saying good-bye.  During these difficult times most of this must be done remotely.  There’s no “touching” or “face-to-face” good-byes, so the time she spends and words she uses take on a whole new meaning.  She’s charged with making that happen with understanding and compassion.

As a school superintendent, David, and his team have developed plans for face to face instruction, total on-line learning, and a blended model of face to face and on-line.  Parents get to choose what model suits their family best.  Having been there myself, I’m confident that no matter how accommodating and well designed the district’s plans may be, there will be those who believe it’s not enough.  You can’t make everyone happy, so you have to dig deep and do what you believe is the right thing.

If school started tomorrow, Brady and Eva would be attending face to face two days a week and learning remotely the other three.  All of their education took place remotely for three months last spring so they,  like millions of students around the country,  have  experience with on-line learning.  David and Lindsay required them to be engaged three hours a day and read independently another.  While the hours were mandated, they were allowed to adjust the times to meet their needs.  There was no solid four hour block.  The three hours on-line plus the hour of reading was their “between 10 and 2”.

Moving forward my family, and the lady who cut my hair, will need to constantly update their schedules.  They, like Ted, will need to adjust their sweet spot – their between 10 and 2 – because in times of trouble, that’s what successful people do.