Those Terrible Four-Letter Words

There are certain four-letter words that have no business being in business.  Many, in fact, are so bad that using them may determine whether you stay in business.

No, we’re not talking about profanity; we’re sure our distributors know that profanity has no place in business. These are everyday words that truly smart people eliminated from their vocabularies long ago. They have one thing in common: they can kill your chances of success.

•  Can’t, as in “I can’t do that” or “You can’t expect me to do that.”

There are times that locations may request something that you don’t usually provide, or ask that you change the way you do things. If there is no way to accommodate their request (and after you’ve tried very hard to do so), then offer an alternative, if possible.

If you truly cannot provide what they’re asking for, be honest and explain. If their demands are nonnegotiable, be prepared to leave the location. As a business owner, you have the right to decide what locations you wish to service, and how far you are able to accommodate them. Hopefully, it won’t go so far as changing locations. You’ll find in most cases they will prefer to keep your service; just don’t anger them by immediately saying, “I can’t.”

•  Busy: “I’m too busy to do that now” or “I’ll call you when I’m not so busy.”

The last thing any location’s management wants to know is that his business ranks at the bottom of your food chain. It is acceptable to say that you will need a bit more time to do the job right (as when installing equipment), or that you’ll throw in some extras—maybe some free sodas—in exchange for their patience. It is never okay to imply that they aren’t as important as all your other clients.

Being “too busy” can damage your business as well, when it comes to locating your machines. All too often, a Business Builder Representative calls a distributor with information on a new location. A couple of weeks later, the distributor says, “I got too busy to go meet with them.” By now the lead is cold, and the potential location is lost. Don’t ever be too busy for your business!

•  Bore: “This job is such a bore” or “Don’t bore me with the details.”

Every job has its boring elements. Every job: even famous movie stars spend most of their time sitting in a trailer, waiting to be called to the set!

Let’s face it: Most of vending is repetition: Go to office. Put product in. Take money out. Repeat. Managers and workers may occasionally complain to you about how boring their job is—but don’t join them in their unhappiness.

Try to find something to love about every thing you do. Every job can be boring, but you know what? Life is too short to be bored or boring!

•  Same: “I’ve always done it the same way” or “Same old, same old.”

If you’ve been doing something the same way for years, it’s still possible that you’re doing it the wrong way! Maybe it’s time to find a new and better way to do it. People change. Technologies change. Even the streets you drive to your locations change!

We find this attitude most often when people resist technology. “A pencil and paper’s always been good enough for me; I don’t need a computer” is similar to “A horse has always been fine for me; I don’t need a car.”

Both of these statements are actually true; you can build a splendid business with

a pencil and paper, and a horse will get you almost any place you can drive, but will take longer. You don’t have to have a computer, although delivering snacks with a horse could be a bit tricky!

One of the reasons you started your own business was to have more time, on your own terms, to do the things you wanted. The computer—and the car—are timesaving additions to your business. It may be time to consider changing “the same way you’ve always done it.”

Maybe your “same old way of doing things” doesn’t include the requests made by a location. Don’t be dismissive of the request, but try to meet their request. Very often, management is impressed that at least you made the effort.

Never pass up the chance to do something new. For instance, why not consider adding a coffee service? Many locations ask for these additional services, so why not offer them? Don’t be stuck in a rut to the point where you don’t grow your business.

•  Rude: No sentence example needed here! There is never, ever, ever any excuse to be rude to a client, customer, or a stranger on the street. You’re staking your name on your behavior, and you don’t want your name to become a four-letter word. No matter what the provocation—and it seems like Life can be full of ‘em—never be rude.

•  Safe: “Let’s play it safe.”

Safe is important in baseball, but in business you must be prepared to take some risks. Think about success like a ladder:  The further you climb up the ladder, the further down you can fall. It’s important to have secure footing on each rung! Very often, it’s fear of failure that’s at the root of the desire to play things safe. So, playing “Safe” also leads to another four-letter word—

•  Fear: “I fear that we may be moving too fast.”

When fears are examined, they often prove groundless. For instance, some new distributors fear those first meetings with potential locations; they need to remember that the locations have already shown interest in the service. If your biggest fear is a certain part of town, don’t install machines there! Occasionally we hear of people frightened to meet company Presidents; remember that you own your own company, too!

But what we hear all too often are people who are afraid of expanding. They’re nice and comfy in their area, doing great, and are afraid to grow. But if they tried to expand out of that one area, they could wind up with another dozen great locations, and only travel five more miles! Take the risk—it’s the only way to get the reward.  Remember, you’ve taken the biggest risk already, when you decided to take control of your life by owning your own business!

The Moral: Sticks and stones can break your bones, but these four-letter words will hurt your business!