All I Did Was Pick up the Phone...


"All I Did Was Pick up the Phone..."

"I was looking at a catalog from Quill office supplies," says Larry Gaynor, CEO and president of the Nailco Group, the number one beauty supply company in the world, "when I realized that they do just what we wanted to do. The only difference was that they sold office supplies and we sold beauty supplies. I thought I could be successful by modeling my business after theirs.

"So I picked up the phone and I called Jack Miller, the company president. I didn't know him at all. I just explained who I was and said, 'We buy all our office products from you. We like your products, we like your service. We need to learn from you so that we can take our company to the level of success that you now enjoy. Can you help us out?'

"He said sure. I flew out there. He brought me into the boardroom, and helped me figure out the next step for my business. That's how our relationship started. It helps to find someone who is in a noncompetitive industry, so that there is less friction. Do your homework to find a company or an individual who mirrors your standards, your ideals, your strategies, and your ways of thinking. Because if they don't have the same values, it's not going to work out.

"But the biggest lesson here is, don't be afraid to call. Find somebody who is better than you, who is smarter than you—but who is willing to spend time with you, either in person or on the phone. Then pick their brains as much as you can."

We are more than 50 percent of the models we choose. Therefore, it is vital we carefully choose the right models.

—Lord Chesterfield,
statesman




Diamond Power. Gems of Wisdom From America's Greatest Marketer
Diamond Power: Gems of Wisdom from Americas Greatest Marketer
ISBN: 1564146987
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 207
Authors: Barry Farber

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