I have revered my long-ago friend Dick as the best salesman of my experience, and he was. Dick never lost his enthusiasm and he never gave up.
But Dick had a
serious flaw: He never gave up . . . when he should have.
My most
illustrative Dick story is about a string of fatally over-optimistic decisions
he once made.
He had bought a house, mortgaging it
through a bank that was persuaded by some flexible assertions related to
current vs. potential income. When the inevitable came about, Dick and his wife
were out of a home, but still had some ready cash.
Dick immediately started
up two sales-oriented businesses with the money. Then he met a guy who was
running a no-hope race in a presidential primary. Dick leaped on this
“opportunity” and became the full-time campaign manager for the “candidate.”
The two infant
businesses dried up and blew away. As did the candidacy. And the boodle of
money.
