Losing Terrence

While sitting and waiting (and waiting and waiting and waiting) for my car's oil to be changed, the service manager came out to deliver some bad news: Terrence was gone.

Somewhere in the archives of these blogs, you will find two previous submissions regarding the value of this one particular employee. Over the years, my daughter and I have purchased or leased at least eight vehicles, if not more, from this dealership. If I had to guess, I'd say at least 80 to 90% of those purchase decisions were made because of Terrence. He was personable and knowledgeable and direct and a true asset to his company. A couple of months ago, he reconnected with an old high school flame and decided to follow his heart out to California.

The easy blog to write is the one that points out the importance of having multiple contacts within each account. That way, if the sales rep leaves, the company has a better chance of hanging on to the client. While that is true, something else occurred to me:

Why isn't everyone at that dealership like Terrence?

I doubt this auto dealership is going to quickly or easily replace such a valuable and unique representative. People with skills like his don't typically gravitate towards car sales. But bringing everyone else who works there up to his level, that seems a lot more likely and doable.

Think for a second about someone in your life who is extraordinary. What traits would you say this person has? Are they exceptional listeners? Do they ask good questions? Do they anticipate your needs? While you can't change someone's core personality, you can certainly inject many of these qualities into other employees. While they might never become a Terrence, the cumulative effect will be noticeable.

Wherever you are, Terrence, I wish you nothing but the best!

Bill Farquharson is the president of Aspire For. Contact Bill: 781-934-7036 or bill@aspirefor.com. Bill’s book, Who’s Making Money at Digital/Inkjet Printing…and How? will teach you how to be profitable, rebuild a loyal customer base, and get your sales reps selling. More information on that and his other book, The 25 Best Print Sales Tips Ever!, can be found on his website, AspireFor.com