Stay In Your Lane!

Credit: Tiffany Fox

A while back (long while back) I interviewed for a job. I was selling for a small printer in Atlanta. A much larger company called and asked that I visit and see if they might be a better fit.

I was impressed with the plant. I was impressed with their selling style too. They "designed client answers that happened to turn on presses. They did not sell printing." They were not transactional and I liked that.

I spent time with the VP of Sales and the CEO/Owner. I was happy in my job but I could feel myself leaning. I liked the culture I thought I could feel.

The last part of my visit was a more detailed tour and visit with the VP of Production. This was the guy that would bring my promises to life. My opportunity would ultimately find its way into his hands.

As we started our visit he said, "printers should stay in their lane. Small guys are small for a reason. They don't belong at the table with big brands. The Fortune 100 companies are better served by firms like ours that have mature systems in place."

He kept talking. He shared how small companies wrecked pricing for the more sophisticated companies that understood cost. In other words, prices different from his were misinformed and incorrect.

I wrapped up my visit, said my goodbyes and headed for my car. I knew my answer was no before I left the parking lot. The mindset of the VP of Production wasn't anything I could live with. This kind of thinking is arrogant and wrong.

The only lane you belong in is the one you make for yourself. I don't care what size company you work for. If you can design the best solution, you can win the business. Clients care about their problems not vendor size. I have the numbers and resume to prove it.

It happened that I went toe to toe with that company for years. We shared more than a few Fortune 100 accounts. They had to learn to compete with my company that refused to stay in its lane. I enjoyed every encounter.

Fast Forward: They closed. I had the chance to visit their plant again to look at equipment that went up for sale. The guy that turned me off managed that visit.

I took the high road and chose not so show my secret satisfaction. He told me he had hoped I would leave the industry. He left but I didn’t.

Don't let anyone tell you where you belong. That answer is yours to set and manage. You can sell to anyone you want and produce anything you choose to produce.

I've written more on sales self-esteem than any other subject. What you decide you can do is what you will do. If you accept another person's limits, they become yours.

Don't do it.

Photo? Beach Boys Concert in Deer Valley. Her Ladyship and I jumped lanes and got ourselves invited. It was awesome.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.