Euvula, CA, January 2, 2007 (Daily Whisper) What would you do if you came home and found a 2 ton walrus caught in your pet door holding
valuable electronics?
Sam and Shirley Snopes immediately called Euvula police, who struggled for 29 minutes to handcuff the beached behemoth before finally calling animal control.
With the aid of a crane, the hapless criminal was hoisted onto a flat bed, the door still in place around its midsection, and taken to county jail for processing.
Police were at a loss for motive.
Police Chief Michael Kenyon suggested a "terribly misguided mastermind" was recruiting the walruses for a burglary ring.
"I've seen all kinds of criminal organizations, and this one has to be the dumbest."
Though he did admit that a 2-ton perpetrator would have an intimidating physical presence.
In each of the earlier incidents, the walruses entered the house through an unlocked pet door, and were caught when they became trapped on the way out. In all three houses, the aquariums were emptied of fish, and it is suspected the meal made the perpetrators a little too large to escape. Local residents, terrorized by the befuddled bunglers, wonder if they'll ever feel safe again.
Marine biologist Ray Dietrich was contacted about the ocean invaders.
"For years, I have warned about something like this happening. Walruses are easily influenced by others; followers, not leaders. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved things in the past month."
For now, Chief Kenyon warns people to report any suspicious walrus activity in their neighborhood, and keep the pet doors locked.
Citizens are advised against trying to apprehend the thieves, and urged to call law enforcement. If the trend continues, Chief Kenyon promises that a hotline will be established, and a task force assigned to investigate further.
On Walruses and Business Growth
When I read about the trouble in Euvula, CA, my first thought was - who is recruiting walruses? Aren't these characters usually called 'cat burglars', and is there anything less cat-like than a two ton walrus?
Yet, it serves as a pretty decent metaphor for a challenge facing a lot of businesses, namely, getting the right person for the job. If you have someone who is naturally suited, they are much more likely to succeed and help your business while they are at it!
Common sense? Yes.
Common practice?
Look at your sales and service personnel. What are you asking them to do? Are they in roles that best utilize their natural skills and abilities?
For example, does your business call for a “relationship sales person” (RSP)?
A person filling this position must possess a core set of skills in order to not only meet sales goals set by themselves and the company but to also be satisfied in their achievement.
These attributes include a goal orientation. By that I mean they are disciplined and systematic in their work with a utilitarian attitude (a drive to achieve a higher income).
Because RSPs are goal-oriented they are natural self-starters. This is a wonderful trait for managers that are not “micro-managers” because RSPs need freedom and flexibility when it comes to their work schedule and tactics.
Additionally, RSPs must possess closing skills, which typically call for them to be effective communicators, especially person-to-person, and great at handling objections. Since selling is nothing more than the transference of confidence are the people you have filling the role of RSP confident in their role, confident in your company, confident in themselves. If so, how good are they at making the customer aware of this confidence?
When it comes to objections, I prefer to have my clients remove objections during their initial line of questioning during their prospecting rather than fight and wrangle with clients at the end of a drawn-out presentation. However, objections will arise from time to time so your RSPs must be strong enough to handle them if they are to get the sale.
Great businesses know their numbers and their people. If you need to better understand your people and cannot afford to wait for one tip per month please contact me for my report, the “Ten Most Common Sales Force Hiring Mistakes” and a free assessment of one of your sales staff.
Why?
Because you cannot train your way out of a bad hire!
If you need more help growing your sales, check out the following resources scattered around this site and a few others I operate, such as:
Good Selling,