Remembering Herb

Today I learned that my old boss Herb Gross had passed away. Herb owned a small independent cash register company and I worked for him as his service manager. Because I had some success selling service policies, I tried selling registers in the evenings launching my sales career. I don't like to speak ill of the dead, but Herb was a real SOB of a boss. In spite of this, I will be eternally grateful to him for teaching me a lot about sales and management (Some by setting a good example, some by setting a horrible example). In later years we became friends, so here is a typical "Herb story" in his memory.

Late in the afternoon just before closing, a frantic customer called telling me they had run out of cash register rolls. I knew the customer's machine would not operate without rolls so I told him "No problem, your store is on my way home, I'll drop off a package within the hour."

As soon as I hung up the phone Herb was in my face shouting "Don't ever tell them that...don't ever tell them that again!"

Confused I said "Don't tell them what? They need the rolls and they're a good customer."

Still agitated Herb said "I know that, don't ever tell them 'No Problem!' Make 'em owe you. Tell them 'You know we're closing in a few minutes and your store is out of my way but you're a good customer so I'll get them to you as soon as possible.' Make them think getting the rolls to them is a big deal. They'll remember that if a competitor tries to take our business."

While I didn't agree with lying to the customer, I did learn a lesson about the importance of maintaining customer relationships. Herb always considered how every interaction with the customer impacted the relationship. Herb drove me crazy for a couple of years, but the lessons I learned from him have helped me for decades.

Keep smiling, keep selling

Thanks Jim Busch