WHAT WE THINK MATTERS

tgim!

 

Also last night many of us witnessed the blood moon lunar eclipse.  It reminded me of a few things:

  1.  We are small and here for only a short time.
  2. If we pause and look around, the universe is amazing.
  3. When we are here… we might as well be awesome.
  4. Yet with how small we are, we still can CHANGE THE WORLD that we live  in.
  5. If earth is this marvelous… what heaven must look like…
  6. It really helps if its a clear night to view this.  So often things happen randomly.  If it’s cloudy… it goes unnoticed.

 

– Joel Fleischman.  Joel is Head Coach of the solution providers for Drexel Building Supply.  (drexelteam).   You can follow him on twitter:  @JoelmFleischman.   Our purpose since 1985 is to be a supplier of other people’s happiness.

 

DON’T BE THAT SALESMAN

TGIM!

by guest blogger: Beth Pautsch, Vice President of Cabinetry Sales

My salesman story of the week:
Wednesday a cabinetry rep stopped in Brookfield to get us to sell his product. Someone on the Brookfield team said he needed to talk to me but I was at Berlin. He drove to Berlin without calling and expected me to stop and meet with him. He was surprised when I told him no. He left me brochures and asked for my card. I envision him talking with his boss on how great it was that he stopped at TWO Drexel locations. He talked with me about his product, left me some info, and got my business card. On paper that sounds like a successful sales call. The reality is that he not only didn’t value my time, but his either. I find it difficult to take someone seriously who wastes 4 hours in one day to drive around without doing his homework. Once again we can learn so much from these people. Research your target customers. Make appointments. Bring value and don’t waste their time.

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BONUS CONTENT!

Below is a real e-mail I got last week from a “newer” but “awesomer” trade partner Metrie trying to meet with us.  I thought this was super impactful, appreciating his time and ours.   You can learn a lot from everything around you.  This is an idea you might want to use yourself.

Good afternoon gentlemen. I have a bit of an impromptu trip to your neck of the woods Thursday evening and will be staying up there for the night. I was hoping to stop in to see you for a few minutes on Friday morning. Call it a wellness checkup! Any chance you or anyone else who may have questions, comments, concerns or needs will be available? I don’t expect to take up too much of your time, unless of course you need the time. Also, if you need anything such as literature, sample pieces, etc. please let me know and I’ll bring what I can.

Thanks men.

Stosh Stolarek
Account Representative, Metrie

 

WHAT IS TGIM?

TGIM!

Weekly on Mondays I write this.  I’ve been doing it so long I forget that many of you might not know what this means.

TGIM– THANK GOD IT’S MONDAY!

It’s a MINDSET.

WE GET, not have to, DO THIS!

WE GET TO WORK.

WE GET TO HAVE FUN.

WE GET TO MAKE MONEY FOR OUR FAMILIES.

WE GET TO CHANGE THE WORLD.

I got this idea from E.T. Eric Thomas, one of the most motivated people in the world!

This is what TGIM means to him.

 

– Joel Fleischman.  Joel is Head Coach of the solution providers for Drexel Building Supply.  (drexelteam).   You can follow him on twitter:  @JoelmFleischman.   Our purpose since 1985 is to be a supplier of other people’s happiness.

WHO SAYS?

TGIM!

HAVE YOU SUPPLIED HAPPINESS YET TODAY? 

DON’T FORGET IT’S NOT SOMETHING WE JUST TALK ABOUT IT; IT IS WHY DREXEL EXISTS.

on to this weeks TGIM…

I CAN’T DO THAT.  THAT IS SIMPLY NOT POSSIBLE.

IF, BUTS, IT WON’T.

WHO SAYS?

NEXT TIME SOMEONE TELLS YOU WHY YOU CAN’T…. JUST ANSWER “WHO SAYS”

“The question we have to ask ourselves is: What are those ropes in our lives that have been holding us back? What are the beliefs that we are clinging to that are keeping us stuck? What are the beliefs that may have been true at one point in our life, but that are no longer true and are keeping us from achieving our greatest potential? One thing we like to say is, “Who says?” Whenever someone says something is impossible, ask the question, “Who says?” You aren’t smart enough. “Who says?” You need another degree to be successful in this economy. “Who says?” You aren’t tall enough. “Who says?” You can never play for that team or in that league. “Who says?””

Burn Your Goals: The Counter Cultural Approach to Achieving Your Greatest Potential by Medcalf, Joshua; Gilbert, Jamie

 

– Joel Fleischman.  Joel is Head Coach of the solution providers for Drexel Building Supply.  (drexelteam).   You can follow him on twitter:  @JoelmFleischman.   Our purpose since 1985 is to be a supplier of other people’s happiness.

HOW TO BEST HELP YOURSELF

TGIM!

Team, often we wonder, how can I get where I want to go?  How can I be happy?  How can I succeed?

It’s easy really.

Help others.

By helping others, you will make yourself happier.

This week let’s make an INTENTIONAL focus to help someone.  Each day wake up and say, “WHO WILL I HELP?”

The results will amaze you.

– Joel Fleischman.  Joel is Head Coach of the solution providers for Drexel Building Supply.  (drexelteam).   You can follow him on twitter:  @JoelmFleischman.   Our purpose since 1985 is to be a supplier of other people’s happiness.

OUR PURPOSE

TG-IT’S AFTER A HOLIDAY!

Most companies have “mission statements.”  Most suck.  Big time.  They have no meaning and are stiff, dirty, dusty.  Then again some companies ARE stiff, dirty, and dusty.

Example of bad mission statement:

We strive to offer excellent customer service in a great work environment to bring profits back to our investors.

Joel, that IS why we exist right?  I mean… that is our mission is it not?   NOT REALLY.

Because of WHY we exist we naturally offer service so good customers become our biggest advertiser, people that love what they do and don’t ever want to work anywhere else (even when the job is hard sometimes) and because of WHY we exist the company makes money.

A great mission statement purpose statement is WHY we exist.

It closes the circle of who Drexel is.  The WHO we are is are core values.  The WHY we are collectively is what drives us.

The culture club and a few others advised and reflected on what our “purpose is.”  We read books like “Burn your Goals” and “Mindset” and many more in deriving our vision.

OUR PURPOSE STATEMENT: 

A SUPPLIER OF OTHER PEOPLE’S HAPPINESS.

For all of us… as long as their is Drexel this is our vision and purpose as a team.

Breaking it down… we are a supplier (we supply things so it has a double meaning.)… when we say “other people’s” we are talking about the golden rule.  (treat others like you would like to be treated)… people’s happiness…makes someone’s day brighter…a teammate, a client, a trade partner or someone in the community.    We wanted to say A supplier and not THE SUPPLIER or WE SUPPLY because we know we are just one part of a person’s day and saying we supply happiness, is pretty arrogant or even worse cliche, there are tons of ways to supply happiness, we realize we are one of the ways through what we do here.

That’s it.  That’s who we are.  I’ve been using this as my daily compass as to who we want to be for the last month or so.  It’s been a change for me.   It’s like having a northern star to follow in a dark sky.

As a growing company, this is a big deal, or at least it’s important.

Now we can say WHO we are.

Ethics, Respect, Balance, Winning Attitude, Communication, Development, Team Work, Change, Have Fun, Accountability. 

And WHY WE DO IT.

TO BE A SUPPLIER OF OTHER PEOPLE’S HAPPINESS.

It will help me coach and hopefully all help you do your thing on a daily basis better as well.  I hope you use it often in the way you think, talk, write and work.

*** A challenge for you is to find your OWN purpose.  Simply: write your own obituary. Think of who you want to be in 10 years, not what you want to own, or the job you want,  or the places you’ll be, BUT WHO YOU WANT TO BE.  Write it down.  Focus on it…and that will drive you!  Or think you were giving 6 weeks to live, what would change in your life.   Start today being who you want to be.  Give yourself a focus and write it down.

– Joel Fleischman.  Joel is Head Coach of the solution providers for Drexel Building Supply.  (drexelteam).   You can follow him on twitter:  @JoelmFleischman.   Our purpose since 1985 is to be a supplier of other people’s happiness.

 

 

WHAT I LEARNED IN CANADA

TGIM!  JUST ON THURSDAY…

We furnished a cabin, 1100 miles north of Campbellsport, in Ontario, on an island 4.5 miles off shore in early Spring.  Flooring, lumber, all of it.  That’s not the story though (as cool as that was).  The story starts when they asked us if we would bring some guys up to fish Eagle Lake Lodge.  How could you say no?

cabinwedid

26 of us, a great mix of clients, well more like friends, and team members went up there last week.

What did I learn?  Really if you have your mindset right, you can learn all the time.  You just have to actually think about it and be aware that life is ALWAYS a learning experience.  It’s why you are here: to learn, to get better.

All of us I am sure learned something.  Some more than others.  You can never punch out even when you punch out you see…

** Ok, side note, before you go any farther.  Jealousy in life is such a USELESS, PETTY, AND EVIL emotion.  It does you and no one around you any good.  Be happy for them, your turn in life comes. We all do amazing things… life is what you make of it.  We couldn’t take 200 people… ok…. moving on…

All of us old and new friends.

  1.  Influence not control.  I learned this fishing with Ken Wilbanks on the streams in the Appalachians.  (Geez that sounds like something Hemingway would of wrote.)  Anyways.  I was reminded of that again.  You can only influence your bait as you are 28 feet down, in wind, jigging on the very bottom 3″ high.  If the worm is on the bottom they won’t bite.  6″ up they won’t bite.  The first day we simply TRIED TO CONTROL THE BAIT.  Poor results.  Influence is subtle.   Same when you have a fish on.  You can’t horse into the boat.  Line breaks.  Bad things happen.  Just let the fish make the decisions for you.  Influence not control.  We often try to CONTROL our family.  CONTROL our team members like a prison.  CONTROL our customers that we should somehow TELL them WHERE AND HOW to buy.  Influence works.  Control does not.
  2. NETWORKING is horrible.   FRIENDSHIP ROCKS.  Who the hell enjoys NETWORKING?  No one I have ever met.  Who enjoys meeting new friends, having a few laughs, making a few lifetime memories?  Almost everyone.  There were three groups of people on this trip.  Almost everyone felL into the last group because we mostly get it here at Drexel and we have amazing customers.  THE THREE GROUPS.  Group #  1. It’s my vacation.  The only value of this vacation is that I need to have fun on my terms, in my way, and the rest of the stuff around me is just a distraction.  That person didn’t meet the staff and talk to them, barely knew anyone’s name unless they had already know them. I am sure they had a good time, but ended up not much the wiser for the trip.  Sad really.  Group #2. Work trip.  I got to make sure my clients are taken care of.  I have to make sure I fit in.  I have to make sure everything goes smooth for them.  Work work work.  Whew that’s tiring.  I’ve seen, not sure on this trip, but I’ve seen it on these sort of outings.  Also that’s too bad for them.     Group #3.  And the third group.  I’m going to be myself.  I’m going to push the limits of fun.  I’m going to do what I want to do… as well as the group activities too.  Every time I have a conversation I am going to make it better, but also shut up and really listen.  So much to learn.  For instance, our bartender for the week loved to brew beer and was a recent graduate from Marquette in bio-chemistry.  Man did we learn about both!  And the guy was awesome to be around.   One new friend built with 2×4 studs, one new friend was struggling with scheduling and on and on… Each person taught me about fishing, about business, about themselves and often made me better.  Networking?  Hardly!  Friendships. Yes.  Will more business come from this?  Probably.  Who doesn’t buy from a FRIEND THEY LIKE?  But that wasn’t the goal to get more business… that’s just how life works. friends2
  3. NO PLACE LIKE HOME.  While on this trip, I got a couple of unique e-mails.  I was offered to go to HAWAII for a week, expenses paid to consult with a building supplier there. Trip of a lifetime.  And in a different email also offered a trip on a private freakin jet to go pheasant hunting out west this fall.  Instantly I was thrilled.  But a lot of me knew the work that means.  The stress.  The planning.  The emotional cost.  You know what?  I said “no” to both.  At this time in my life, it would of been fun, but it just isn’t in me, it would of depleted my take, would of made me a lesser version of me.  I like where I’m at.  Vacation is needed.  Time off is needed.  But sometimes #balance is needed to.  No place like home for this guy.  These were Joel things not WE things.  Maybe sometime I’ll do both, but not now.  That’s ok.
  4. All the little things add up.  The fishing guide and camp leader kept saying.  Use this, try that.  And the guys that listened and had the most success did that.  The little things add up to one big thing… catching fish.  The little stuff goes unnoticed.  The right knot, the right blade, the right hook, the way you put on your worm.  Does any one thing catch that fish…no… and might you still catch fish…yes…but your odds go up when you consistently do the little things right.
  5. Pictures.  No fishing trip is complete without some fish pictures… 3 bigfish1 bigfish2 bigfish3 bigfish4 bigfish5 jrlastbigfish

– Joel Fleischman.  Joel is Head Coach of the solution providers for Drexel Building Supply.  (drexelteam).   You can follow him on twitter:  @JoelmFleischman.   Our purpose since 1985 is to be a supplier of other people’s happiness.

canadajoel