Black In Business

If your fiscal year is the calendar year, Monday will be your last chance to bring in business for 2007. Wait it can’t be 08, what happened on Y2K? Didn’t we just party like it was 1999?
It is time to finalize your business plans for 08 to be great! I love motivational quotes, and have used them often in business. I use to leave quotes on my phone at work and my cell phone. Some people use to call just to hear my quote. Almost all have been borrowed but the point is to serve as a reminder of your mission.
In line with that I strongly suggest a theme for the year, or a nick name for your team to serve as a rallying cry. Understand the team dynamics, culture. Be careful of sports or military themes, for they may offend some. I remember walking into a party at a national sales meeting. The flag representing the confederacy was part of the theme. I complained to the big guys and the flag was removed. It was explained as an honest error, they claimed not to know the best known symbol of slavery would be offensive to blacks. And to some it wasn’t, they just wanted to fit in.
As a young boy I was made aware of a quote used by JFK. If you are old enough you will immediately recognize and appreciate this quote.
“Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country!”
Here is a quote from our current President. W
“We are going to smoke em out”
I heard one today from Kayne West, “It is much harder to quit than it is to not try.” Think about that one, profound!
Here are some of my favorite;
“Shoot for the moon and even if you miss you will be among the stars!”
“Try not, it is do or do not, there is no try!”
“Master your own destiny!”
“You are not judged by the times your fail but rater the times you succeed, and the amount of times you succeed is in direct proportion to the amount you can fail and keep trying!”
“Winning is not everything, it’s the only thing!”
One of my all time favorite was uttered by “The Great and incomparable,” Muhammad Ali to Joe Frazier, “ I will kick your white Christian ass!”
Help me out, let me hear some of your quotes or themes. Please give us some of your wisdom

I am a salesperson, I admire salespeople, and most of my close friends are sales people, so I took an interest in a survey by Development Dimensions International. The headline that caught my eye said something to the effect; sales people are a necessary evil. Comments used to describe sales people include; snake oil salesman, arrogant, pushy, won’t take no for an answer,( wait it gets better) below mediocre, leeches and rashes, ouch!!
I remember when I first entered sales, my mother said maybe someday you will be able to teach school and use your degree. Some people felt sorry for me because I was just a salesman.
I was under the mistaken impression that sales had become a respected profession among society. My friends and associate are hard working and professional. We are proud to be called salesman. We treat out customers with honor and respect and focus our efforts on total customer satisfaction.
The survey said, 46% of people would be ashamed to call themselves salesmen there is a documented mistrust for salesman in this society. Wow, what does that say for black salesmen? We have the stereotype of negativity as am image reinforced by media’s bias in reporting about black issues. Now add to it the mistrust of sales people and you will soon understand this is a dilemma for black sales professionals.
With all that as a back drop; please consider these questions and request as follows.
Why all the negativity towards salespeople? Can’t we just all get along?
What make a salesman of value?
How do you describe a bad salesman?
Do you have a time when a salesman went the extra mile to help you? Please describe.
How about a time when you felt a salesman misleads you or caused you problems.
This one is for salesmen, why are you in sales? Do you care about your clients?
At the end of the day aren’t we all salesman? Does the survey apply to all of us?

I am well aware of Seth Godin’s book the dip. The Dip is a little book that teaches you when to quit and when to stick. The book is compelling and makes a lot of sense. For instance, If you are a 45 year old picture in major league baseball, who was considered washed up at 34, but went on to defy mother nature and win games at age 44, and now have been mentioned in the Mitchell report as a chronic user of steroids, you may want to quit.
Saying all that to say this; anything worth having is hard to accomplish. As a high school band member, playing the horn, there will be days you want to quit, as a football player, you will want to quit, In college there will be times when you will want to quit, and certainly as a black in business owner there will be times you will want to quit. As an employee, it is worst, I do not like much country music but, who among us do not know the tune, “take this job and shove it, I ain’t working here no more!”
I want you to visit this link; 87 year old black man gets his college degree! You talk about persistent; this man is a role model of not quitting. Finishing college is a remarkable accomplishment for a black man born in 1920. To do it in 2007 is simply incredible! Not only as he outlived the life expectancy for a Blackman, he continued to be productive.
So when the going gets tough, think, of Clarence Garrett, a college educated black man. Think it can be done and I can do this. Winners never Quit and Quitters never win.

I have discovered another black female owned business in the Chicago area. Nicole Jones has turned her dream into reality and in the process has become an important example of a revitalized Bronzeville
Bronzeville is a historic part of Chicago, once known as the Black Metropolis. It was the place to be for jazz, theater, fun and excitement. It was Chicago’s Harlem during the roaring 20’s.
Ms. Jones is an industrious inspired woman and discovered early in a business career to ask for what you want and to think big.
She started her remarkable ascend in the banking world and was passed over for a job she wanted because , even though she was a star, no one knew she wanted to move up. It never happened again.
She became a VP in banking, and was responsible for corporate clients. She also started a rehabbing real-estate business, targeting properties in distressed communities. When the real-estate market crashed after 9-11, she took advice from her dad and decided to diversity. Her dad was third grade educated but has incredible business acumen. I love that because my dad was 3 grade educated as well but one of the smartest men I have known.
Ms. Jones believes in lending a helping hand and has helped tenants get jobs, and better themselves through education.
She now owns Sensual Steps Shoe Salon. Please click on her link to discover more about this inspiring business owner.

I have posted about clothes on a few occasions this year. We are a more casual society and often times the lines between work and play are blurred. When I first started my business career at Xerox, it was understood you wore a suit and tie 5 days a week as a man. The women wore suits that looked very much like the male suits but with dresses. The Hilary Clinton pant suit was unacceptable attire. And as I found out, short sleeve dress shirts, along with sport coats were not allowable business wear.
I was in quite a bind. I only had one suit which I brought used for 60 dollars and it had a burn mark from an Iron on the pant leg. I managed to buy 3 more suits on credit and discovered I loved being dressed for work.
Fast forward to recent years, in my days as an executive at Abbott Laboratories we wore suits 5 days a week until the advent of casual Fridays. Later we added Monday and Friday as casual days. Eventuality we went to casual summer and then casual all the time.
I work by myself now and am the business owner so I can wear clothes to cut grass in If I chose. On occasion I do.
As a former football player I have a large frame and an athletic built. I am not built as well as I use to be but the older I get, the better I use to be! I started using a tailor 20 years ago for made to measure suits. 12 inch drop from coat to pants made it impossible to get fitted off the rack.
Even if you are in a casual business there are times when you will want to look your best. Every man should have a blue blazer, a grey and a blue suit, trench coat and appropriate accessories. I just ordered a grey flannel suit from my man Kash Ross the owner of Ross Creations. I urge you to find a good tailor if you are hard to fit, or just want to look your best. You will be glad you did, I guarantee it. Men what is in your closet, let us know, Ladies help us out, what is in yours and what does the well dressed business woman wear today? I look forward to your comments