Monday Sales Call: Putting Out Fires

When I was 15 I worked at a local pizza parlor. There were a few times when the oven broke and I remember the managers freaking out. They would run around frantically screaming at the cooks, asking how this could have possibly happened. Honestly, I could have cared less. I didn’t really like my job and definitely wasn’t a “company man”. I wasn’t invested in the companies’ brand nor did I concern myself with their long term success. Suffice it to say, I was young and immature.I spent a good portion of this past weekend dealing with the server issues here at PAS. It really sucks when things are completely out of your hands and other people are counting on you. I truly love my job, my co-workers, and working with our Publishers. I think this is why the situation was so frustrating. I knew our Publishers were counting on us to fix the problem. Putting out fires is a common task of running a business. Your clients look to you when things go haywire and expect fast results.Placing blame on someone else is the easiest, but NOT the best way to handle situations which are out of our control. We see politicians do this all the time. I can sit behind my computer cursing at my keyboard, or I can develop a plan and be proactive. I like to make mental notes, separating aspects of the situation which are out my control from areas in which I can work towards a solution. If need be, I can delegate a few of the tasks to my co-workers. Whether its a broken oven or a server crash, dilemmas will undoubtedly occur when running a business. So instead of dwelling on the problem, concentrate your time and effort on the solution!Tony