REMEMBRANCE DAY IS NOT JUST FOR THE FIGHTING MEN

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day when we pause to reflect on the sacrifices made on our behalf.  Few of my known relatives fought in World War II, but like most Canadians I am aware that great sacrifices were made by our soldiers overseas.  Lately I have become conscious of another horrible loss from the wars.  The women who were left behind and never reunited with their loved one.

There was an opera, "Mary's Wedding" written in Canada that commemorates these women.  It was a Canadian opera commissioned by Andrew Paul MacDonald and Stephen Massicotte and first performed at the Pacific Opera company in Victoria, British Columbia on November of 2011 and has gone on to be well accepted across Canada.

I had one great aunt who when I knew her was sort of in the way and not just my way.  She was my Grandmother's sister, Florence Gibson.  She always seemed morose and standoffish.  My Grandmother Coakwell was widowed when she was in her forties and took on her sister as a live in companion. My Grandmother was very fond of her grandchildren and many of us spent time at her place.  For me I slept over from a young child to an unemployed university graduate looking for a job.  I had the occasional conversation with Aunt Flo, but never really warmed up to her.

It wasn't until after she died that someone mentioned that my Aunt Flo had had a boyfriend who went off to war.  I don't know if he was killed or like other soldiers came back too damaged.  The war destroyed a lot of potential relationships and deferred others.  We know a bit about the widows, but not so much about the girlfriends.  Many women never even met potential suitors lost in war.

A lot of good men lost their lives in wars and we rightly celebrate their sacrifices that were critical for us to enjoy our life.  They left a lot of women behind who adjusted in a variety of ways, some happy and many not so.

If you would like to learn more about "Mary's Wedding"  check out http://www.pov.bc.ca/maryswedding.html which includes information a short video clip.

SPECIAL FEATURES AND THE DISTRACTED VIEWER

This post amounts to a bit of a confession, but I bet many of you can identify with some of my activities.

Are you a victim of multi tasking? Multi tasking is a modern pandemic. Too many options and an inability to be satisfied as long as you think something else might be more satisfying.

Do you love reading books? watching movies?  surfing the net? eating? music? sports?  Do you have obligations such as chores?  How about all the hassles of making a living?  So many things you want to do and so many others expected of you.  How can you squeeze it all in?

In a previous blog I noted that it really is impossible to do two things at the same time to a high quality. I used the example of eating and playing music.  I stick to the basic idea that you cannot appreciate eating and listening to music to the ideal maximum at the same time.  But they go well together.  Anyway heard someone suggest the multi tasking helps you get through a lot of boring tasks easier so I am using that as a rationale.

The addiction is hard to give up even when you realize for each task you attempt you are missing something.  I love watching movies and sometimes do so when I am doing household chores or writing blogs, or surfing the net or even working and to be honest I know I am missing something.

Can movies be confusing?--sometimes deliberately and sometimes not.  Have you ever had trouble sorting out the characters?  Or figuring out the plot?  Are we watching a flashback or a flashback of a flashback? Or an imaginary projection?  Or how come so many people think this is an exceptional movie?  If so, we are on the same page which may not be  the page we are supposed to be on.

As a parent of young children I remember having to wait with my young son before going to school.  I got into the habit of watching a movie with him on tape, stopping it as we had to leave for school and continuing the next day.  It is true you get more out of something if you finish it before taking on another task, but it is better to make use of little bits of time the world provides.  In order to watch as many movies as I do, I watch many of them in snatches and often while doing something else.  Along the way I developed the habits I live with today.

I had heard about special features, but for awhile thought of them as merely gimmicks to increase sales.  At a family function talking with my cousin Linda and her husband Derek I explored the idea of special features.  I got inspired to check them out and came to appreciate some of the benefits.

Director commentaries can clear up a lot of confusion.  Also help you to appreciate some details that otherwise would get overlooked.  Featuring details helps you understand.  Some details I never appreciated were with costumes and makeup, but nevertheless felt the effects of efforts made.  A friend of mine, Shawn Hagerman took a film course in university and loved to tell about mistakes his university prof  pointed out in class. One I remember was from "The Graduate" where the characters drive over a bridge in actuality the opposite direction to the supposed--it wasn't the truth, but it wasn't a mistake either.  Lots of movies change details and make all sorts of alterations so that the story will be more understandable or more enjoyable.

Casting is often discussed.  The world is becoming more intertwined with actors crossing national and even linguistic boundaries every day.  Mads Mikkleson, Marion Cotillard, Anupam Kher, Kristen Scott Thomas, Bruno Ganz have been spotted speaking several languages.  I watched Jodie Foster in a French movie.

Music is a feature that adds to my movie enjoyment.  Composers have the problem of having to follow the visual presentation and help set the mood.  One feature on the Three Colors series really demonstrated how music can be very integral to a film.  Another feature showed a composer who collected a variety of sounds to use in movies as a sort of special effect. I watch a lot of Bollywood movies on DVD and have found many have a feature just devoted to song, sometimes following them in sequence reminds me of the movie.  More interesting are features devoted to the making of a song or a general discussion by the composers--I watched my favorites, Shankar Ehsaan Loy on a number of their movie projects.

I should add that I don't like a movie to be overwhelming with special effects, but obviously they can enhance your enjoyment.  I realize that most of what you watch is not what it seems, but the illusion makes the movie better.  Its the overwhelming exaggerations that can get tiring.

Watching the special features is not a short cut, but they can help deepen your understanding.  Hopefully you don't get too distracted.

Hamilton's Mum show 2013 version

It has become a ritual for me and my wife attending the Mum show.  I think the photos tell the story.

The show is at Gage Park, in Hamilton and runs to November 3rd.  You can actually buy potted mums November 5th.

One of my favorite shots.

The tropical room is part of the show.

Aarakshan: a study on education inequality

Recently I watched "Aarakshan," a Bollywood movie containing the usual dances, but dealing with a serious issue with a unique impact on India, and with repercussions for the whole world.  Here in North America we talk about privatizing education.  The movie really seems to demonize that idea while at the same time exposing arguments on the other side.  Much like the university quota system used in the United States, India has reserved education spots for the lower castes.

In the movie there is an under handed move to establish private education at the expense of those who cannot afford it.  Teachers are lured away with money and intimidation.  There are personal tensions that involve different castes, religions and of course personalities.  Some members of both high and low caste do their best to make education available to the disadvantaged.   Amitabh Bachanchan stood on the side of the righteous and Manoj Bajpayee played his creepily best as the opponent.  A little romance provided by Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone.   My favorite musical team Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy provided a few songs.

Education, to my way of thinking is the most critical issue in the world.  It impacts on everything else--war and peace, health, climate change, finance, industry, freedom etc.  Money and the profit motive can have a positive impact on the quality of education, but can we afford not to optimize our resources so that every person has an equal chance to improve?

India is deeply enveloped with religion and castes.  From the movie these factors are integral.  In fact it is resistance to the concerns of the higher castes of their children mixing with lower caste children that is a key issue in the movie.  As in America some deserving members of the more favored castes do get left out and "Aarkshan" acknowledges that problem.  In the movie the dedicated, unprejudiced teacher triumphs over the sleazy profit motivated investor.

Religion is a driving force for private schools.  Religious instructions do not belong in public education and in the minds of some this unacceptable.  What is preferable to me is to improve our understanding of other religions.  This has to be neutral, but admittedly that would not satisfy many people.  One can only hope that after a few generations it will become obvious that those who understand alien religions better are in positions of power and influence that more people will seek that type of education.

Evolution is a trigger issue for many people.  It may be many years before it is more widely accepted, but the sooner the better.  Climate change also seems to offend some sensibilities.  In fact to some people there seems to be a conflict between religion and science, admittedly of concern to fewer and fewer people.

The best education should be provided to those with the most talent.  Identifying talent needs to be part of the education system which will result in arguments not only about measurement but definitions of talent.   It seems legitimate that a society would want our future leaders to get the best education, no matter what level they started from.   That doesn't mean that the rest of us do not deserve the best available education.  Short sighted people will resist the taxes necessary to make all this happen, but it should be a much higher priority if we are to survive.

Everyone is entitled to spend their money for anything legal.  Society owes it to itself to make sure public education is not sacrificed.

Prakash Jha is noted for political movies that make you think.  "Aarakshan" is a good movie to provoke thinking on education.

PARALYZED MEN IN 4 FOREIGN MOVIES

Even those of us in poor physical shape take a lot for granted.  We are mobile enough to get from one point to another, to feed ourselves and to easily use a remote control.  We don't like to think about it, but being totally helpless is almost or even more frightening than death.

Many movies have portrayed this helplessness and I have chosen to discuss four foreign ones where the lead character is physically helpless.  "The Sea Inside", "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly", "Guzarrish", and "The Intouchables".  They were all well done and perhaps because they personalized a great human fear each left a strong impact.  SPOILER ALERT--the endings are important to the discussion.  I think you can enjoy these movies even after knowing the endings.

To create sympathy for the main characters there had to be a contrast between what was before, and what happened after the cause of paralysis. Usually either a flashback or some pre event coverage established the dynamism for the main character.  Another method was by projection where the main character was imagined to be doing something impossible and desirable, especially well done in" The Sea Inside", but also in "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and "Guzaarish".

Another common denominator is that each protagonist had a sense of humor which helped them to get through the ordeal.  In "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" the viewer was privileged to hear the protagonist's thoughts and we could laugh even though the other participants didn't get the humor. Each protagonist displays a humorous perspective on their situation.  The rest of us can be so pompous and deluded that we can't laugh at ourselves or our situations.

"The Sea Inside" (2004) was based on the life of Ramon Sampedro who was noted for spreading joy while campaigning for his own death.  Javier Bardem portrays Ramon as a charming mostly bed-ridden man who writes poetry and has connections to the outside world.  Most of those close to him are part of his team in his campaign for the right to die, except his brother whose house he lives in.  We learn that many women love him and in reality Ramon actually had more women enamored of him than was in the movie script.  Belen Rueda, an especially beautiful actress, is brought in as his lawyer and later we learn chosen because she also has a debilitating disease.  Javier is confronted by priests who try to convince him his wish to die is sinful.  After a court rejection he arranges his own death with the help of his network of supporters.  Won Oscar as best foreign language film as well as several international awards.  Directed by Alejandro Amenabar who I have admired in other blogs


"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (2007) starts with us the viewers looking through a hazy veil from what we soon learn are the eyes of the protagonist, played by Mathieu Amalric  who is not sure what has happened.  He takes awhile to realize he can't speak and can't move.  We viewers are also privileged to hear his thoughts and go through some of his confusion.  The staff at the hospital have already devised a scheme to help him communicate, but it is very arduous requiring the therapist to go through the alphabet (arranged by most heavily used letter to least used) and stop when Mathieu blinks with his left eye.  His speech therapist played by Marie-Josee Croze becomes very upset and leaves the room when she learns he wants to die, but comes back and apologizes.  She later takes him to church to meet with a priest.  She has one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever enjoyed at a movie.

Director Julian Schnable elects to use flashbacks and projections. Mathieu had left one lover (mother of his children) for another, but after his paralysis his wife (in the screen version) tended to him, but at one point she had to pass on a message that he wanted to see the other.  This total type of paralysis was labeled "locked in syndrome" and he could only move his one eyelid and part of his tongue. Julian Schnable director, and  Ron Harwood, writer, created movie based on autobiography of Jean-Dominique Bauby.  Emmanuelle Seigner, and Max Von Sydow had significant roles.  At one point a fly that Mathieu cannot shake away is used to illustrate his helplessness.  In real life Jean-Dominique Bauby, was an editor at Elle magazine and spent most of his time writing his autobiography.  At the end we are told that Mathieu's character dies a natural death.  Won at Cannes. Originally saw this movie because I had checked movies with Niels Arestrup (a Rod Steiger type of character) and noticed this one.  Niels had only a small role, but I got to see a big movie.

"Guzzarish" (2010) Hrithik Roshan is the top male dancer in Bollywood and is often seen in muscular roles so a contrast was strongly made.  He really can act and in this he plays a magician where one trick went tragically wrong causing him to be a quadriplegic.  He becomes a popular disc jockey who occasionally gives inspirational speeches to other quadriplegics.  His nurse is the actress, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, once considered the most beautiful woman in the world who secretly loved our hero.  Near the beginning of the movie, a fly on the nose is used to illustrate how helpless Hrithik is, but in this case after trying to wave his head to get it to move Hrithik actually smiled calmly when the fly sat on his nose.  Towards the end of the movie he is tortured by constant raindrops on his head with no one to protect him.   Like Javier, Hrithik has to deal with priests who try to deter him from his wish to die.  When he got angry he sometimes asked his nurse and others to break a vase to help relieve his tension.  He doesn't win his court case despite persuading trial prosecutor to be in a box to illustrate how unbearable helplessness can be.  He is alive at the end having just married Aishwarya, but I am not sure what his intention was as she married him knowing that his fortune had been long gone and she would inherit nothing.  Won awards for special effects--Hrithik's "mishap" is shown with spectacular realism.

"The Intouchables" brings a rich man together with a poor man. Francois Cluzet is introduced to us as a wealthy, cultured quadriplegic in the process of hiring a male nurse aid.  Omar Sy is just trying to keep getting his welfare money and wants the protagonist to sign a form.  Francois is intrigued and ends up hiring him and it is an adjustment for both of them.  Omar is forced to sit through a number of high cultural events, but eventually he lures his quadriplegic boss to another level of culture which they both enjoy.  Omar expands the quadriplegic in different ways eventually bringing him to marry a woman he was too shy to approach directly.  Francois kicks back a bit with a little deception of own and the two go para gliding, the activity that caused the paralysis.  This is based on a true story and ends with a note explaining that two real characters were still alive and enjoying life.  This movie was entertaining and successful commercially.  There were a few scenes of physiotherapy where you could appreciate the problems keeping a quadriplegic healthy.  Unlike the other movies there was no court case.

Switching to an earlier English language version, "Whose Life is it Anyway" originally a British tv drama in 1972 then turned into a theatre play performed in London and New York.  Written by Brian Clark.  In 1983 it was redone for a movie with Richard Dreyfuss.  The former sculpter becomes a quadriplegic as the result of a car accident.  The play is about philosophical arguments for and against being allowed to die.  In a court case he fails to win his desire.

Christopher Reeve deserves a mention as he really was paralyzed after an equestrian accident.and did do a few movies that in some ways hit just as hard because the viewer had seen him as Superman.  He was known as an actor who turned down glamorous roles for more worthy challenges.  He accepted Superman because of the challenge of also playing Clark Kent.  By being open about what it was like to be a quadriplegic Christopher made more people aware of it and raised money for spinal chord research, some of which has had impacts.  He went to Israel as they were more advanced in research. He became a political activist as there was right wing religious resistance to stem cell research.   He also headed an organization to make independent living for paralyzed people more feasible.  He died of complications.

Legal issues revolved around the right to die. All court cases resulted in denying an end to suffering. In all cases the protagonist struggled with a sense of purpose.  Life and death matters concern us all. All living creatures naturally seek pleasure and avoid pain.  As thinking beings we think we can evaluate our own circumstances.  As feeling beings we are subject to emotions overwhelming logic. We do not allow animals to suffer, but a fellow human being is too close to us and we can't usually imagine suffering enough to want to die.   Sometimes a life and death decision is called for.  Who gets to decide?  Who wants to decide?  A natural concern is that those with a vested interest might manipulate.

What do you say to someone who has lost the ability to take care of themselves, to enjoy the things that made life enjoyable to them and who feel helpless and dependent on others.  Even though we may love them they feel horrible about being a burden.  Ultimately I believe the decision should be made by the person involved, although as outsiders we want to be assured that is a real and informed choice.  As outsiders we take a lot for granted and we can be self righteous about the importance of things.

For us the viewer--how often do we take the gift of life for granted.  How often do we complain about our limitations?  How often do we abuse our bodies and minds with junk?  Some people think bad misfortune is for a reason and that people can benefit from their challenge.

This has been my 200th post.  Thank you readers for encouraging me to get this far.

THE ART OF CHOOSING AS SEEN BY SHEENA IYENGAR

Sheena Iyengar appeared on Fareed Zakaria's tv show" GPS" and got my attention. The subconscious mind programs the majority of our decisions.  This past two years have presented me with many book versions of this theme.

In her book, "The Art of Choosing" Sheena uses mute animals to make a point.  In a zoo, animals are fed and sheltered with no need to be anxious.  They also have no need to choose.  In their natural state animals make a lot of choices and strive to be safe. In zoos with a lack of choice their longevity and fertility are negatively affected.  Studies have shown that when people are given choices that let them control parts of their lives they react positively.

Sheena Iyengar (who is blind, but does indeed have strong visualization skills) spends a lot of her book demonstrating that the subconscious which she labels "automatic" does control a lot of our decisions that we are totally unaware of.  She points out that our "reflective" conscious mind does have some control.  Our mind has developed short cuts that automatically make decisions in a seamless manner.  We can become aware of many of these shortcuts, but it is a continual battle.

The idea of "choice" has a cultural context.  In the western world, particularly the United States it is something that is precious and the more choices we have the better.  The author makes a point going back to her parents' Sikh wedding which was ritualized and most critically, arranged.  Most in Western culture think choosing marriage partners for love is the superior way, but some studies have shown that in fact arranged marriages can have happier outcomes than romantic choices.

At another stage she points out life and death decisions have shifted in our culture from an authoritarian expert  (eg doctor) to those most directly involved.  There is regret on all sides for painful decisions, but some people are comforted that it wasn't their decision.  In fact in lots of matters we defer our decisions to experts because we are confused and/or don't want the responsibility.  Fashion is one example she brings up with a multitude of colors chosen by "experts".

In our choices we will automatically have many made for us, but we can choose which decisions we want to reflect on.  For some choices we might want to rely on the advice of a trusted contact.  An example given on the tv show was that Barrack Obama has elected to simplify his choice of what suit to wear by limiting it to two, one black and one blue.  Saves his energy for more important decisions.

The number 7 is a critical point in that we can usually handle up to 7 items to choose from, but beyond that we have difficulties in weighing options particularly if they are very similar.  Giving a consumer too many choices can actually cut sales or prolong restaurant selections.

Sheena recognizes that we can apply science (in the sense of using our reasoning powers) to our most important decisions, but in fact we have to decide where we want to make the effort.  That is where the art comes in.  One problem we now have is that there are so many desirable choices that we regret even a good choice that might have been even better.  We also can spend so much time sorting through options that we lose time to enjoy our choice.

I am conscious that I seem attracted to books that deal with how the subconscious mechanisms control us and inflict a good number of those on readers willing to put up with them.  An underlying concern is free will--do we actually have any?  An elusive question, but I like to think that writers like Sheena Iyengar  give us tools to exercise free will.

You can watch Dr Sheena Iyengar with a presentation on TED http://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing.html

My Career Selling Office Supplies

After posting about decades worth of my career I left out four years of selling office supplies.  If you are open minded you should be learning something every day and that proved to be the case.

Bouncing pay cheques is what drove me to selling office supplies.  I saw a classified ad and responded to it.  Superior Office Products was close to where I lived and they were willing to take a chance on me.  It was a few months before the background to the job offer was explained.  I didn't know much and one of the challenges was that I was selling from a catalog which meant thousands of different products.  I never became an expert for most of the products, but did learn a lot about the more commonly bought products.

Fortunately for me our company encouraged manufacturing reps to visit so I got to understand more of the products and also meet contacts that could help me nail down a sale.  I also went to a few trade shows. Product knowledge is critical to sales success.

Words can only take you so far.  Prospects have heard pretty much everything you have to say and answered a lot of the same questions ad naseum.  A quick demonstration often gets their attention. One of my favourites was to demonstrate a bottle of white-out that didn't spill.  You can guess the reaction when I tipped one at a prospect.  It not only got their attention, but spurred many to want to repeat the demonstration for co-workers.  One sales rep gained a lot of big customers by standing on a storage box to demonstrate its strength.  The idea is not so much to sell the item, but to get attention.  Then you can develop a relationship that allows you to sell what they need.

Samples were in one sense like a bribe in that you are trading something of value for attention (I have since appreciated that big advertisers view that as their objective).  Samples give the opportunity to follow up and sometimes lead to product endorsements.  I have learned new applications from customers using samples.  Read how this notion developed for me late in my sales career:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/03/applications-in-selling.html

At a group meeting learned about a very successful sales rep from Windsor who sold to Ford Motors. We were later told that Ford didn't do business that way, however my fellow sales worker managed to keep under the radar.  His secret was something I tried to develop with some success.  He would visit various departments and ask about what typewriters, printers and fax machines they were using. Sooner or later the company would have a sale on the ribbons or paper for those machines.  At first he just sold items on sale, but over time they appreciated that he was very useful and he would get other bits of business.  He worked his way up to selling $1 million annually to Ford--not bad for being under the radar.

Another sales rep from another branch asked a very basic question about who you work for.  I thought I knew the name of my boss and her boss, but his question was more basic than that.  The customer is your true boss and that is true whether you are on commission or not.  You need to bring in more money than you take out.  I remember listening to an audio tape that suggested companies have set ways of doing things, but if you don't cater to what the customer wants eventually someone else will

The concept of commodities eluded me until working in this field.  As a salesperson you try to highlight your product's uniqueness.  But when products are not so unique the key factor is generally pricing. It helps for you to realize that service is a key to overcome a price fixation.

One sales rep explained to me how one of our competitors offered lower prices.  They paid their staff poorly and thus had turnover.  That meant the sales reps never got to understand their customers and were not able to service them properly.  Obviously it takes time to understand the products, services and prospects being sold.

One chair salesman pointed out that our competition should be expanded to include any others who are chasing after the same limited amount of dollars a customer might have.  He used the example of a new start up business where they first buy a computer and  then usually a big impressive desk for the boss. A lot of odds and ends before they get around to the chair for the secretary who my expert said has the whole business resting on her pelvis.  I thought he exaggerated a bit, but in fact I came to appreciate the truth after two different customers were desperate to get a chair to keep a secretary from quitting.  The point is that everything can be important and that it is up to you to convince your prospect that what you are selling is more important than they realized.

Feeling I was missing too much I asked to go around with the top sales rep, Bill Clark. At the same time I was nervous and didn't want to leave a weak impression.  So essentially I forced myself to say more than  usual on a sales call.  He pointed out that on an initial cold call you are taking their time and if you want a second visit you need to avoid taking up too much of their time. When companies downsized employees were often given extra duties such as buying office supplies, but that just further cramped their time.  When it came time to check back to the office for messages he pointed out he always used the 800 number to avoid paying a quarter; tells you how long ago this happened.

Before too long I found myself with a large number of customers and prospects.   For many customers I was only a secondary supplier or worse.  In an earlier job I used newsletters and later on developed it even further.  But one of the key concepts comes from when I sold office supplies.   I had a fairly big geographic area.  And even when I made sales calls many of them were only a very few minutes long and the decision maker was often not there.  A newsletter helped communications.  I tried to make it useful information, threw in a contest and explained a wider range of what I could offer (for instance furniture). It seemed to have a positive impact.

At some point you realize you cannot have long discussions with everyone and you realize choices have to be made.  Around this time my wife and I became conscious that we were one of the few families of our acquaintance not to have a computer although I had started to work on one at work. Also was selling some computer accessories.  Mike Bromilow, a family friend was someone we had confidence in and he got us started.  As I started learning different programs I put all my customers on a data base and in addition to contact information I kept track of their sales on a monthly basis. Then I developed a formula using a rolling calculation to find out who bought the most.  Of course the other end of the thinking was about those people who weren't buying as much.  Tried to estimate potential and responsiveness.  Developed the concept of quantity x quality=sales.  Led to prioritizing of customers I later carried on for other products.  Learn more on learning this equation:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/06/there-are-two-dimensions-to-numbers.html

My daughter Heather helped me keep track of my computer records and I learned a lot from her as I did later with my son Michael.   At one point I yelled at Heather--Stop it! Stop It!  Stop It!  then "How did you do it?"

Part of the value of a newsletter and computer was to free up time for prospecting.  We were paid a higher commission on accounts during their first year.  One strategy for me was to watch the daily order sheet for the whole office where I would come to realize categories I had been overlooking such as certain types of retailers.  Mike Bromilow was able to give me data bases for small companies in my area.  At one time I subscribed to small town newspapers to learn of businesses.

Now to the background story.  At the beginning three of us newcomers (of a sales staff of 6) had been promised a certain level of income.  That didn't concern me because my commissions were increasing every month and I enjoyed the work. Aside from our inexperience what the 3 of us didn't know was that our predecessors had left to work for a competitor and were calling on many of the same customers. 

However one day my boss, Elizabeth Arvay added on a whole lot of house accounts, something I didn't understand.  House accounts were basically small accounts (sometimes relatively bigger companies) that just phoned in the occasional order for something their regular supplier didn't have.  Once I understood I started calling on them and they started calling in more orders.  House accounts were created to save money for the owners, but in fact they need attention or they will drift away. 

Special orders were those orders not in our catalogue or warehouse.  I believe it was originally intended as a service to established customers, but I soon learned it was useful to get new customers. I didn't really understand that often a client would want 5 of some item and the company needed to buy 144 so they actually lost money and often ended up with a storage problem.  As a salesman I could be greedy, but I came to appreciate that profit comes from revenue minus expenses.  Still many of those new accounts would buy more profitable products.

Superior Office Products was a Quebec based company which had a few advantages.  One was that by Quebec law salesmen got vacation pay based on their commissions and still earned commissions while they were on holidays.  I also learned they have different holidays in Quebec--we in Ontario used to be jealous that they had Jean Baptiste Day a week before Canada Day, but didn't realize they didn't enjoy the civic holiday we got in August.  A few years later I was asked to proof read  a calendar and was able to point out they had the wrong holidays for their Quebec market.

 

For 18 straight months I sold more than the previous month.  Then seasonal factors and then structural factors became a concern.  The structural factors were mainly box stores that sold many of the same products with huge discounts.  I had customers and prospects start to laugh at my prices. Like many other companies we cut our prices, but what I didn't quite get was that the box stores were able to cut prices on high volume items and they usually didn't even bother to stock items that didn't turn over rapidly.

As time went by I became more conscious of customers not always paying their bills on time and this affected my commissions.  During this time there was a financial downturn that I became conscious of when I found one of my real estate customers had locked me out and in fact had gone out of business.  Others followed.  In our office were several phone operators who basically took our orders and passed on messages.  I didn't realize that one was devoted entirely to chasing down unpaid bills. I remember one resistant prospect who suddenly opened an account and made a fairly large order.  I learned about half an hour later that they had overdrawn their account with one of our competitors.  Basically I learned that a sale is not a sale until you get paid.

All this meant our company downsized and I was forced to leave and over time they closed.   Interesting I did some business with Elizabeth when I sold pet products a few years later as her daughter bred cats.

Not the first time I was out of work and I sought advice.  One good idea turned out to be checking on my previous customers.  One of them liked me enough to recommend me to a competitor office products supplier.

I didn't know what to think of Cloke's as after all they had been a hated competitor.  I was invited for a meeting with Gary Schumacher and in popped Pat, a former employee from Superior who I respected a lot.  She reassured me these were good people.  Ironically a few years later Gary was a similar reassurance when I became involved in the pet trade.

Gary was a great boss.  He was patient and understanding.  At one time he got a complaint about me being too pushy.  I was afraid I would be in trouble, but he looked at it differently.  As he explained he wasn't actually certain his sales reps were making as many calls as they claimed or if they were as aggressive as they needed to be.  He explained that it is great to be persistent, but that I had to learn not be a pest.  I am actually sure that I am fairly passive compared to most sales people, but the problem is reading the prospect to understand when they have reached their limit, ideally stop pushing before that point is reached.

Gary introduced me to another idea.  Often when you away from your desk (such as driving around your territory) ideas and contact information comes to you before you can write it down.  A recording device lets you keep track of these things and allows you to retrieve information and ideas at a more convenient time.  Talking into the device saved time compared to trying to write down the details and I often had trouble reading my own writing.

While at Cloke's after I complained about the poor quality brief cases I was given, a manager gave me a brief case from Samsonite.  It has lasted me a few decades and I highly recommend it.  On another job I was able to visit Straford and arranged a few times for repairs at the Samsonite head office.

Another staff pointed out to me that the phone staff sometimes were too busy to handle a bunch of orders I would phone in and too often details would be incorrect.  A fax phone was arranged for me to send in written orders to cut down mistakes and make better use of everyone's time and helping me understand fax phones better.  I ended up using it for some volunteer work for a swim club.

When I look back I have also since learned to use  a digital camera to record some information, but that was many years later.

There came a time when Cloke's fell victim to competition which more and more was big box stores and I was again forced to leave.  Gary must have taken a course in the procedure, because I ended up admiring him even more when he gave me the word.  Cloke's after a long history has disappeared. The world has changed and is still changing, but there are always things you can learn from your experiences.

Over time I became aware of the bigger scope of competition.  see http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/09/where-is-competition.html