Reading the Riot Act

We brought in an offer that was above the expectations of our clients, Mabel and Fred. They owned a party rental business, renting party tents, tables, chairs, carpets, dance floors, dishes, coffee urns, chocolate fountains, champagne fountains, crystal glassware, wine glasses, tablecloths, napkins, and costumes. Mabel was sixty-nine years old. She was probably eighty to ninety pounds overweight and had difficulty moving. Most of the running around was done by Fred, her seventy-six-year-old husband.

Mabel took a look at the offer and suddenly decided she wasn’t going to sell. She still felt pretty good, she said. She enjoyed coming to work every day. “And if I did sell, what on earth would I do with all my time?” she asked. I finally had to read her the riot act. “Look, Mabel,” I said, “our contract says that if we get this amount of money or more for you, you have to pay us our commission. You don’t have to sell, but now you have to get out your chequebook.”

That was pretty drastic. I didn’t want to take this approach, but I suspected it was the only way to get through to her. Mabel went away and thought about it. After careful consideration, she decided to proceed with the sale. This was in her best interest, because Fred was no longer able to maintain the pace he had established years earlier. He was falling farther and farther behind as the business continued to grow. Mabel was really a working manager as opposed to a managing manager. She was not current with today’s business standards. In fact, she was still using the One-Write accounting system and maintaining inventory on a card system. The pace of business had changed, and she couldn’t relate. My shock tactic was the best way to show Mabel that she really had no alternative but to sell.

 

Like Mabel and many other business owners, you may not have a clear vision of tomorrow. Like Mabel, you may be reacting to your perceived emptiness of what tomorrow will bring. “What will I do if I don’t go to work?” you may ask.

Creating that opportunity, creating that vision of tomorrow, finding

out your options, will make the transition much easier for you.