Emmie 2015

Emily Grace Dobson is 12 years old today

Happy Birthday To Me!

On this day in history:

The space between a woman's breasts was given a name by the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists: the intermammary sulcus. 

A camel at the Knowsley Safari Park on Merseyside, England was killed by lightning

On Victor Records, singer Allan Jones recorded "I'm Falling in Love with Someone".

At a poetry reading by Archibald MacLeish, fellow poet Robert Frost, in a fit of jealousy, set fire to some papers to disrupt the recital. 

 At the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio, John M. Miller, dazzled a large crowd as he executed a perfect loop-the-loop in his autogyro. 

AND

I was born 71 years ago in St Luke's Hospital in San Francisco, California.  After several months living at 45 Newton Street near the Cow Palace, my Dad, W E (Pete) Dobson went overseas as a tail gunner in a B25J named Tuff Stuff in the Rome Arno Air Campaign and my Mom, Isabelle Adams Dobson, accompanied by my maternal grandfather. William Theodore Adams aka Skeet (he was a railroad man so he and we traveled free) brought me home to Federalsburg, Maryland by train.  We only changed trains twice.  Once in Chicago and once in Philadelphia and were picked up at the train station in Bridgeville, DE by my maternal grandmother, Pauline Horsey Adams and taken to the town where I spent the next 24 years of my life, the memories of which today are buzzing around my head like lightning bugs on a warm summer's night.

College, US Air Force, marriages (that is not a typo), two children, two grandchildren and several dogs later, I sit here in Seaford Delaware trying to count my blessings.  It is difficult for me to do that because I don't know where to start as there are too many of them.  Suffice it to say I have led what many would called a "charmed life".  I simply call it blessed by God largely as a result of Godly family members and friends who have prayed for me from before my birth.

So to all the folks I have known before, who traveled in and out my door, I am glad you came along and if I could sing I would dedicate a song to the all the folks I have known before!!!   

PS:

To the uninformed, I celebrate my birthday for an entire week hence The Week O' Dan

 

Purple Heart Day

Today is Purple Heart Day

On August 7, 1782, the original Purple Heart (the Badge of Military Merit) was established by General George Washington

The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the President of the United States to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. Armed Services after April 5, 1917, has been wounded or killed. Specific examples of services which warrant the Purple Heart include any action against an enemy of the United States; any action with an opposing armed force of a foreign country in which the Armed Forces of the United States are or have been engaged; while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party; as a result of an act of any such enemy of opposing armed forces; or as the result of an act of any hostile foreign force. After 28 March 1973, as a result of an international terrorist attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to the United States, recognized as such an attack by the Secretary of the Army, or jointly by the Secretaries of the separate armed services concerned if persons from more than one service are wounded in the attack. After 28 March 1973, as a result of military operations while serving outside the territory of the United States as part of a peacekeeping force.

What Thanksgiving Means to Me

Thanksgiving is not for another four or five days, so I realize that I am a little early with this Thanksgiving message.
It may take some extra time and planning to shop for, cook for and set the table for the one or two extra people your family may want to share this year's Thanksgiving meal with.
I am talking about inviting one or two -- or more -- of our troops to your home this Thanksgiving, especially if you are at an overseas location and fortunate enough to have your loved ones with you.
Wherever you are, there are plenty of lonely Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen who would love to spend a few hours with you and your family sharing not only a home-cooked meal, but also enjoying the warmth, family and, yes, the bitter-sweet memories of home, that such an occasion will bring.
How do I know this?
Well, on Thanksgiving of 1942, one Dominic Cirincione, an Italian immigrant who ran a fruit stand on Mission Avenue in the Mission District of San Francisco, invited two GIs who were stationed at the nearby Cow Palace to dinner at his home to join his wife and daughter. "Dom" became lifelong friends with one of those soldiers and actually became the godfather to his first born son who met him as an adult for the first time after returning from US Air Force duty in Japan in 1969. 
That GI, who never forgot that kindness,was Private Wesley E "Pete" Dobson, who went on to become a SSgt, US Army Air Corps, Tailgunner, B25J by the name of "Tuff Stuff", recipient of the Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters for distinguished air combat in the Rome Arno Air Campaign. He and Isabelle Adams Dobson gave birth to their first son the following summer at St Luke's Hospital near San Francisco's Mission District.  Dom was one of the very first to hold his godson, Danny Boy, as he called me!!
Have a Very Meaningful Thanksgiving,

Captain W Dan Dobson
United States Air Force
1967-1972

150 YEARS AGO TODAY

Tuesday 19 November 2013 is the 150^th Anniversary of the Gettysburg address.  Less than 30% of the people of the United States in 1863 supported President Lincoln.  Over 95% of the newspapers in the United States, after the address was given, said, “…it is not worthy to read.”

Please take a few minutes to read this address which along with the Declaration of Independence are the keystones of American Philosophy:

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.  We are met on a great battle-field of that war.  We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.  It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate – we cannot consecrate – we cannot hallow – this ground.  The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.  The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.  It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.  It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Securing Our Future,
dan

Assuming

His request approved, the CNN News photographer

quickly used a cell phone to call the local airport

to charter a flight.
He was told a twin-engine plane

would be waiting for him at the airport.
Arriving at the airfield, he spotted a plane

warming up outside a hanger.
  He jumped in with his bag, slammed the door shut,

and shouted, 'Let's go'.
The pilot taxied out, swung the plane

into the wind and took off.

Once in the air, the photographer instructed

the pilot, 'Fly over the valley and make

low passes so I can take pictures

of the fires on the hillsides.'
'Why?' asked the pilot.

'Because I'm a photographer for CNN',

he responded, 'and I need to get

some close up shots.'

The pilot was strangely silent for a moment,

finally he stammered, 'So, what you're telling me,

is . . . You're NOT my flight instructor?'

Are you really asking the hard questions of your customers or not because you are afraid of the answers or afraid of "offending them".  Get over it as you are as guilty as the guy in the story above and the consequences while maybe not life threatening could be dire.  There is nothing threatening about asking the following: " I just have a gut feeling that there are some issues that we need to discuss that we have neither taken the time to do so."  You can do this and you need to do this.  You have a sixth sense or you would not be doing what you are doing.  Please take advantage of that talent rather than waiting around to react to something after it happens.

Zooming not assuming,
Captain Dan

Do Something!

Years ago before he became famous, Tom Peters, was just getting started and was beginning to do seminars.  I attended on of these early seminars at the Sunburst Hotel in Scottsdale Arizona.  My sales partner and I both attended and we very impressed with Tom and what he told us.  He offered many valuable tips when it came to selling .
My partner was a veteran and I was a fairly new member of the team.  I took those tips and incorporated them into my personality and sales repertoire.  My sales performance shot off the charts.  Ed however decided to reinvent himself into Tom Peters and failed miserably.  He was a good salesman as Ed but not so good as Tom Peters.
I took some small steps and, as I did, momentum began to come my way.  I did not worry about a long term goal at that time.  I just needed to do something to kick start me past the starting point and get me on the road.  Little goals add up.  Often the final goal seems so unobtainable, we don't even give it a decent shot.
So my advice today is to START.  Do something!  No matter how insignificant it seems or no matter where you are in your circumstances.  Take the first step.
Grow where you are planted because it is highly unlikely that you are going to be transplanted and thrive elsewhere.

Fearlessly yours,
Dan

Attitude is EVERYTHING

     Team Trinity was honored to host a lavish barbeque for our Wounded Warriors and their families at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Building 62 in Bethesda, MD.
     If the cowardly enemy who have maimed these troops think they have broken their spirit, that delusion joins the many that cloud their perverted minds. They will be waiting for that to never happen like they are the virgins that await them in nirvana. 
     We were humbled by these men and women who represent the finest we have to offer. They have set the gold standard for perseverance in the face of what many would see as insurmountable odds. They were talking about hunting, playing golf, their wives and sweethearts kids and both here and on the way. (Lots of pregnant women there which bodes well for our future).  I saw one guy with both legs gone and an arm with a T-Shirt that said " Chicks dig scars". You think he was living in the past?? God has blessed them as they have given so much for so many of us. It was inspiring and humbling to meet them and serve them. It is amazing to walk among real live heroes.
     How is your perseverance holding up?  Are you giving up on your sales plan or have you neglected to even make one.  Are you keeping the funnel full of prospects?  You have no insurmountable odds to over come.  It is a simple matter of deciding to do it, asking for help if you don't know how, and executing once you have the plan.  It does not need to be sophisticated or complicated.  Decide how much you want to earn, determine your average brokerage, divide that into your earnings goal and you will then know how many loads you have to do to make your goal.  Then start looking for the business to achieve that. Once you get rolling, you can then determine how many calls you have to make for each victory you score and from them on you just keep repeating the process always looking to the future never dwelling on the past.

Faithful to the cause,

Dan

Caution, you are about to enter the NO Cold Calling Zone

I had one of  our Agents call me this morning all giddy about the fact that he had "discovered" that he did not have to cold call any more.  He had found the fountain of success in sales!  I snickered to myself with joy at his "discovery".
     If you are not spending time learning about your leads and prospects BEFORE you pickup up the phone or hit the key board, you are wasting not only your valuable time but that of someone to whom you have the potential to be a Trusted Adviser.
     In the unlikely event you do not have any idea how to proceed with eliminating Cold Calling from your lexicon, contact me for some tips. I will happily assist you in weaning yourself off of this terrible addiction.
    

Come Warm Call With Me,

dan

The Strangest Secret

Earl Nightingale's radio recording that he called The Strangest Secret electrified his listeners all over the country. The stations that carried his syndicated show were deluged with requests for copies of it.
      As a result, the audio version of Nightingale's message was recorded, and sold over 1 million copies. In fact, Earl Nightingale's recording of The Strangest Secret was the first non-music record to exceed the one million mark!
     Written in 1957, the audio recording of The Strangest Secret earned the first Gold Record for the spoken word, with sales exceeding one million copies. As you can see, Earl's message is even more relevant today. I invite you to learn more about how the insights of The Strangest Secret can change your life, as it changed mine.
The Strangest Secret. (click on the title)
     This message can be life changing if you desire it to be so.  It will not happen without you as you will soon learn.
 
Decisively yours,
dan

KILL OR CURE?

I have to be inspired to write.  It does not just happen.  I need a catalyst and today's came from an article that my friend and co-worker, Ray Smith, S/VP Design Solutions, shared with me this morning. 
http://www.stevenfurtick.com/personal-development/never-go-to-war-where-there-are-no-spoils/    
     My Dad, "Pete" Dobson 1908-1996, who was the best salesman I have ever known, told me something many years ago regarding selling. Kill It or Cure It but whichever do it quickly.
     How much time are you spending on things that do nothing to make your life better thereby allowing you to serve more effectively? 
     My first real selling job where I was totally dependent upon my income for survival was selling new homes from a development with model homes in Arizona (no it was not "ocean front property"-LOL) on straight commission.  As you can imagine there were tons of "lookers' among the potential "real" buyers.  Closing a sale with home buyers (the biggest investment most folks make in their life time) the FIRST time through was a challenge. I was able to master and become very good at it by engaging the people very quickly and by asking carefully crafted questions to find out if they could afford what they were looking at so I did not waste time helping those who could not be helped.
     Are you qualifying your leads?  Are you asking questions to determine if they are truly able or willing to be helped.  If not you are wasting a lot of valuable time which could be more effectively used to help ones who really desire to be helped and are able to make that decision to allow you to do so.
     Email me for some qualifying questions to ask your prospects.



Legitimately yours,

dan
My Dad, "Pete" Dobson 1908-1996, who was the best salesman I have ever known, told me something many years ago regarding selling.

Diane Moore

My friend and one of the best sales people I have known is retiring August 1.  I print her farewell email as a token of my respect for her but also because of the paragraph outlining her sales philosophy.  You would all do very well to adopt that as your mission statement because it is really the essence of sales.  Helping people be the very best they can be with the very best service possible.  You do that and you don't have to ask for referrals.  They will come to you because you have earned them.

God Speed, Diane Moore!

Thank you all so very much for making one of my last days before retirement a very ‘special’ day!  The cake was wonderful, I love the bracelet and earrings, and the various comments, laughs and memories.  You are all very special!

I appreciate all of you and the support you have provided me over the years.  You certainly helped enable my success, and I couldn’t have accomplished what I did without you.  “No man is an island”.  All of you are “salespeople” and represent Trinity in everything you do – every time you pick up that phone, send or answer an email, interact with each other, with carriers and with customers.  You are the “face” of Trinity in everything you do 

I’ll leave you with my philosophy:  Sales is not something you pursue; it’s what happens to you while you are immersed in serving your customers.  Make your customers (internal and external) your priority, and they in turn will make you and Trinity their priority.  Stay immersed, stay focused, and empower the people around you to be the best they can be;  the future will present amazing opportunities for all of you as it has for me!

 Thanks again, and God Bless all of you!

 Best regards,

Diane Moore
Sr. National Sales Manager
Trinity Logistics
At your service...always,
dan

Sandwiches

There was a sales manager, a field rep and an inside sales rep who always ate lunch together atop the 35 story office tower.
The sales manager said,  "Ham sandwiches again!  If I get ham sanwiches again tomorrow, I'm jumping off this building."
The field rep looks at his sandwiches and says, "Beef sandwiches!  If I get beef sandwiches again tomorrow, I'm jumping off the top of this buildiing."
The inside rep looks at his sanwiches and say, "Tuna sandwiches!  If I get tuna sandiwches again tomorrow,  I'm jumping off the top of this building."
So the next day they all meet atop the 35 story office tower and check their sandwiches.
"Oh no, I got ham sandwiches again!"  says the sales manager as he jumps off the office tower.
"Oh no, I got beef sandwiches again!"  says the field rep as he jumps off the office tower.
"Oh no, I got tuna sandwiches again!" says the inside rep as he jumps off the office tower.
At the funerals the wives of the three sales execs meet up crying.
The wife of the sales manager says, "I only made him ham sandwiches because I thought he liked them."
The wife of the field rep says, "Same here, I only made him beef sandwiches because I thought he liked them."
Then the wife of the inside rep says, "Don't look at me like that.  It wasn't my fault.  My husband made his own tuna sandwiches."
Moral of the story.  Peer pressure can be a very dangerous thing.  Even in the workplace.  Remember what you mother used to tell you?   "If your friend told you to jump off a cliff would you?"
By the way, if you are a member of a sales team, co-operation can often save the day.  Leverage each members' various skill sets and various experiences.  Learn from one another.  Or in reference to this case....   perhaps just swap sandwiches.

No pressure here,
"Sorry Charlie"

Dessert First? Not in Sales

Do you have the bad habit of cleaning up the easy stuff before you do the hard stuff.  It is very easy to fall into that trap.  Some people say that eating dessert before dinner is a good thing and maybe it is. It is not for me as I believe my mother to this day that "it will spoil your dinner, Danny!"
Not taking care of the stuff that takes you out of your comfort zone first will not only spoil your day but if it persists will spoil your life as well.
     Prospecting for a sales person is hard work.  I spoke at the meeting last year in Las Vegas about working on your business vs. working in your business.  Most of you, like the majority of people trying to sell, think of too many reasons to put off filling your funnel with prospects.  One day the customer you were dealing with while working IN your business goes away and then you panic because you have not been working ON your business.  You have got to keep things in that funnel and moving down toward the spout.
     Good work requires doing something uncomfortable, often making slow, incremental progress, through informed trial and error.  But good work has to be done for you to be successful.
     If you are too busy to prospect then you need to make some changes.  Considering hiring a temp if you don't feel you can afford a full timer or reevaluating your time management skills but do something to allow yourself to do the necessary thing to grow and prosper.  And it is a hard thing that prospecting. But it is the ONE THING that all sales people have to do to be successful. 

Click on the link for some positive reinforcement from Curly!

One Thing!
 Doing the hard things first,

"Curly" Dan

Barriers

A salesman reading the morning newspaper says to his wife.  "You know, honey, I think there might be some merit to what this article says, that the intelligence of the father often proves a stumbling block to the son."

"Well, thank heavens," said his wife, "at least our son has nothing standing in his way."

Moral of the story.   True sales professionals know that in order to be at the top of their game, they need to keep on top of current events, especially any news that goes on in their industry.   One way of doing this is to quickly scan through your local paper while having breakfast.   Feed your brain while you feed your body.  Call it the multitask of Champions!   Might I suggest a new breakfast cereal that will soon be hitting store shelves?    Mini-tweets!    They'll help you stay connected and regular in just under 140 "bites" per day.

"A newspaper is lumber made malleable.  It is ink made into words and pictures.  It is conceived, born, grows up and dies of old age in one day."             -       Jim Bishop

Are you on top of your game?

Dan

Since reading The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews which I highly recommend, I have been able to codify my life principles because they match those that he spelled out in the book.  I want to share them with you:
1/ The buck stops here: Adversity is preparation for greatness
2/  I will see wisdom: I will chose my friends with care
3/  I am a person of action: I can make a decision and make it NOW!
4/  I have a decided heart: My destiny is assured
5/  Today I will choose to be happy: I am the possessor of a grateful heart
6/  I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit: I will forgive myself
7/  I will persist without exception: I will find a way where there is no way
     You do not have to tell me anything about yourself other than what you believe in and I mean what you honestly believe in and I will tell you what you are and what you will become.  It is that simple!

Believe in yourself ONLY if you have a self worth believing in,

dan

Do you like to annoy people? Does your boss?

By now most of you know how I feel about the Return on Investment (ROI) of cold calling.  It is not good. Not good at all!
     Jeffrey Gitomer sums up how I feel very succinctly as he is often prone to do. 

Have your boss sit down next to you and make cold calls himself. Let him annoy the same people you're annoying. Let him see what a total waste of time cold calling is – how it affects your mood, how it affects your belief system, how it affects your personal pride, and how it affects your attitude. Then start to call customers you're already doing business with, customers who love you. Ask them if you can come over and help them out for an hour. Ask them if you can come over and talk about how your service affects their business. Ask them if you can come over and help build the relationship. Tell them you need to make a 'good will' visit. Those are the people who will invite you right in and talk to you for a half an hour and maybe help you earn a referral. That's where the money is in sales, not in cold calling. Cold calling will annoy your boss. Imagine what it does to your potential customers. Referrals – that's where the money is. "

Here is an actual and factual example from one of our agents from an email he sent me last month.  How does this stack up against your ROI on Cold Calling?

"Last month was referred to a customer from one of my other customers.The referral has netted us so far a profit of close to $20,000".

Trying not to annoy you with facts,

dan

Be Careful What You Plant

 A successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.  

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

 He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. "  The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today -one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

 One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil, and compost and he planted the seed. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

 Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

 Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.

 By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

 Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed.

 Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil- he so wanted the seed to grow.


 A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.

 Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened.

Jim felt sick to his stomach; it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room.

 When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful - in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

 When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

 Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

 All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"

 When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed. Jim told him the story.

 The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "This is your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!" 

Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

 "How could he be the new CEO?" the others asked.

 Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possiblefor them to grow.

 All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you.

 Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it.

 Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"


 * If you plant honesty, you will reap trust* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective* If you plant hard work, you will reap success* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

 So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

Have The Best Father's Day Ever,

dan

Appreciation

An elderly American salesman arrived at French immigration at Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport and began fumbling for his passport. The French official quickly grew impatient.  "You have been to France before, monsieur?"  he asked in an unnecessarily aggressive tone.  "Yes, but it was a while back," replied the old, retired salesman, still rummaging in his bag.   "In that case," continued the official, doing what passed for a hostile impression of Inspector Clousseau, "you should know to have your passport ready for inspection."  "But the last time I came to France I didn't have to show my passport or any documents," asserted the old salesman.   "It is not possible," snorted the Frenchman.  "I'm telling you, old man, you Americans always have to show your passport on arrival in la belle France!"   The retired American salesman's patience, had suddenly be worn thin.  He turned and fixed his icy stare on the the young French official and strongly asserted:  "And I'm telling you, son, that when I came ashore on Omaha Beach, in Normandy, on D-Day, on June the 6th in the year 1944, there was no d-a-m-n-e-d Frenchman on the beach asking to see my passport!"
Moral of the story.   True sales professionals know that in order to do what we do, we require a free democratic society.   Sixty-nine years ago today several thousand Americans, British, Canadian and other allies paid the ultimate price, so that we may live, free.    
Take a few minutes today to read about them at any one of the following sites:
 http://www.dday.org/
http://www.army.mil/d-day/
http://www.dday.co.uk/

"You are about to embark upon the great crusade toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you...I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle."  -  General Dwight D. Eisenhower