Turbo Leadership Systems : The TURBO* Charger

Larry W. Dennis, Sr.
President,
Turbo Leadership
Systems©

The best ideas must be sold!

Blaine, manager for a Northwest aggregate recycling company, told Session 4 of the Leadership Development Lab (LDL):

“In 2007, because of minimal job site area, our recycling crew was faced with the task of moving our portable crushing plant almost every day, and on really busy days, twice a day. Moving the plant took 3½ to 4 hours. We couldn’t meet our budget goals with these added labor costs. It became clear to me that something needed to change. Not only was our cost of production too high, morale was too low.

“The answer seemed to be a larger telescoping stacking conveyor, so I started calling around to see what was available and what kind of capital costs we would be looking at. A local equipment vendor had one in stock, but it seemed huge and intimidating to move and operate. Besides, they wanted over $250,000 for it.

“After sitting down with the salesman and discussing the capabilities of the conveyor and learning that they would rent it to us on a weekly basis for a very reasonable amount, I felt I had the information I needed to go talk to the president of our company about my plan for reducing our daily setup time and costs. He listened, and then said, ‘NO.’

“Rejected but still sure it would be an asset, I had to think of another way to get my idea across, to get my idea sold. One day when the crew needed to move the plant again, I called the president to see if he would stop by to observe the operation. He was able to watch the process start to finish. After the crew was finished, he said he had a much better picture of our situation and agreed to let me rent the larger stacker conveyor. After renting the stacker for three months, we ended up buying it and have never looked back. The speed of our operation and benefit to our customers has made it an ongoing success.

In fact, it has become so important to our operation that we recently traded it in for a newer, improved model.

“The lesson I learned from this experience is to not be crushed just because my ideas are rejected the first time I offer them, not to take the rejection personally. If at first I don’t succeed, I need to find other ways to present my ideas. I learned the importance of keeping my focus on the desired end goal and the benefit it will bring to everyone. The action I call you to take is learn all you can about the recommendations you are making – the return on investment, and how long it will take to recapture the investment. This will help you determine the best way to present your idea – visual, hands-on, or in writing. Whatever the method, always show enthusiasm for your idea. The benefit you will gain is success in achieving your goals, which will bring you increased pleasure in all areas of your life.”