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I was 10 years old when I got my first sales job. It was selling candy in a Pittsburgh Pirates glass to raise money for our Little League.
Our coach took us to each neighborhood. We went door to door. The candy and special glass sold for $1, a significant sum back then in a working-class neighborhood. I sold a lot of candy-filled glasses. Our team sold its allotment. It wasn't my sales skills. Who wouldn't buy from a smiling 10-year-old baseball player in uniform? Our team and the league raised the money needed for balls, wooden bats and uniforms.
People in our area were good-hearted and willing to help young people, even though they didn't have lots of money. As a 10-year-old, I didn't know everyone listens to WIII-FM - What Is In It For Me. In addition to a glass with some candy in it, my customers got to feel good about helping our Little League Team. That may have been more important to them than the candy.
Over the years, I learned people do things for their own reasons, not mine or the company I worked for. The late sales expert, Hall of Fame speaker and author Zig Ziglar said, "We can have anything we want, if we first help other people get what they want." This means having a conversation and finding out the answer to their WIII-FM.
I learned from Zig and another Hall of Fame speaker and author, Jeffrey Gitomer, who said, "If they know you, like you and trust you, they may buy from you." If they don't know you, like you and trust you, they will not buy from you. Sales and the ability to influence others, even our spouse and children, are about relationships. Whether it is a product or an idea, it is not about "selling." It is about being a helper or a consultant who cares about others and puts their needs first.
When the principal asked me to be the high school boys' assistant soccer coach, I said "Yes" because my WIII-FM was to give back to the school that gave my three children a great education. It wasn't the money. Back then it was a volunteer position. With my travel expenses, I was donating more than my time. What I didn't expect, those young men gave me back my ability to dream again. Priceless!
The mission of Shale Crescent USA is to create high-wage jobs in our region. Prospects in the USA and around the world don't care about our mission. Their WIII-FM is how can we help them and their company. Our focus is helping prospects get what they want, typically but not limited to: access to the largest consumer market in the world, economical dependable energy and security in many ways. We know if our prospects get what they want, our need for high-wage jobs in our region is taken care of. The bonus for my wife, Lynnda and I, is we have true friends all over the world from the relationships we built. Several friends have spouses who are doctors. Their opinions were extremely helpful during Lynnda's cancer treatment.
Lynnda and I have been married for 51 years. It took me a few years to understand "Happy wife-happy life" is true. When I focused on Lynnda's needs first, I found my needs were satisfied and we were both happy.
How are your relationships, business and personal? If you are not satisfied, are you focused on your issues and needs first? When I worked corporate, the customers were great. My biggest challenges were internal. I typically heard, "Your customers need to understand _____." Operations didn't like when I said, "Shouldn't you try to understand our customer's needs first?" They were terrified to talk to a real customer.
Great relationships require effective communication. We can't just guess another's needs and concerns. Face-to-face communication works best. Text messages are easy to misinterpret. WIII-FM is true in all relationships, business or personal.
WIII-FM is essential on major public projects to create understanding. We hear about data centers interested in coming to our region and major power lines companies want to build. Our region is doing a good job of adding power to meet current and future demand. During weather extremes in winter and summer is when we need dependable electricity most. We need electricity and natural gas to bring industry to create high-wage jobs and essential products.
People have already forgotten the pandemic and how we depended on China and other overseas countries for healthcare PPE like gloves, masks and gowns. We had shortages of toilet paper. We didn't make respirators and other medical equipment. There were shortages of automobiles, trucks and appliances because critical items were no longer made in the USA.
Many people don't understand "The Cloud" is really data centers, not a cloud in the sky. Lynnda and I have a lot of photos and videos in data centers. The TV shows and movies we stream are stored in data centers. All the products Lynnda gets quickly from Amazon are possible because of data centers. All the online content we use is from data centers. We have close friends who are cancer survivors because of AI from data centers.
This doesn't mean data centers should have free reign. They have social and environmental responsibilities. In other states, data centers have lowered or eliminated property taxes, raised teachers' salaries and provided increased funding for police and fire services.
People are concerned about increasing electric rates and increasing taxes. When I talk to friends who are concerned about the impact of major projects, their question is: What is in it for me (WIII-FM)?
Truth, empathy and openness from developers go a long way to resolving issues. We need infrastructure. We need more power. Local people need to know what is planned for their communities.
In business, personal relationships and public relations, understanding and helping others get what they want is the key to our success.
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Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is director of marketing for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering and more than 40 years of experience in the energy industry. Greg is a leadership expert, high school soccer coach, professional speaker and author of four books and many published articles.