Image by Andre Hunter on Unsplash
Back in the 1980’s, bosses were allowed to yell at their staff.
They probably weren’t, but we knew no better.
My boss at that time was highly charismatic, over six feet tall and beautifully spoken.
He could string swearwords together like no one else I knew.
He was also a highly talented copywriter and all-around business whiz.
We, his employees, admired him, feared him and loved him all at the same time.
One morning, I was summoned to his office.
“What is this piece of crap you’ve written?”
As I wrote a lot of crap back then, I couldn’t be entirely sure.
I took a look at the sheet of paper waving about in his hand.
It was definitely my letter.
From where I stood, I could see a lot of red ink and exclamation marks.
Safe to say he didn’t like my latest direct mail sales letter.
Back then, our sales letters were printed mailing pieces and often sent in the hundreds or thousands.
Big bucks were therefore at stake.
My boss told me that the copy and layout were the ugliest he had ever seen.
He didn’t quite go as far as to say a five-year-old could have written something better, but a five-year-old would have caught his meaning.
Before he could say another word, I explained the mailer was gone and out there.
I watched his temples bulge even further for a split second more and then,
I told him about the contracts it had already delivered.
As it turned out, my ugly duckling was one of the best performers that year in terms of response rate and sales.
I left his office on glowing terms, and that “terrible” sales letter was held up as an example of effective copy for weeks after.
The moral of the story?
The people who work for you may have hidden depths that you haven’t seen yet.
Give them a chance to show you what they can do. Allow them to fail in small things. Encourage and support them as they take on big challenges. Shout at them less, listen more.
And if you’re facing a sales challenge in your business, this issue of The Quietly Good Newsletter could be just what you need.