Crude Blessings by T.M. "Roe" Patterson Review ISBN: 978-0-9980213-0-0

In the book Crude Blessings by T.M. "Roe" Patterson, readers are treated to a fascinating look into the life of two true Texans. We challenge you to read it without shedding a single tear.

This book makes for great entertainment, but it also provides a look at some truly great business minds.  

It can be exhilarating to be on the front lines of a startup business.  There is a special excitement when failure is not an option. This book puts readers on the front line to see how honesty and integrity can overcome a world of obstacles.

This makes an absolutely wonderful book with tons of life lessons.  

The sad part in all of this is that, according to several of the other books we have reviewed recently, such as The Aging Brain  and Unsafe at Any Meal , Alzheimer’s disease, Autism, ADD/ADHD and other brain related problems can be avoided. It appears that there is anecdotal evidence to support the notion that high fructose corn syrup and mercury in our diets cause these brain conditions.

Five Star Review

We give Crude Blessings all five stars.  We simply cannot believe that this is this author’s first book.  Very few could write this well and tell a story this fascinating the first time out of the chute.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

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The Parable of the Hot Dog Vendor

The Parable of the Hot Dog Vendor

Author Unknown to Me

There was this hot dog vendor who sold hotdogs by the roadside. He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers. He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio. His eyes were weak, so he never watched television.

But, enthusiastically, he sold lots of hotdogs. His sales and profit went up. He used only the finest wieners and the freshest buns. People came from miles around to eat his hot dogs. All day long the hot dog vendor would sing beautiful songs and sell his hot dogs.

He ordered more meat and got himself a bigger and better stove. As his business was growing, the son, who had recently graduated from college, joined his father.

Then something strange happened. The son asked, "Dad, aren't you aware of the great recession that is coming our way?" The hot dog vendor replied, "No, but tell me about it." The son said, "The international situation is terrible. The domestic condition is even worse. We should be prepared for the coming bad time."

The hot dog vendor thought that since his son had been to college, read the papers, and listened to radio, he ought to know and that his advice was not to be taken lightly. So the next day, the hot dog vendor cut down his order for the meat and buns, took down the sign, and was no longer enthusiastic.

Business got worse and the hot dog vendor stopped singing.

Very often he ran out of wieners and buns so his customers had nothing to buy when they stopped by his stand and had to take their business elsewhere.

Very soon, fewer and fewer people bothered to stop at his hotdog stand and his sales started coming down rapidly. He again cut his orders and switched to lower quality wieners and used cheaper buns.

Business dropped even still and he stopped being friendly  with his customers and talked only about how bad business was with the few remaining customers he had, which reminded them of how bad things were and made them begin to think that they, too, should cut back on their spending.

Soon the hot dog vendor was ordering so few wieners and so few buns that he did not have anything to sell to the very few remaining customers he had, so he closed the hot dog stand.

The hot dog vendor said to his son, "Son, you were right. We are in the middle of a recession. I am glad you warned me ahead of time."

***
Never engage in self-defeating patterns of behavior. If you think that you will fail, or always only expect the negative or worst, nothing in this world can save you.

The preceding story was posted on the wall at my family’s Western Auto Store in Iva, South Carolina. 

Disclaimer
The opinions or advice listed in this blog or website should be used as a place to start only. It is not a substitute for the use of a professional.
Please be sure to consult your attorney and/or accountant with any specific questions.
There is no one right answer to any business question that will cover all circumstances.
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The Contest

When I think of Papa, what stands out in my mind is that he could set his mind to do something and he would accomplish his goals. He loved to sell. When he worked for National Cash Register (NCR), he was always either the number one salesman or number two.  Several of the salesman decided that the only way they could ever win a contest against him was if he didn't know there was a contest. So, they kept it a secret. On the very last day of the contest, Papa found out about it. He got on the phone and called around and got enough purchase orders called in to win that contest.  One of the people he called was the bowling man from another story. He loved a challenge. In fact, challenges kept him going. I think it was that adrenaline rush that he looked for.

I truly admire my father. I look up to him and I have learned from him. He means all the world to me and I love him.

What you sell today determines what your family eats tonight.

My father worked for National Cash Register Company for many years. Most years, he was the number one or number two salesman for the entire company. This did not mean that sales were always easy. It simply means that he worked hard at it.

One day he had worked all day going from store to store, business to business, talking to people about purchasing National Cash Registers. So far that day he had not found anyone to buy from him. He was tired and ready to go home. He pulled into a store parking lot and thought about going home. He flipped down the car sun visor where he had a picture of my mother, my sister, my brother and me under which he had written, “What you sell today determines what your family eats tonight.” After looking at that photo, he decided to make just one more call.

 He walked into a Winn-Dixie grocery store. He found the manager, who was talking with another gentleman and he asked if he could talk to the manger. My father proceeded to give a presentation about what National Cash Register could do for Winn Dixie.

As it turns out the man with the manager was the president of Winn Dixie. The president authorized what was then the largest purchase in the history of National Cash Register.

Disclaimer

The opinions or advice listed in this blog should be used as a place to start only. It is not a substitute for the use of a professional.

Please be sure to consult your attorney and/or accountant with any specific questions.

There is no one right answer to any business question that will cover all circumstances.

Disclaimer
The opinions or advice listed in this blog or website should be used as a place to start only. It is not a substitute for the use of a professional.
Please be sure to consult your attorney and/or accountant with any specific questions.
There is no one right answer to any business question that will cover all circumstances.
Please Visit McClendon Enterprises

McClendon Studios Presents: Bowling Man

 

McClendon Studios Presents

Bowling Man

My father used to tell stories of when he was working for National Cash Register.  This is one of those stories.

He called on a man who owned a large company of stores who was a prospect for buying cash registers from my father.

It turns out that the man had not been bowling in a while and really wanted to go bowling soon. My father agreed to take him bowling while they talked over the possible purchase of cash registers.

While they were bowling, the man partook of many beers which my father paid for.  The man became a little drunk and signed the largest order my father had ever had in his life.  All my father had to do was mail that order and the man was obligated to purchase the cash registers. After all, he had a signed contract. This was the 1960’s and the fact that it was signed while intoxicated was not a matter the court would take up anyway.

Well, my father thought about it all that night.  The next morning, bright and early, he went to see the man at his office.

My father handed the man the contract and told him that he was legally obligated to purchase the cash registers but that he, my father, thought that it would be much better if they tore up that contract and started over.

Well, the man was very happy and tore up the contract. He and my father then sat down and negotiated a much smaller order.

My father lost on that sale, but for the rest of the time my father was with

National Cash Register, he would get a purchase order in the mail for every single cash register ever purchased by that company and every paper product, ribbon, and other accessory related to any product that National Cash Register offered that the store needed.

Years later, that act of honesty paid off for my father in a way he did not expect.

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Integrity

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One of the biggest things a company can do is to emphasize integrity. Integrity in a company needs to be emphasized from the top down. If you are a middle level manager, you need to emphasize it from your level down. The higher you go the further integrity will grow within the organization. We have seen that companies that have emphasized integrity and doing the right thing grow and prosper. In 1982, Johnson and Johnson had a problem that was no fault of their own. Someone managed to lace Tylenol with cyanide. This resulted in the deaths of five people. Johnson and Johnson acted quickly. They pulled the tainted lot from the shelves of stores across the country. Later, they pulled all Tylenol from the market.  They did not have to do this. The result was that Tylenol came back stronger than ever.

In his book  Jack: Straight from the Gut, Jack Welch emphasizes that integrity was stressed at GE. Whereas this might have been true at General Electric during Jack’s reign, it might not be true today. Allegations have been made that NBC, which is owned by GE, may have actively promoted the Obama presidency while burying certain news stories that would have shed a bad light on the president. It is alleged that GE has won certain government contracts and gotten certain favorable rulings from the justice department and courts because of this.  If these allegations are true, then GE is no longer a company that has integrity. If, however, they are just rumors, then perhaps integrity is still in place at GE.

Integrity is a top-down phenomenon. When the lower levels of the company know that a company not only talks the talk, but also walks the walk, they are more prone to do so themselves.

If a company wishes for line-level employees to treat customers with respect and to always do what is right, the top level officials need to show, not only by words but also by their actions, that they are honest in all their dealings.

I don’t recall who said it but I have heard a quote that said, in effect, whenever faced with a decision let this be your guide: If you woke up tomorrow and found that the front page of the newspaper was reporting what you decided and what action you took, would you be able to walk out your door with your head held high? If the answer is yes, it is the right decision. If not, keep working on it. 


Disclaimer
The opinions or advice listed in this blog or website should be used as a place to start only. It is not a substitute for the use of a professional.
Please be sure to consult your attorney and/or accountant with any specific questions.
There is no one right answer to any business question that will cover all circumstances.
Please Visit McClendon Enterprises