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On momentum, inertia, inevitability, and the Rube Goldberg Machine

The Rube Goldberg Machine is an amazing metaphor for sales. You've seen them at work with examples such as the classic game "Mouse Trap", in some of your favorite cartoons, in movies, and even music videos.

A series of incredibly complex events, often seemingly unrelated to the end result, culminating with a simple task being accomplished. If you haven't clicked on one of the links above, go ahead....

From David Mamet's classic Glenngarry Glen Ross we get the prime directive to "get them to sign on the line that is dotted!!", in Jerry Maguire it's "Show me the Money!!", from Boiler Room the shouts of "Reco!!!"....these have all become cliches or mantras, or both, depending on your view.

So what's my point? Simple....I spend hours, days, months, quarters, years all in the search of a client putting pen to paper. Executing a contract. The very simple act of signing one's name, which procures an order. The Ink. The act itself often takes only seconds, but to get to this point a salesperson must wine and dine, consult, advise, argue, collaborate, trouble shoot, instruct, educate, woo, take to finance, argue with finance, struggle with internal and external processes, consult legal, redline, tally, tarry, etc, etc, etc....

Momentum, inertia, inevitability.....persistence. The first domino falls and a series of events begin. Excuse the pun, but it is indeed poetry in motion.

oh, and this one is probably my favorite example....well, excluding the ones that end with signatures on my own paperwork.






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