The Art Of Doing Business: Finances, Taxes, The Economy and Profits

You wake up that morning and the CLOSE OF YOUR LIFE immediately comes into your mind. You begin to get a little nervous. You think it through to settle your mind down. This is no time to get anxious or nervous. After all, you are a professional and this is just another close. But you think again – it’s really not – you’ve never closed a deal this big in your life.

You have some coffee but you can’t eat and you don’t want to be late anyway. You jump into your car and, all in all, everything has run smoothly so far. Not too much traffic because you left the house 45 minutes early.

You remember what your military buddy told you. He had to take care of business everyday and then go back and enjoy a good meal & have his favorite drink – a Bloody Mary or a Gin & Tonic – the mood made his choice for him. He’d get up the next day and do it all over again. He had no problem with it and he taught you well. Or had he? He told you -Those who care the least win the game. The Killer Instinct.

What was he really telling you when he said that? Can’t think about that now. You jump on your cell phone to wrap up last minute details. You swerve to avoid the car you are passing. Gotta be more careful you think to yourself. But this is important! Wild thoughts are racing through your mind – gotta stay cool – chill. You tell yourself I’m Ok, I’m OK, things will go great, there will be no problems.

There was one technical point that the customer was having a problem with. You call your tech guy and he tells you he doesn’t have the solution yet. Oh My God.?. GET IT FIXED – you scream at the tech – NOW. 1 hour before the Close.

You are nervous. Your body heats up. Gotta stay “fresh” you think. This could blow the whole deal. You’ve been working months on this deal and now one little detail could ruin your best hour. You think to yourself – “…I should have handled it myself…” Too late now.

The thought pops back into your mind – Those who care the least win the game. The Killer Instinct.

Then your minds screams at you – I don’t care if I get this sale or not! But you know the real answer – you’ve got to win this one. You are frantic! You call your tech guy back and tell him to get that #%$* problem fixed !!!

30 minutes before the close. You are at the customer location. You walk in and greet everybody. You handle it well. They think everything is wonderful!

15 minutes before the close. Just as you call the tech guy again he tells you that he has the PROBLEM SOLVED !!! A deep shiver runs through your body and your shirt is wet with sweat. You take out your hanky and wipe your face down. Now you know you can close without any problems.

Everything goes great. The contract is signed. There are a few minor details but nothing important that will stop the deal.

On the way back from the close and you stop at a bar to celebrate. You ask yourself if you want a Bloody Mary or a Gin & Tonic. “I’ll have a Gin & Tonic, please.” You nervously laugh to yourself and think – What did I get so excited about? That was a breeze…Another nervous laugh. In fact, you can’t stop that nervous laugh. You shiver. It’s a very deep shiver. A smile comes across your face. You enjoy a deep laughter. You have a real sense of satisfaction. You won…this time. You are at peace with yourself – for a little while.

Then you think again about that thought – Those who care the least win the game. The Killer Instinct.

The Gin & Tonic slips down your throat and it feels good. You ask yourself if you have The Killer Instinct but you already know. Your natural instinct at that moment told you and you can’t kid yourself. You know whether you have it or you don’t. “Bartender, give me a Bloody Mary”.