Mike and Bill, a salesman and a systems consultant, are hanging
out in the lone bar in a one-horse town in Northern Idaho. They have an
appointment with a local prospect the following afternoon. At that
moment a local rancher walks in carrying a wolf pelt.
"Good work," said the bartender. He pops open the cash register, pulls out a wad of bills and counts them into the rancher's outstretched hand.
After the rancher leaves, the salesman, Mike asks the bartender, "What was that all about?"
The barkeep says, "You boys mustn't be from around here. Haven't you heard? We got us a real wolf problem in these parts, and the county ain't done a thing about it. Why, just last week, a pack of the damn varmints came onto my property and laid waste to my chicken coup. Old man Miller down the road even lost four of his prized cattle to the blood thirsty beasts! They are vicious, and they got no fear. They gotta be stopped. So I'm offering a bounty of a hundred dollars to anyone who brings in a wolf pelt.
Mike and Bill took a look at each other, and immediately race out of the bar to go hunt wolves. After wandering around the hills for several hours, they finally spot a lone wolf in the distance. The salesman takes aim with his rented rifle and shoots the wolf dead. The two colleagues sprint over to where the carcass lay, and Mike gets busy with the pelt.
Suddenly Bill, the systems consultant says, "Hey Mike look!"
"Not now!" Mike says. "Can't you see I'm busy with a hundred dollars almost in my hands?"
Bill's voice starts to waver, "No Mike, look now! We've bitten off more than we can chew here."
Mike stops what he's doing and looks up. The two men are surrounded by a pack of at least 50 wolves. Every one of them growling, drooling, gnashing their teeth and licking their chops.
Mike the salesman takes the sight in and gasps, "Wow! We're going to be rich!"
Moral of the story. As a sales professional, if you find yourself out in the middle of nowhere, chasing an opportunity that has nothing to do with your company's core competency, and your system consultant warns that you've bitten off more than you can chew! Listen to him! There could be more than just your personal credibility on the line. It could be your career!
"If you live among wolves you have to act like a wolf!" - Nikita Khrushchev
"Good work," said the bartender. He pops open the cash register, pulls out a wad of bills and counts them into the rancher's outstretched hand.
After the rancher leaves, the salesman, Mike asks the bartender, "What was that all about?"
The barkeep says, "You boys mustn't be from around here. Haven't you heard? We got us a real wolf problem in these parts, and the county ain't done a thing about it. Why, just last week, a pack of the damn varmints came onto my property and laid waste to my chicken coup. Old man Miller down the road even lost four of his prized cattle to the blood thirsty beasts! They are vicious, and they got no fear. They gotta be stopped. So I'm offering a bounty of a hundred dollars to anyone who brings in a wolf pelt.
Mike and Bill took a look at each other, and immediately race out of the bar to go hunt wolves. After wandering around the hills for several hours, they finally spot a lone wolf in the distance. The salesman takes aim with his rented rifle and shoots the wolf dead. The two colleagues sprint over to where the carcass lay, and Mike gets busy with the pelt.
Suddenly Bill, the systems consultant says, "Hey Mike look!"
"Not now!" Mike says. "Can't you see I'm busy with a hundred dollars almost in my hands?"
Bill's voice starts to waver, "No Mike, look now! We've bitten off more than we can chew here."
Mike stops what he's doing and looks up. The two men are surrounded by a pack of at least 50 wolves. Every one of them growling, drooling, gnashing their teeth and licking their chops.
Mike the salesman takes the sight in and gasps, "Wow! We're going to be rich!"
Moral of the story. As a sales professional, if you find yourself out in the middle of nowhere, chasing an opportunity that has nothing to do with your company's core competency, and your system consultant warns that you've bitten off more than you can chew! Listen to him! There could be more than just your personal credibility on the line. It could be your career!
"If you live among wolves you have to act like a wolf!" - Nikita Khrushchev
