In Steven Covey's book, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" he best defines a Paradigm Shift in a wonderful story he shares about a Naval Battleship returning from manuevers late one night. He tells of the signal man notifying the Commander of a light off its starboard bow at 30 degrees. And based on the ship's course, this indicates that they're heading for a collision. The commander instructs him to signal the unknown "light" to change its course 26 degrees. The signal man returns the message that they would like the commander to alter its course by those same degrees. The commander instructs to signal his rank and status in the US Navy and that THEY should change course 26 degrees. Again the signal comes back and says, "with all due respect, this is Seaman Apprentice Jones and once again, I respectfully request that you change your course".

Now infuriated, the Commander instructs to signal yet again that he is a Commander in the US Navy operating a United States Battleship, loaded with live ammunition and that he should IMMEDIATELY change his course by 26 degrees! And once again the signal comes back from Seaman Apprentice Jones who says, "Sir, I am operating a LIGHTHOUSE and once again respectfully request that you change your course to avoid a collision".

SALES vs MANAGEMENT ~ Why can't we all just get along?

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

 The woman below replied, "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude…and I might add…more than an hour late."

 "You must be in management," said the balloonist. "I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?"

 "Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far."

 The woman below responded, "You must be in sales." "I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

 "Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."

Small business owners and managers often confuse marketing with sales, using the terms almost as synonyms. In fact, marketing and sales are distinct arts", says famed business writer Michaela Cavallaro. 

 Simply stated, marketing creates the infrastructure from which a sale can be made. Most of us familiar with Brian Tracy’s enlightened and profound statement, “Nothing happens until a sale is made”, would tend to agree that there must be some sort of interdependent relationship between the two.  

 So if marketing lays the groundwork for sales to take place, sales is therefore dependant on sharp and successful marketing. Cavallaro states that the sales department “closes the deal” and it is essential that the two work together to find and acquire customers for your growing business. That doesn’t always happen and I believe it is the very reason many businesses don’t grow and why many fail.

 Salespeople are living in the real world and are tuned into the needs of the buyers. Marketing people are dreamers and sometimes completely miss the boat when it comes to communicating a company’s strengths in its advertising and public relations messages. And if they are not working in tandem, each blames the other for their respective failures and unless they begin to collaborate; they are destined to repeat the process.