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The Magic of Steve the Pretty Good
Better Than Expected
by Jerry Hocutt

If setting your customer’s expectations is a part of selling, Steve says it all.

We took one of our granddaughters to her first state fair last week and I couldn’t help but laugh at Steve’s billing posted throughout the fairgrounds.  In seven words he gets your attention, makes you laugh, explains exactly what his service is, and sets your expectations.  Pretty powerful.

You know when you show up for Steve’s performance that you’re not going to see the magic of someone like Criss “MindFreak” Angel, David Copperfield, or David Blaine.  But you are going to see some good sleight of hand.  At least he got a gig at the largest Washington fair, so he must be pretty good.

Steve also takes the pressure off himself with his billing.  Too many times we think our efforts or products and services have to be perfect.  If we’re perfectionists, we end up stopping ourselves from ever taking action to get the job done.

If we think we have to say the perfect things during a cold call, we’ll never make the call.  If we think we have to give the perfect speech before the chamber group, we freeze up.  If we think we have to have the answer to every possible objection, we’ll never talk to customers.

I’m not saying that we need to lower our standards.  We should always strive for perfection, but realize there is no such thing.  Searching for excellence is realistic.  But not always obtainable. 

Git ’er done
Doing the best we can do is an easy reach.  Even though we may mess up, if we do the best we can do (and don’t kid yourself, you know if you are or not), then we can learn from what we did right and wrong and do better the next time.

The people who get the most things done seem to be those who do “pretty good”.  That’s an easier target.  By doing pretty good on one thing, you have time to do pretty good on the next thing and the next thing and the...well, you get it.

When our parents were asked about their kids, they’d always reply that “they’re pretty good kids”.  That never upset me.  I could live with pretty good.  They could have said awful kids.  (I wonder if Steve’s first billings read “The Magic of Steve the Pretty Awful”?)

A lot of things in life are pretty good.  McDonalds.  Southwest Airlines.  Some television programs.  Not great.  But pretty good.  Pretty good things employ millions of people and contribute trillions of dollars to the world’s economy.  It seems the things that are perfect affect fewer people and contribute less to the lives of others.  Things like Krispy Kreme.  Well, that’s the only thing I can think of that’s perfect.  Maybe you can come up with more.

What’s the sales lesson here?  Shoot for the pretty good so you can get more done, help more people, and have a richer life.  Create your own billing. 

Bill the Pretty Good Closer
Mindy the Pretty Good Networker
Jake the Pretty Good Salesman
Kathryn the Pretty Good Sales Manager

Heck, like Steve, you might get a standing ovation because you’re better than they expected.  That’s pretty good.

I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop.
Where she sits she shines, and where she shines she sits.

I'm a mother pheasant plucker.
I pluck mother pheasants.
I'm the pleasantest mother pheasant plucker,
That ever plucked a mother pheasant.
Actually, ...
I'm not the pheasant plucker,
I'm the pheasant plucker's son.
But I'll stay and pluck the pheasants
Till the pheasant plucking 's done!

Even Geniuses Know It
“When one’s expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have.” – Stephen Hawking

I’m Not
“Try as hard as we may for perfection, the net result of our labors is an amazing, variety of imperfectness.  We are surprised at our own versatility in being able to fail in so many different ways.” – Samuel McChord Crothers

Walter the Pretty Good
“I can’t write a book commensurate with Shakespeare, but I can write a book by me.” – Sir Walter Raleigh

Every Day Is Like Staring Down the Barrel
“Life is not a spectacle or a feast; it is a predicament.” – George Santayana