Landscape Management, October 2012
Who doesnt like to do business With a company that does great Work and has a good story 2013 Mid America Horticultural Trade Show Calling all Landscape and Lawn Care Professionals in the Midwest Register Today and Where The Green Industry Comes toGROW January 16 18 2013 Navy Pier Chicago Illinois www midam org Grow your knowledge Grow your network Grow your business Learn tactics and techniques that ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty Make lasting business connections easily and enjoyably Find solutions faster in our reconfi gured exhibit hall segmented by product category 83 OCTOBER 2012 LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET to fgure out how to make men want to work with me Sometimes that meant simply retreating and letting one of my male staffers handle the situation But more likely it meant letting go of those things that could be considered discrimination and just doing a good job so they had to deal with me Many times I would bring a man with me to client meetings if I knew the client would feel more comfortable speaking man speak Literally some clients would look and talk only to the man on my staff even though I owned the darn company Did I care Hell no If I could get the business the product or the answer why should I care I didnt take it personally I just listened took notes and took the work The fact is most good men have a good woman in the mix Its their secretary their wife or their daughter Who writes the checks or answers the company phone Usually a woman Find her I fgured out early on how to connect with these women and make it work for my business If you can connect on a basic human level and fnd something you have in common you are in no matter the race creed or gender of the person youre dealing with Ladies fnd that woman you can connect with Lastly my secret weapon and one that many of you dont have is Im a lesbian How does that help me When someone fnds out theres a curiosity and openness that breaks down the malefemale barrier of business Sure there are lots of stupid questions and many stares but not at my chest Hey if it works work it Sometimes all the attention it attracts is embarrassing but its a story And who doesnt like to do business with a company that does great work and has a good story Women Find that niche that story and that strength to rise above the noise Business is business and something is better than nothing LM Webber is president of Christy Webber Landscapes in Chicago Join the excitement and be in the know Mid Am is proudly produced by the industry for the industry WGIF Gold Winners photo credits clockwise from top right Stano Landscaping Lieds Bret Achtenhagen
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