His Great Desire to Make Customers Happy
The focus of Walton upon making his customers happy was so great, that he was almost fired one time. The problem with his focus was that he neglected his other responsibilities like keeping the books and paperwork.
He was a sales trainee at the time in Des Moines, Iowa, working for a J.C. Penney store. The only thing that saved his job was that his almost fanatical commitment to his customers resulted in extraordinary sales, the company had to keep him.
It's interesting to think of Walton starting off as not the most model employee in the company.
There are two things I wanted to mention about this that are important to learn:
1. Sales can cover mistakes.
This is important because it gives room for people to grow. Most quality managers won't mind their people making mistakes if they are really trying to help a customer. Of course it's expected that they learn from that mistake.
Sales covers mistakes by making it possible for the company to thrive while it's going through growing pains. I've seen a lot of inexperienced people with good hearts do tremendous in sales because the customers know they're doing their best to take care of their needs. It covers a lot of mistakes.
2. Sales can cover mistakes
No, that's not a misprint. There's another side to sales that needs to be looked at as well. Because sales can cover mistakes, the illusion can set in among management that everything is going great, while numerous little things are being let go because everything looks so good by the numbers.
It really is at the time when things are really taking off and doing good as far as sales go, that we need to be the most cautious. It is for the very reason that sales can cover up mistakes that it's dangerous. It is there that people can become lax and let things go that they normally wouldn't if things were extremely tight.
The reason why it's so important to watch things so closely during strong sales periods is the loose habits that can result from it. Everything from spending on things that really aren't needed, but is done anyway because there's a lot of cash available at the time, to neglecting the things that seem mundane in comparison to the go-go world of moving product; like Walton experienced.
This is handled by by encouraging the sales team or people making sales, while at the same time reminding everyone of the importance of the little things being done consistently that come about because of those sales.
Other Walton Sources:
The Most Underrated CEO Ever The legendary Sam Walton
Sam Walton: The Power of Persistence
Sam Walton Business Quotes for Ya
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