Follow up and follow through. The sale begins when the customer says yes — every sales person knows that following through after the order is written is what earns customer loyalty. Checking in to see how the product is working, fixing problems, listening to ideas for improvement, calling to see if it’s time for another order — it’s just Business 101.
In other areas of business, not just sales, the same principle should also hold true. Unreturned phone calls and emails, late deliveries, failures in completing paperwork or other snafus that cause delays are unprofessional and unacceptable. Follow up requires another F word — fanatical attention to detail.
Faults. Everyone has faults and weaknesses. The only way we get better is to work on them.
Faith. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t accomplish your goals. Who says you’re not tougher, better, harder working, smarter and more able than your competition? It doesn’t matter if they say you can’t do it. The only thing that matters is if you say it. If you believe in yourself, there’s hardly anything you can’t accomplish.
Fun. For years at our company, our motto has been “TGIM” — Thank God It’s Monday. We want our employees to look forward to coming to work as much as I do. We will always take our work seriously, and our customers’ needs seriously, but what we do isn’t brain surgery. Work should be fun, but fun shouldn’t be work.
Finish strong. Finishing strong helps you to put your mind at rest knowing that you did your best. It also helps you more accurately assess situations in the future based on your effort.
Mackay’s Moral: First and foremost, you frankly can’t flourish without learning how to function with F words.