"Our Business Is Fun"

This was the company motto for Wham-O co-founded by Rich Knerr and Spud Melin. Knerr passed away this week at his suburban home in Arcadia, California. He was 82.

Knerr and Melin went into business in 1948 making $2 a day selling sling shots they made out of old orange crates in Knerr’s garage. The name Wham-o came from the sound Melin liked to make every time he fired one of his sling shots.

In 1958, they introduced the whole country to a round plastic hoop that became a national craze. These “Hoola Hoops” selling for .98 cents a piece were purchased by millions. Just as that fad ended they introduced the one that has produced endless hours of fun for my Labrador Retriever Sammy. The Frisbee is still popular today and has morphed into Frisbee Golf, Frisbee Football, and many other games. They also introduced the world to the Slip ‘N Slide, Silly String, and the Super Ball.

What’s all this got to do with Servant Selling? Actually, quite a lot. The fact is, if your not having a great time serving, your service will eventually, if not immediately become sub par. Fun should be a mandatory part of service you offer, regardless of what you sell.

Dee Hock, the man who turned Visa into a One Trillion Dollar company says, “The only serious work that ever occurs is with an incredible amount of laughter. You can count on it. It’s as close to a law of the universe as you can get. Where there is a group of people assembled in serious, somber, ponderous conduct, nothing is happening.”

My experience confirms this. My friend in Charlotte North Carolina, Billy Stegall is one of the most successful sales people and sales trainers I have ever known. Fun is his number one tool. It’s the same with my record busting friend, Earl Estep in Sacramento. My friend Brad Vander Ley from Denver, Colorado regularly starts off a relationship with a new rep by helping them figure out how to make the business fun. They all have different personalities, but they know how to have fun.

If you are serious about serving, selling, and success… lighten up. Have fun. If it’s not fun, you won’t spend the time to be great… and greatness is where all the money is. That’s not to say you won’t take some hard knocks in the business of selling. You will. But I always remember the advice of football coach turned commentator John Madden, “When you get hit hard, the best thing you can do is laugh.” True in football and true in Servant Selling.