PPB June 2020

the attention of Ron, taking inventory on his clipboard, who mimed that he would not be open for a while. It must have been the panicked look on my young face, begging for an exception to the rule, that compelled him to come around the counter and let me in. I introduced myself and told himmy car was overheating. He introduced himself and said he was an electrician, not a mechanic. There was no doubt Ron preferred not to go out into the cold, but I asked anyway, and he agreed to see what he could do. He grabbed his coat, hat and flashlight. As he followed me out, he reminded me a second time to not get my hopes up; he was an electrician, not a mechanic. I opened the hood and stood off to the side while he meticulously traced all the wires around the engine compartment. Then he stopped, fixing his flashlight’s beam on a clipped wire that dangled between the radiator and the fan. “Hmmm,” he mumbled. “That might be your problem, right there,” he said, his tone taking on one of practiced authority. Ron reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a roll of electrical tape (which I would later learn is something all electricians apparently carry with them) and spliced the two ends back together. He tucked the repaired wire back into its rightful place, up and away from the fan. Tracing that particular wire, he explained that when the fan clipped it, it also stopped the fan from running, which in turn caused the engine to overheat. I started the car and everything worked again. Standing there in the freezing cold, I was nevertheless ecstatic. I asked Ron how much I owed him and he tried to brush aside the offer. When I insisted, he humored me. “Okay, let’s say five bucks,” he laughed. Although I didn’t have much money, I would have gladly emptied my wallet. Grabbing his flashlight, he put the electrical tape back in his pocket and closed the hood, then motioned for me to follow him back in. “Are you sure just five bucks?” I challenged. “Yeah,” he replied as he took off his coat. “Call it 50 cents for the electrical tape and $4.50 for knowing where to look.” This story is a reminder that the skills, expertise and experiences you have earned thus far in your life have value to others, whether they are obvious or not. The same is true of your clients, prospects, associates and co-workers. All of us carry present-day titles for the responsibilities we’ve assumed, but we too often forget that we have worked in other jobs for many people. We have needed to learn new things. We’ve all hit roadblocks, worked for tough bosses or had other things in our lives that made us dig deeper just to survive. When you consider all that you have learned up until now, don’t be surprised if you find yourself able to help and support someone else, regardless of what you do for a living right now. Your experiences can help you help them, because you know where to look. Another Learning Curve Straight Ahead Wasn’t it just a fewmonths ago that we did our selling in person? We gathered the information from the client, ordered up virtuals and samples, rehearsed what we wanted to say and headed out to meet them—just like hundreds of times before. Now, depending on the social distancing practices of the parties involved, we find the need for creativity in how we communicate. Those who Video Basics Podcast Available On PPAI PromoTalks In PPAI PromoTalks episode 2, PPB Presents: Why Video, Why Now? The Basics You Need To Get Started , with experts, Brady Peterson, owner of Scout Creative Media, and Josh Eaton, owner of Media Grabbers. Video is memorable. It grabs people's attention, keeps your brand top of mind and increases your visibility. In this podcast, you’ll learn how to create great videos to market your company, products or services—even if you’ve never done it before. Tune in to listen to this insightful and helpful 30-minute discussion available free at pubs.ppai.org and on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. All of us carry present-day titles for the responsibilities we’ve assumed, but we too often forget that we have worked in other jobs for many people. | JUNE 2020 | 71 THINK