A great post from Real LaPlaine...

Author, salesman, top negotiator and one hell of a human being, Real has a few things to say about the word "NO" and they are worth listening to. I hope you are as inspired as I was! Thanks Real



DEATH BY ”NO”

By Réal Laplaine
Marketing Chief Nutrinacks AB

In the main, we don´t like to hear the word NO – sales people in particular really abhor that word. No means, NO, I don´t agree, I won´t do it, I won´t buy your product.

Out of experience I offer this perspective on the word NO, since I am engaged in sales and marketing in the company I work at, but having lived enough of life and seeing this principle in action, it seems to have some validity and is worth throwing on the table for your consideration.

Case in point, had I listened to that word NO, I would not have been happily married now for the last 16 years. There were enough NOs along the way to the start of my marriage to sink a battleship, but I never listened to any of them. My sense on it, which I tend to follow in spite of all the reasons not to, was that this was the right gal for me and in spite of all the acceptable reasons otherwise, proffered up by friends and associates, I went with it. One of the best decisions I ever made.

As a writer, and I am sure other writers will agree with me, if you have issue with the word NO, and are sensitive to that two letter word, then you´re going to have a rough go at it. Not everyone will agree with your writings. Not every publisher will necessarily throw out the red carpet to you and in fact, many may not. I refrain from using absolutes because of course it can be different for different people.

No is a relative term. It can be absolute, but in many cases it is not. In my experience, the trick to it, if there is a trick at all, is to believe in yourself and what you are trying to get accepted or sold. There lies the trick… TRUTH. If you believe in what you are doing or saying, and if you think it is good, right or a good buy, then say so. If you don´t believe in what you´re selling (even if it´s YOU) then don´t bother because then it´s a toss of the dice, a gamble whether or not people will buy it because you don´t believe it yourself.

Let´s take a really mundane and impersonal subject such as selling a product to a customer. You walk in and offer your product, maybe they are a small store owner or maybe they head up a chain of stores. They listen politely and say no thanks. Being that we are generally polite and nonintrusive as civil people, we tend not to pry, but I advise this approach as a possible means of breaking through the no barrier. Ask politely, WHY? Don´t go sugar-coated or insincere or try to give them “a deal” and certainly don´t start knocking the competition. People see through that approach like a glass window. If the best you can do is to speak badly about your competition then you don´t belong in sales. Honesty is the best approach in my opinion and experience. Ask them why, and mean it. Invite them to talk to you. So you did your initial sales pitch, played your best cards (you think) and the owner says “no thanks”. Now is the time to be willing to hear what they REALLY have to say. His or her NO could very easily be the most polite thing they can say to you. But what´s behind that? What are they really thinking? If you are willing to ask them, and LISTEN to them, and let them vent that off, and not come back with a defensive statement or criticize them or make them feel wrong for saying what they really think, then you´re going to have a chance somewhere along the line to actually sell yourself.

When you are honest with people, and invite them to be honest with you, you get real communication to happen, and the result of that is real understanding. When two people can come to an understanding, even about things that they disagree about, then viewpoints can change. If the communication is not real, or sincere, your chances of breaking through the NO barrier are much less.

You would be amazed to find that the man or woman who says no several times, will, if you continue to invite them to tell you why and LISTEN, suddenly decide to sign with your company or product because they see you in someone who cares and isn´t just trying to sell them a product by any means they can.

I once had a guy tell me, in the course of a thirty minute interview, NO at least several times and insisting that he wasn´t going to change his mind. I invited him to tell me more about it, why, etc, and after a while I realized what it was that was holding him back. I said a few words to him, but they were the right words he needed to hear, the TRUTH, and he signed promptly. The only reason I knew what to say was that I had listened to him and was willing to hear his repeated NOs, and the barrage of reasons behind those NOs. Without that I would have been pitching balls to an empty field.

I am not a great salesman. I never was, and maybe, never will be. But I do know that where I have sold it was based on sincerity, honesty and a willing attitude to sit there and grant the other person the right to say NO and listen to their reasons. And I was completely willing to walk away from that meeting without a sale too. Let´s face it, there are 6 billion people on the planet, and a failed sale here and there is not the end of the world, and sometimes, it´s better for both parties to let it go.

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Réal Laplaine is the Marketing Chief Nutrinacks AB, a Swedish based company located in Göteborg Sweden, which distributes high quality naturgodis (nuts and dried fruits prepared with or without chocolate, yogurt etc) as well as organic products in the same genre. He is also a writer and author, having recently published a book in the United States and has several other books coming out in the near future through other publishing agencies.

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Réal Laplaine
Marketing Chief Nutrinacks AB and Author
Datavagen 57 A
Askim 436 32 SWEDEN
Tel: 031-706-9595
real@nutrinacks.com www.nutrinacks.com
www.reallaplaine.com www.RealLaplaine.wordpress.com
real.laplaine@gmail.com

Where in the Hell is WaWa Ontario....Heaven perhaps?

Oh Canada! Jeremy for Mayor of Buffalo!

My ethernet cable is hooked into a goose's ass that is flying south over Lake Superior....can you hear me? Can you hear me now? Hello...??? We rode bareback on a moose and drank beer right from the streams. This is where hockey pucks grow on trees. You feeling me? My Canadian friends are! I'm always busting on the "Great White North" and the folks that live here, but I have to admit.... it's gorgeous! After spending a few nights on the north shore side of this behemoth body of fresh water, I'm convinced it isn't a lake after all, but more of an Alien Shore (Rush fans??). Seriously. You can see down to the glittery bottom, chock full of perfectly smooth granite rocks that have been tumbling and tossing in the big waves for millennia. It is too cold to swim, however if it were hot outside the past few days I would have gone in for a little shrinkage action. My junk would have looked like an acorn on the bottom of a forest floor.... yes it its that cold.

We passed through Duluth and spent our first night at Grand Marais, Minnesota at a fantastic municipal park that was right on the lake. Yes, you heard right, municipal. I thought, how cool would it be if Buffalo did this down on Route 5 in one of the empty lots near the small boat harbor and Tifft Farms. Put in some basic utilities and hook ups for RVS and Wallah! People will come! I guarantee it. Almost every RV park we've stayed at, even in the middle of corn fields, has been close to capacity. This is a big industry in America. Plus, there would be no crazy funding needed and no top heavy bureaucratic oversight to take care of it. Charge $40 t0 $50 a night, which is pretty much standard anywhere in the US and Canada for full amenities and you've got yourself a start. Then have shuttle service to downtown, events, and Niagara Falls. Somebody email the mayor! Or hell, elect me instead!

We are camped for a night or two just outside of Wawa, ON near Lake Superior Provincial Park. I've been trying to spot the northern lights since the suggestion from aunt Linda a few days ago, but I haven't seen them yet. Both times that I woke up in the middle of the night to go outside I was amazed at the amount of stars I could see, shooting stars especially, but no northern lights. Maybe tonight? Here are some shots we took... mom took some especially cute ones of John! Hope you are all wonderful and warm! Jeremy

Minnesota, Land of 1,000 lakes...eh.

This part of the country is very familiar to us subconsciously and I believe this is because of the very similar rolling landscape and the abundance of fresh water. You can't go very far on any road in these parts without seeing a lake or river. We are staying in the Itasca Lake State Park which is where the headwaters of the Mississippi River begin. Having crossed the Mississippi several times during this trip, this was a great sentimental discovery. Its always nice to see the point where things begin and end, especially large rivers since they have so much spiritual and historical ties. I have yet to go to New Orleans, but I do believe I shall sometime soon. Mardi Gras anyone?

John Isaac and I spent the day at the beach today playing frisbee with some local kids followed by a serious game of "toss the little brother" where I fire him skywards for front and back flips back into the lake. We had a good time. I think the other feature of this area that reminds me of home is the way people talk. They have that quasi-Canadian accent that we have in Buffalo. Somewhat nasal in tone with similar expressive projections and volume. I've heard the occassional "eh" too, which is a dead giveaway that you are within a few hundred miles of Canuckville. They also greet each other with the very common, "How aaaare ya!!!" which of course is answered with "Goooood and you?" I know some of you are laughing right now, because it is totally true. Having spent lots of time away from Western NY, then coming back, these are the kinds of things I pick up on in the grocery stores and diners. Visit your local Tops or Wegman's supermarket and see how many times people do this. It's astounding!

Anyway, we are enjoying the stay and laughing a bit because my little brother knows that he's back in bear country so he's taking his normal psychological precautions at night. All of the sudden he needs his light on to do Wordsearch puzzles in bed and he doesn't dare go to the bathroom without an escort... even though we are parked right next to it. Such is the mind of an 8 year old! We bounce out of here tomorrow and head a few hundred miles east to the greatest lake of them all... Superior! I'm very excited about this part of the trip! More to come.... Jeremy

Goodbye Yellowstone... Hello Great Lakes.

Happy Birthday me, since it is midnight in the mid West! I've been getting the Facebook and text message pings for the last hour or more from all of my lovely friends back East. I'm wide awake, with internet connection, and of sharp and active mind... so I decided to report on the current state of affairs. Very currently there is an amazing lightning storm coming our way here in Jamestown, North Dakota. I can see the flashes in the distance from the window, and I'm hoping the pending rains will cool the air enough for me to get some sleep. It is very hot here compared to the 10 cold nights we spent in Yellowstone bundled under sleeping bags and thick blankets. The front air conditioner where I'm sleeping doesn't work and my mom and brother always shut theirs down because it gets too cold in the back bedroom. Such is life in the RV. My mom even said today, "We are going to need a new roll of duct tape soon" while fixing another fallen piece of the 38 foot puzzle we are living in. We all looked at one another and laughed. We have utilized, to capacity, the adhesive powers of the mighty gray-wonder tape to keep this boat a-sailing! Tomorrow we get the vehicles serviced and re-lubed so that we are ready for our return trip through the mighty North of Canada, skirting the north side of the Great Lakes as we trek back to Buffalo.

Yellowstone was fantastic. We swam and paddled crystal clear glacier lakes. We saw tons of wildlife including grizzly bears, black bears, moose, elk, fox, bobcat, deer, hawks, eagles, falcons, bison, and the tiniest little squirrels you ever saw. It is a most splendid piece of this earth and if you have never been, please treat yourself and go check it out. There is a variety of natural phenomena at work and if you are lucky, and up early or late enough to see it without a mass of humans, it is extremely rewarding. We traveled most of the park and saw many of the famous landmarks, but were also able to enjoy some spontaneous finds in Grand Teton and just outside of West Yellowstone in Gallatin National Forest. It felt like we were the delta force of bear watching with my mom constantly urging us to keep a sharp weather eye out for them. She is the best spotter I know though not always accurate. Cries of, "OH Look!!! A Cougar!!!" yielded deer, twice. John got a kick out of the bison we almost ran into in the middle of the road while looking for bears one night. He scared the souls out of my mother and I when he screamed and pointed straight while we were both looking out the side window with a spotlight. There were plenty of things to get our adrenaline pumping.... and it seems his has just dissipated tonight. The boy is finally sleeping. He's been up almost every night with a light on, for fear of bears and Bigfoot and now that he knows we are officially out of bear country (he showed me the map today in his wildlife book), he's out like a light. This is good, because he's been acting more silly than normal with me in the car and he's got my mother a bit ragged from lack of sleep. She's enjoying a peaceful slumber as we speak too.

I feel so blessed to have this wonderful opportunity to travel and seek out great experiences and this trip has been no exception. We live in such a complex and fast paced world today and it is a pleasure, nay, a necessity for us to take time to reconnect with the important things in life; family, nature and love. I've gotten all three on this trip thus far. Here's to you, and me, and all of us.... from the RV, in the middle of nowhere to wherever you live.... that we may all be blessed and realize what wonderful gifts we already have. Thanks for checking in..... Jeremy

Yellow Fever? Yellow Stone.

We spent last night driving through the park looking for wildlife. The air was cold, the moon was full and we were listening to comedy on satelite radio while flashing our spotlight out into the fields and rivers that we came across. Our first spotting was a bear! We couldn't tell if it was a grizzly since it was too dark, but it got us all excited. John was even a little scared, ushering us back into the car on occasions when we didn't spot anything, but were walking along a gulch wall or close to the forest. We had spotted loads of elk and deer and were just getting into Hayden Valley, which is one of the best spots in the park for viewing wildlife, when my brother screamed.."Oh my God is that a bear in front of us!" We had been searching the side of the road and nearly dropped the spotlight and pissed ourselves. It was a bison, not a bear, but it was right in the road in front of us and all we could see was the transluscent color of its eyes and its huge bulky body. We approached slowly and it seemed as if it would ram right into our car. Luckily we got away before that happened. Our plans were to round the Valley and head back on the road that passes Old Faithful. Unfortunately when we got to the turn off, we found the road is closed at night. There was a Ranger there in a cruiser who drove up to us and offered directions. I told him we had been spotting animals and he quickly informed us that it was illegal and considered harassment of wildlife.... oops. He didn't give us a ticket. It was a long drive back to the campsite, almost 2 hours, but we took turns driving and the section along the lake was incredible with the moon shining in the distance.

I woke up this morning with a wicked rash on the inside of my arms and behind my knees. Mom and John weren't feeling so hot either. We are just relaxing today. I took a ride 30 miles away to the nearest Wifi zone to share some more pics. Hope you enjoy!

Great Pictures... funny words!

I have a big ass coffee.... a belly full of Pad Thai... some Willie Nelson strumming on the coffee house speakers and my silent farts smell so bad they are offending people all around me. I keep looking around with everyone and making the face like I can't believe somebody is doing that. I met a guy last night who is riding his bike down the continental divide from Canada to deep into Mexico and Central America. He's 75 years old and just started riding bikes at 71. It gave me an acute awareness of myself as being almost 31, and not so adventurous after all. I also have new knowledge of a woman who was gored by a bison in Yellowstone yesterday. I love when people get killed or hurt by animals! I know it is sick, but I you should see all of the idiots in yellowstone that park their cars in the middle of the road and rush after wildlife to take pictures. I'm told this woman provoked the buffalo by throwing something at it, which is even better as I replay the bison revenge in my mind. Haven't we done enough you dumb human fuckers! We have practically raped the whole planet of any wildlife as it is, now we chase after them with our Nikon's and wonder why they maul us! GOOOOO ANIMALS!!! Stay in your Lexus SUV with your Louis Vitton bag, take your picture and head back to Looooong Island. Anyway.... here's some pictures of me getting too close to animals and some other fantastic shots of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons... Enjoy.