Clinging to the Wreckage...and Missing the Lifeboat

Mel, When I was a manufacturer's rep in Chicago I had an opportunity to eat a lot of humble pie. For a year and a half I pounded the phone relentlessly, faithfully, digging up big opportunities and bringing them to the companies I represented. Any one of these deals would have added a bare minimum of a few hundred bucks a month to my commission checks. Back then even that would've been a godsend. One by one, the companies I worked for would systematically screw them up. I became more stressed, more desperate, increasingly in denial about what was and was not a good opportunity. I developed tunnel vision, becoming oblivious to dangers around me. One day I ran across a massive opportunity. US Steel in Hammond Indiana needed an optical sensing system that would optimally shape massive hunks of molten steel, minimizing the waste that had to be cut off when it was processed. A slight improvement would save the company several million dollars a year. They had the budget for it, the only problem was finding a systems integrator with the expertise to design and install it - it would be a custom piece of equipment. I knew an integrator who could probably do it, they visited the customer and submitted a quote. $1.1 million, on which my rep firm would get 10% and I would get half. A $55,000 commission check was more than I made all year. I was counting those dollars. I was already bragging to my friends about this. Not only was I salivating over the money (I was going deeper in debt every single month) but this project was so cool. It was hands down the coolest thing I'd ever encountered... To be continued... **NOTE: Please do not reply directly to this email. Instead, visit http://perrymarshall.com/support with any questions or concerns.  Update subscriber options

Perry S. Marshall & Assoc
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