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Summer Lovin' Happened So Fast...

Guest post by: Brian Sullivan

Article Overview: Disclaimer: Before reading Brian Sullivan's "Lessons from Danny Zucko," it is necessary that you have seen the movie Grease at least two times. If you have not, please close this article immediately as its contents will make absolutely no sense to you. If you have seen the movie more than eight times, than there is absolutely nothing I, or my articles can do to help you. Your problems run much deeper.

Summer Lovin' Happened So Fast...

Three weeks ago, while skimming the tv channels looking for some mindless, purly entertaining, feel good movie, I ran across a cult classic on TNT and was reminded of some very important sales lessons from a truly remarkable man. While some sales and leadership trainers find wisdom in Ghandi, Vince Lombardi, and Bill Gates, this summer I found mine in Danny Zucko, the studly character played by John Travolta in the smash hit movie of the '70s, Grease. This very "human" character teaches us some professional and even some life lessons that I would now like to share with you. But before I do, let's take you back…

Oh…remember that summer. Danny met every teenage boy's "bring home to Mom" dream girl in Olivia Newton-John, built a resume of summer memories, said goodbye to Olivia (stage name Sandy), and went back to school with some great stories for his friends ("We made out under the dock," I believe were the exact words he used with Kenicky and the hip T-Birds gang)

"What lessons could I possibly learn from a teenage character in a movie 20+ years old?" you ask. Well, here they are:

Danny Zucko Lesson #1 –"Ya Better Shape Up… and Enjoy the Summer."



Danny did summer right. With your summer nearing its end, are you doing it right? Is this going to be a summer you remember both personally and professionally, or will it just melt into obscurity? If your like me, summer is as busy as any season. Between vacations, summer camps, and needy customers, I often forget to take time to cherish the memories that I am building. I get so wrapped up in "what's next" in my PDA that I often forget to enjoy this day, this seminar, this meeting, this ball game, this vacation, this irreplaceable moment with my three greatest customers (My wife Leanne, and my two kids Jake and Shea). I spend so much time trying to make tomorrow better that I often overlook the opportunities of today.

Not Danny! Oh no… D. Zucko (as I like to call him), who was never known as the smartest student at Rydell High, skipped around that beach, hand in hand with the beautiful Sandy like he didn't have a care in the world. He knew school was coming soon, but dammit, he was loving life. The kid was cherishing the moment. He wasn't worried about the next email, voicemail, customer meeting, he was (as my hippie friends say) "living in the NOW, Man." While planning ahead is vital in our professional careers, we can't let the future blind us to the present.

Danny Zucko Lesson #2 –"Watch what you say. It could get back to Sandy"



Zucko learned a tough lesson when he got back to school. He didn't exactly tell the truth about his time with Sandy, did he? So he told a few white lies to his gang about his relationship with the perfect "10" Aussie. What's the big deal? While these "harmless" little stories were designed to make him look good and his customer (Sandy) look bad, Sandy found out and he nearly lost his best customer. Danny has since learned his lesson and now understands that even the slightest half-truths can be costly.

In business, don't ever stretch the truth, tell "white lies" to cover yourself, or blame others for your missteps and mistakes. If your product or service doesn't do something that the customer is expecting, don't spin your words to make the solution fit. There is an old saying about "great" salespeople that goes like this. "That salesperson was so good, he could sell ice to the Eskimos." I have little doubt that the salesperson selling that ice is not telling the whole story. Or perhaps he is streeeeeeeching the truth a bit to get the deal. Let me tell you, you may get the deal, but there is nothing like a regretful and ticked off Eskimo. So if you make a habit of stretching, spinning and white lying in your business, it WILL get back to Sandy. And there is nothing like an angry blond. I know…I married one.

Danny Zucko Lesson #3 –Be Yourself!

Danny wanted to get his best customer (Sandy) back badly. That cool, Arthur Fonzerelli fella totally sold out and went nerdy. He pulled out the letter sweater, threw away those cool cigarettes…even went out for the track team. Now I am all for self-improvement and doing everything necessary to get to the top, believe me. But Danny Boy realized that being something he wasn't was no way to live. Not only that, it's ineffective. You see, Sandy wanted the "real" Zucko…not some wimpy watered down version. And in your professional world, your customers want the real YOU. (If you are a sales leader or manager, your team members want the real YOU, too.)

I recently learned this myself. I was told by some colleagues that I needed to take the "edge" out of my speaking and writing a bit…that it needed to sound more…(clear throat)…professional. Well guess what? The first Danny Zucko Letter Sweater, wimpy, "toned down" version of one of my presentations I gave almost put me to sleep on my feet. It didn't fit me and because it didn't fit me, it didn't fit my audience. So now I am taking Danny's advice. If you want to get the "girl," be 100% YOU. You might not get the one you thought you wanted, but you will be sure to get the one that is "perfect" for you.

Enjoy the rest of the summer! And I hope when school season roles around, you will have a ton of "truthful" stories to share with Rizzo, Kenicky and the whole gang.

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Article Tags: communication skills, edge, grease, insurance sales training, medical sales training, precise selling, sales tactics, sales training, truth, white lies



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