At times I have conducted performance evaluations with staff.  I have been surprised when I’ve given a strong rating to somebody followed by offering areas for improvement that some individuals take exception to criticism, regardless of how valid it is.

A study by Dr. Jeremy Bernerth, Associate Professor of Management at San Diego University, writes “those with a proclivity to be offended (PTBO) make terrible employees.”

In his report Dr. Bernerth writes: “What is PTBO? According to the study, it's a state-like tendency to be sensitive to customarily innocuous societal events and traditions,’ such as ‘playing of the United States' National Anthem,’ and is the ‘tendency to view an array of events and/or traditions as offensive.’ People with high PTBO ‘are likely to feel that social events or traditions to which they take offense also violate moral or equitable standards.’"

For many years, the use of migrant farm labor has been controversial. We read an account from Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and other movies highlighting the plight of migrant workers, both immigrants from other countries as well as US citizens.

The challenge for many farmers has been to obtain the correct amount of temporary field hands at the right time, in the correct place and at an affordable price.  As labor costs have increased, it placed an additional burden on farmers who needed hands to tend the crops and harvest when needed.

In today’s competitive sales environment, the salesperson faces two significant challenges. First, the Covid 19 pandemic reduces the amount of face time available for selling. Many of us don’t like making client visits during this time and many prospects don’t want to sit across the desk from us even if we went to their office. Second, the majority of people don’t like to read, especially millennials. This includes sales literature, booklets, and website copy. The millennial prospects would rather watch a three minute sales video.

However, the key principles of marketing still apply: lead with benefits and follow with evidence.

A professional marketing video is particularly effective to demonstrate a product. A great example is the Flex Seal advertisement showing the effectiveness of the product for plugging leaks.  The ad shows a basement window where water pours into the house.  Then, the video shows what happens when the home owner uses the Flex Seal product to stop the leak. Marketing a product that requires hands on use is tailor-made for a video presentation. It allows the customer to see exactly how an item works.

Most of us understand some customers make decisions by price alone; others purchase based on perceived value. Marketing to each type of customers is very different.

When I was in the international trade business, a fast food chain bought large amounts of hamburger meat from Australia and shipped it in frozen food containers. The customer generally requested competitive bids over three months. They made it clear that they would accept the lowest price. For several years we bid for the business and a couple times we landed the work for a quarter or two. However, when somebody was a dollar less; the business quickly went to the lower bid. Customer service seemed to make little difference. A sharp pencil was the only way to make successful bid.

Many of us are bombarded with requests for meetings, many from people we don’t know very well. The meetings probably won’t be productive, at least from our viewpoint. 

Nehemiah encountered this circumstance and he responded with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3, NIV) Four times messengers brought the same mess and four times Nehemiah gave the same answer, he couldn’t come. (Nehemiah 6:4 NIV)