With the election just past (yeah!) it made me realize we vote for a lot of things on which we really shouldn’t be voting. Judges are my top example. Who follows judge races? Who tracks their history, knowledge, opinions, etc.?
So, my first step is the voter pamphlet. I’ll glance at who they are, their background, etc. Then I look to see who’s endorsing them. If the endorsements are from people or groups I don’t like, the candidate doesn’t get my vote.
I’ve always wondered how this plays out in business (and life). We really don’t know how endorsements from someone held in negative regard helps or hurts us. I remember when I was starting in this business someone wrote a scathing newsletter about my friend Ted Leverette. The upside was someone called him, hired him and said something like, “I’ve met the author. If that person thinks this way about you I’m sure you’re a great resource.”
In other areas of negative reinforcement:
Business buyers – I tell them to first eliminate what they don’t want, which is usually restaurants, retails, and franchises. The easiest way to shorten the playing field.
Business sellers – Many will not want to sell to entities that just want to flip the business in five years. They want a buyer who will preserve their legacy. So any history of buying and then soon selling will cause them to flee.
Customers – We learn how to eliminate bad customers even though occasionally a bad one sneaks through. Experience teaches us the only thing worse than no customer is a bad customer.
“Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” Mark Twain
