David Squires

This Parable of a Man, a Boy and a Donkey Is So True for Retailers

Can you handle the truth?

Published

10 years ago

January 22, 2014

David Squires

CAME ACROSS A NICE PARABLE while reading Michael Port’s Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling. It goes like this:

An old man, a boy, and a donkey were heading to town. The boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked beside him. They came across a group of people, and as they passed, could hear them saying to each other that it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding. The man and boy thought perhaps the critics were right, so they changed positions.

Soon after, they passed another group of people who remarked, “What a shame! He makes that little boy walk.” The two decided then that they both would walk.

Before long, they passed another crowd who thought the two were stupid to walk when they had a strong donkey to ride. So they both rode the donkey.

Later, they passed some people who made the man and the boy feel ashamed by saying how terrible it was that they were putting such a load that poor, tired donkey. The boy and man decided that the commenters were probably right, so they decided they would carry the donkey. However, as they carried the donkey across a nearby bridge, they lost their grip on the animal, and he fell into the driver and drowned.

Moral of the story? Don’t try to please everyone. Because if you do, you might as well kiss your ass goodbye.

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”