This story is a portion of an email received… A practical story that points out the importance of LEAD LEARNERS…

The person writes…

I had an interesting trip to a local pet store yesterday afternoon …

(I had been playing with the idea of getting a fish tank for the living room).

On one hand, it sounds like it would be a really cool addition because I love fishing, scuba-diving, etc… But on the other hand, I’m aware that fish tanks require a lot of work.

So I walked into this local shop. It’s a tiny place that’s probably been there for decades, and the isles are crammed from the floor to the ceiling with every kind of pet related product you can think of.

I eventually made our way to the back of the store where the fish tanks were located.

Personally, I was interested in getting a large,
100+ gallon salt-water tank that could house a few sizable Lion Fish.

Was that reasonable, or even possible?

I had no idea. I was completely lost.

To be honest, I don’t know a single thing about developing or maintaining a fish tank, and the questions that started racing through my mind were numbing.

I needed some advice from a pro, so we approached the store owner.

The following conversation was an experience I’ll appreciate for a very long time, and within minutes, this gentleman had turned me into a raving fan of his store.

Yes… Their selection is smaller than the large chains, their isles are cramped and dirty, and their prices higher, but I’ll gladly pay double the price if necessary in order to do business with them.

Why?

Because this guy has been in the fish business for 25 years…

He knew his stuff, and throughout our entire conversation, he had one goal…

To ensure everything was done correctly so that our fish would survive and thrive for years to come.

We talked about species compatibility, bacteria development, and coral. He told me why he only caries certain fish and holds them for 2 weeks before selling them, while other stores rush them out the door.

At one point, he mentioned a woman who had recently set up a salt water tank.

She was buying fish from another store and they kept dying. She wanted to try the same species again from his stock, but he wouldn’t do it.

He told her that she needed to wait another 3 months before the water in her tank would be ready to support a fish like that, but she wouldn’t listen. “I don’t want to hear anything negative”, she said. “Let’s be positive. Just tell me what I need to do and I’ll buy these fish right now.”

He walked to the door and kindly asked her to leave.

“Ma’am, if I sell you these fish, they’re just going to die. I don’t want that to happen and I don’t want you to throw your money away. I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and if you’re not willing to listen, I can’t help you.”

It was a story I related to immediately.

I liked this guy’s style. He cared more about his store’s integrity and the long-term success of his customers than making a sale, and was even willing to ask his customers to leave in order to demonstrate this fact.

This was a guy who’s willing to tell it like it is, even when it’s not what you want to hear.

And you know what…

He may have lost a sale that day, but he gained a new life-long
customer at that moment...

If needed, I’d gladly pay twice the price just for the privilege to shop at his store because I know that I’ll end up saving money in the long run with a trusted resource like him at my side.

You see, there are only two ways to “get good” at things in life, whether it’s owning your own business, or a brand new fish tank…

You can learn on your own through trial and error like the woman in the story above insists on doing, or you can learn from someone else who’s already paid that price which is what I like to do.

Author will remain Anonymous.