One O'Clock Saturday. This is it, the time is now. I have been dreading this moment for a long time but there is no way to hide from it today. I am following my son and his Mother up to the door and it is locked. Shocked I think someone has erred in their timing. This can't be, the United States Marine Corp would be far more circumspect in their dealings than this. Though I can't see through the glare, I hear the door being unlocked from the inside. Ahh, I think looking at my watch, the Marines are not late, they were inside waiting for us, the low grade dread I have been feeling now blossoms, building within a furious readiness to face the battle about to come. It will be the Marines versus Me, who can sell better? The winner gets my son. You can understand my intense determination to win.
Reaching his hand out in respect is Sargent Day. He is the recruiter sending my son into harms way. My handshake has the feel of a prize fighter touching gloves. Now I go pro. Laughing jocularly I take control of the room, joking with the men inside, all recruiters, all trained killing machines and worse, these are the Marines prized sales people. Turns out they have been drilling on how to recruit (sell the Marines) more effectively. They drill regularly. It's ok. I drill regularly too, and I have been doing it longer than these boys have been alive. My goal in this moment is to learn their sales skills. If I know their training ground, I know how to deal with them. I will know their skills, their thinking, their closes and their response mechanisms. So I joke with them and slide questions in. One has been taking the brunt of the criticism from a recent role play, their training, something the Marines put together. I don't know what the Marines teach. Dang. Point goes to the Marines. I am OK though. I will still know what he is doing.
My problem here is that on one hand I am more than just a little proud of my son who chooses to Man Up in a time honored military tradition that men have followed for centuries. Nothing is nobler than preparing to defend one's country and lifestyle with their own life if necessary. On the other hand, this is my son. Stepping into harms way. Maybe not really and with some safety measures built in, but by giving my consent here, there is a real and likely possibility of some stranger shooting real bullets at a kid I am not ready to lose. Then there are all those stories of kids signing up for what they were promised and the promises getting thrown out the window the moment the kid hits boot camp. I want my son to get what he was promised. I also want him to come home alive. So my battle to day is to spot the lies, find the mis-truths, see where this man is trying to cause harm and step in the middle before something bad happens.
First thing, before saying another word to me, Sargent Day turns to my son and asks if he has done his pull ups. Son says no, Sargent Day says Why not? Go do them. With no other words, my son trots off to do his pull ups. OK, point for Sargent Day. Discipline has value. Now we go into a "closing room, Sargent says he is here to answer all our questions, explain the Marines, the commitments required and value son will receive. He goes through what seems to be a familiar litany to him of what he expects, what we can expect and what son will face. I am listening for trial closing questions and don't hear them, I am listening for tricks and techniques designed to separate us from our son and don't hear them, in the end I have heard little to suggest this guy is trying to take advantage of either son or parents.
We move to the wind down of this conversation and I hear myself closing his mom on our son joining. Then I hear her closing me. We both agree. How did Sargent Day do that? I am not sure I know right now, I only know that while there is some risk for son, there is a whole world of value in the man I expect my son to come home as. Then Sargent Day says the magic words, "It's not really my job to sell anyone on being in the Marines, there are hundreds of kids who want to be here, who get the value and want it. My job is to simply find those kids."
If you know me, if you have ever seen any of the Solomon Says: tweets, you know two of my major sales beliefs are, when there is more value than expense, the decision gets made and just as important, the game of sales is won during the prospecting phase. Sargent Day believes them too. Wow.
The Marines get my son. They get my respect and I am happy to support their effort. Well, what would you do? They used my own sales model, and they use it well. Of course they are the United States Marine Corps. I should have expected it.
Respectfully submitted,
Michael D Goodman
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