WESTERN PETROLEUM MARKETERS ASSOCIATION CONVENTION
MGM GRAND HOTEL, LAS VEGAS, NV. FEBRUARY 1996

The older you get, the less you have to explain what you do. You just do it. And they look at you and say, "oh, he’s old."

God does this to us. He gives us daughters and says "deal with it." It’s his own little joke. Deal with it. They educate the hell out of us.

You can’t make it alone. You have to depend on people.

Decide you need goals. Identify them and write them down. Write down what you want. Then decide what price you want to pay to achieve them.

Attitude. I believe in who I am. Everything we do is preceded by our attitude.

When was the last time you told yourself you have self worth? How is anyone going to believe in you until you believe in yourself.

Enthusiasm goes into sports. But if you have a successful quarter in business…and you say nothing? Who’s going to get enthusiastic if you’re not?

You want to change where you are in life, change the energy you put into it.

Be confident. Educate yourself. Anticipate. How much do you know about your business? Be an excited student. Learn something new every day. Anticipate, educate, and work hard.

If things are different, we don’t want to do it. Stop and think: how many things do I do in my life because I have blinders on?

I’ve never had a failure. I’ve only had educational experiences that haven’t gone my way.

Signs of customer service today: There are vaults of money in the bank and a 19 cent pen chained down. They put Preparation H on the bottom shelf.

When did chivalry die? When did we stop doing nice things for customers? Are you doing the same things for your customers that you did when you started? Are you doing the same things for your partner when you started seeing each other? Remember when you first started going together? When that person was the most important person in your life? When you valued that friendship and you talked together?

Every day you’ve got to be a champion. You don’t want to be a participant.

Don’t do lip service to individuals.

Don’t tell someone you care about them — show them you love them.

Be a responsible human being

When you’ve got people in your operations and you say they’re important, you have to make sure you show it.

Hand write thank you notes.

Nebraska ought to be in the NFC East and the Jets should go play in the Big 8. That’s parity in football.