“But they’re just one component of your sales

business.”

Ted nodded. “That’s right. And that’s how I became

a believer in the sales garden. Gardener taught me

that expanding my business and keeping more of my

customers was a lot like caring for a garden. Sure, you

needed the organized systems and the database to

keep track of everything, and you needed the cell

phone and the e-mail to stay connected.

“But I finally figured out that the difference was

continuous, special care of my customers, with a good

dose of dedication and, yes, persistence to understand

what my customers wanted from me so that they

could thrive, just like Gardener and all his pumpkin

patches.”

Gardener looked on bemusedly. “Ah, Ted, I don’t

have any pumpkin patches. Never have, actually.”

Ted shrugged. “Whatever … you guys know what

I mean.”

Marsha laughed at the interplay between the two

salesmen. She always liked the ribbing and teasing

that went on in the business and realized that she had

101

Nurturing Pays Off