“There Aren’t Any Frigging Dolphins on this Dolphin Tour”

I know what you are thinking.  What the hell is this article about?  Well let me set this story up.  We are on a family vacation to Madeira Beach Florida.  Our beach condo faces a dolphin feeding ground.  Every morning, my wife and I wake up to see dolphins popping out of the water in the distance as we sip coffee.  It’s beautiful and relaxing.  We want to get up close with the dolphins and show our kids these beautiful, playful mammals in their natural environment.  So first we decided to rent jet skis and go to their feeding grounds in front of our condo.  Unfortunately, the day was choppy, and no dolphins were to be seen.  Big fail. 

Screw it.  Time to invest in a guaranteed dolphin adventure.  Aka, we booked a 90-minute tour on Dolphin Quest out of Saint John’s pass.  As we board the vessel next to the site of the jet ski adventure, I’m feeling optimistic about this family experience.   Instead of going out to the open ocean like we did, the Dolphin Quest vessel goes into the bay, extremely close to shore.  Within 10 minutes we see dolphins close to shore fishing.  They pop up for air and it’s cool to see, but as a whole they are pretty illusive.  Not the most social pack of dolphins.  The boat moves on and here is where the adventure really begins.

My 8-year-old daughter, having grown up in an era of instant gratification, has no patience to simply enjoy the peaceful boat ride.  Instead, she starts demanding the phone.  Seriously, we are on a boat cruising in the bay on a perfect weather day and all she can think about is ROBLOX.

 Well, as the parental fight goes on, I make the argument that she can’t use my phone because it’s a beautiful day and we are on a Dolphin Tour and that’s when my cute 8-year-old daughter muttered, “There aren’t any frigging dolphins on this dolphin tour.”

My wife and I can’t help but laugh.  She has a point; we were on this boat for almost an hour without seeing any more dolphins.  It’s starting to feel like an anticlimactic trip.  As we puttered back to John’s Pass, ready to call it a cruise, the most amazing thing happened.  We are in the channel, within shouting distance of the dock, when about 8 dolphins come playfully to the surface.  Not only were they playing together, but they were playing with us.  Coming in and out of the water, getting so close to the boat that they were deliberately blowing water on us.  It was so much fun to see my formerly sulking daughters get totally immersed in the experience.  The captain kept the boat out an extra 15 minutes, unable to pull away from such a playful pack of mammals.   Much to my older daughter’s horror, the captain pointed out that the dolphins were mating right next to the vessel.  He even played Marvin Gay to help with the mood.  It was hilarious and disturbing.  Fortunately, it went over my 8-year-old’s head.  The captain’s first mate handed my 8-year-old a stuffed baby dolphin as she exited the boat.  She was smiling from ear to ear.

So, what is the sales lesson? 

·         First, initial success does not necessarily mean that everything will be smooth sailing.  In every quarter, there are ups and downs.   Periods where nothing good is happening.  Don’t give up.  You have a whole quarter to drive performance and your paycheck.  Don’t give up early, stay out the whole time.  This concept can be broken down from a year to a quarter, to a month, to a week and finally a day.  It’s not over till you get back to the dock – make the most of every minute to dedicate to your craft.

·         How you finish is all that anyone will remember.  Although the majority of the time on the water we did not encounter any dolphins, the last 15 minutes made up for all that wait time in spades.  Don’t count your potential success out.  Good things happen to those who stay out and work till the bitter end.  Remember your next big deal is simply a sales call away.  You won’t know unless you keep at it.

 Looking back on that trip, I realized that, like in life, this adventure followed a pattern.  First, my wife and I sat down in the morning over coffee and discussed what our vision of the trip was.  We decided we wanted to have the family get closer by experiencing nature together and seeing dolphins up close.  Then we came up with a plan, to jet ski to where we have seen the dolphins from our condo.  When that didn’t work, we pivoted and hired experts to help us achieve that vision.   And when all looked lost, the captain stayed out to the bitter end, and we experienced something amazing that we will never forget. 

In sales you need to have a vision.  Try plan A.  If it does not work, try again with more information.  And finally, half the battle is showing up and staying out until you achieve your goal.

So, in conclusion, “there were tons of frigging dolphins on the dolphin tour.”