Newsletter Article Contest winner Alan Underkofler

Here's another great article that was submitted into my "I Can Relate" Newsletter article contest. This was submitted by a good friend and colleague in SendOutCards, Alan Underkofler.

Alan and I met on the 2008 Eagle's Challenge Bahama's Cruise. We were two of the 80 or so distributors that won the challenge and were on the cruise back in March. We also happened to be on the same plane heading west...there's a picture of us on the plane back from Ft. Lauderdale.

Enjoy his insightful article on how building relationships is like the perfect cup of coffee.

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Savoring the Investment IN a Relationship by Alan Underkofler

This morning I was up very early and decided I wanted a cup of coffee. My first thought was to take a quick shower, grab my laptop, and head over to my local Starbucks. As I was getting out of bed I realized I wanted something different… I really just wanted to enjoy a cup of coffee outside in the cool morning air.

Some of you reading this may know I am a goal oriented, multi tasking, crazy scheduled, always going in multiple directions type of person so getting ready and starting my day running is pretty normal for me.

Something about this morning, at this moment was a bit different… I was looking for a different approach or a different experience this morning. It hit me… where is that French Press that I used to love making coffee with?

As I entered my kitchen in search for my lost press I started to remember why I love it! Boiling the water, grinding the coffee, pouring the hot water over the coffee, letting it sit for a few minutes, finally pressing the plunger down to pour my perfect cup of coffee. Sitting outside I realized why I love this process so much.

So what the heck does this have to do with followup and why would I post my morning coffee experience here? Well as I was sipping my coffee listening to the morning sounds I realized how the process of my morning cup of coffee is very similar to the process of followup. It’s not always about the quick cup of coffee or the quick meeting of a new prospect. It’s about the process! When I take the time to really get to know a person, learning about them and their business, I get to enjoy the result.

Following up and building relationships is just like making the perfect cup of coffee. When we take the time and go through the entire process we can enjoy the result.

Tomorrow is the start to a brand new week. I might just start with another perfect cup of coffee.