Mark, Mark, Mark. Do I ever remember Mark!

He was the golden child at one of the first jobs I ever had, a salesman who charmed the socks off every customer and brought in business like he was bringing in the morning paper.

But I noticed a funny thing at the end of the quarter when we looked at the numbers. No wonder he was bringing them in by the dozens—he was giving away the farm! Mark was so focused on getting customers to love him that he undercut our profits on every sale!

But here’s the thing—no one else seemed to notice, or if they did, they didn’t care. When I pointed it out to a colleague, she shrugged and said, “Hey, Mark does what he has to do. He’s a superstar.” (more…)