The Internet Sourcing Community

Got a Long Way To Go and a Short Time to Get There!

2-06-09 Apex, NC... Back in 1977, Bo(Bandit)Darville and Cledus(Snowman)Snow had a job to do. Bring 400 cases of Coors from Texas to Georgia in 28 hours. At the time you could not buy Coors east of the Mississippi, so they were on a mission where speed was critical. They had a goal and an objective. They were persistent and focused on the task. Simply put, they knew what they had to do and nothing else mattered. Defeat was not in the vocabulary. Of course this is a Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed farce, and of course I have seen it a gulzillion times, a great flick. But to me it is a business/ motivation movie. The boys were doing business. And they were having fun. Isn't that what it is all about? In the end, they were rewarded with a brand new assignment, this one as impossible as the last. Bring chowder back from Boston in 18 hours; with a quick switch of cars, they headed north in a bright red Caddy. They had a job to do and they do it well...

Yep there are lessons galore in Smokey and the Bandit. Persistence does pay off big time. The customer is indeed always right. Teamwork is essential. You crash without it. There are a lot of lessons. A big mistake in business is to group goals and objectives as one. Goals and objectives are not the same. The goal to get the Coors to Georgia, is different from the objective of doing it in 28 hours. Sadly, businesses confuse these all the time. There are also decision making and problem solving issues galore for both Bandit and the Snowman throughout the entire movie. Sadly, businesses confuse these two as well... Often to the detriment of all involved, they are two different things.

It is okay to focus on the big picture, the Bandit did. But he realized that it's the teeny things that get you there and you just can't do it alone no matter how good you are. You are only as good as your results.

Well I have to go... As for me... I am eastbound and down...

Happy selling!