You Can't Make This Up!

Be different, make a difference, have fun.

Darrell Zwicker

You can’t make this up!
© 2010 Zoo Nation - Darrell Zwicker
Writing and editing: Darrell Zwicker, Terry Small and Paul Collin
Design and illustrations: Denis Hambucken

Acknowledgements
Without a doubt this collection of stories wouldn’t exist without the wonderful support
from my family, colleagues, former employers, friends and neighbors.

Kudos to writing partners Paul Collin, and Terry Small. With their
creative flair they breathed enormous life into my small idea.

Denis Hambucken for his branding discipline and world-class graphical touch
for both this document and the website. Without Denis, Zoo Nation would not have gained
the instant credibility and forward momentum.

A big thumbs up goes to my neighbors Joe Malila and Tim Harrington
for being my sounding board over a cold one on many occasions.

To Amanda Bacon for being the first to provide feedback and
for encouraging me to make things happen.

And to my long-time childhood buddy, Dan Boyd. Thanks for the many evening conversations,
recollections and laughs that kept me going.

Of course there are lots of people who I’ve never met who inspired me and gave me
the courage to follow my dream. People like Seth Godin, Michael Margolis, Gary Vaynerchuk,
Jack Trout, Andy Sernovitz, Tom Peters and Howard Shultz.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t thank the entire Irving and Lamprey family
for teaching me valuable life lessons on their dime.

Most importantly, I’d like to thank my parents and grandparents for raising me in a wonderful supporting
and fun family. Despite our individual challenges and shortcomings, we remained a loving family.

Finally, my deepest appreciation and love goes out to my wife Sue, daughter; Bryanna, and son; Sam for allowing
me to leave the security of a job, to get a life. That’s the best gift anyone can receive.
I love you dearly for this life-changing gift. Now, if you’ll just let me buy an MGB!
L xoxox

Table of Contents
Introduction 4

1
Learning
The captain went down!
Now get up and learn!
The early bird gets the worm
6
10
16

2
You have to ask for it! 18
Ever been to sugarloaf? 21

Unlearning When was the last time you
visited our washrooms? 24

3
You got to be kidding! 26
Be different, make a difference,
have fun! 28

Relearning Need a job! 29

The next chapter - A few stories rolled into one. 32

3

Introduction
My name is Darrell Zwicker. I have TWO passions in life.
One is to raise awareness for mental illness and develop-
mental disabilities AND the second is to help businesses
and entrepreneurs succeed.

I have TWENTY FIVE years experience in Marketing/Sales
Development, Human Resources/Training, and General

Everyone Management in Oil/HVAC industry & family branding.

has a story—
Here are a few stories I would like to share with you - the
stories are in the spirit of what I learned, had to unlearn,
and more recently, what I had to relearn.

here’s mine. I am happily married, two kids and a rapidly approach-
ing fiftieth birthday. Like most people, the story of my life
up to this point has been a roller coaster ride of incred-
ible highs and devastating lows. Which, when you think
about it, is how life should be. Because of or maybe in
spite of the normal aspects of my life (job, family, chores,
bills, etc.), I had something of an epiphany several years
ago.

I think it began when I read Scott Peck’s The Road Less
Travelled. The first three words of his book stopped me in
my tracks - “life is difficult”. He went on to say something
along th lines of; once you realize life is difficult, life be-
comes not so difficult. This concept changed
my life.

By the time I was 35, I became skilled at controlling my
thoughts and removing the negative chatter twirling
around my brain. No, I wasn’t hearing voices but a real-
ization was growing within me that life was passing me
by pretty quickly. I was doing all the right things; working,

Introduction
4

paying bills, being a good dad and husband but ZOO NATION CONSULTING helps companies and
something was missing. I felt that my time on Earth is entrepreneurs breathe life into their business. My 21
my time and what I did with it was really up to me. years in the heating oil & HVAC industry gave me an
As my forties became a reality I was learning not education beyond what any college could pro-
to take myself or life too seriously and quit my job vide. In fact, without it, Zoo Nation would not have
after 21 years of loyal service to explore the great been possible. During my tenure I was afforded daily
unknown. At 47 I decided to create something more opportunities to learn, unlearn and relearn timeless
meaningful, something that would make me feel aspects of business and management that can be
truly alive. I created Zoo Nation. applied to businesses large and small.

SO, WHAT IS ZOO NATION? In order to share some insights, I’ve created You
Can’t Make This Up, a collection of fun and inspir-
Well, it’s two things actually. ing stories that delves into the corporate world, and
shows through example, real-life experiences and
ZOO NATION raises awareness and money to help best recollections, the necessity for all of us to Be Dif-
fund a variety of organizations committed to the ferent, Make a Difference and Have Fun.
health and well being of the communities we serve,
with a special focus on mental illness, developmen- Enjoy!!
tal disabilities, and youth enrichment. We donate
100% of profits from our company’s signature
product - the Welcome Mat.

Introduction
5

1
Learning

Thet It was a cold January Monday morning in Saint
John, New Brunswick and my first day as the General
Manager of the Heating Division at Irving Oil. Look-

Cap ain ing back on my climb up the corporate ladder, I’ve
come to appreciate this particular rung and the

went
people and events associated with it.

Arriving at the Golden Ball Building, dressed appropri-

down!
ately in my new Seville Row suit, I reflected for a mo-
ment on my new position. Moving from a cube to an
office. Having a secretary (oops!) I mean, executive
assistant. And How Mr. Irving had chosen me – me of
all people to carry out the infinite day-to-day details
of his business.

It was only 48 hours earlier that Mr. Irving gave me an
assignment of checking-in on “the boys” at the Saint
John Home Heat Branch to see what time the drivers
actually fire up their trucks. It seemed ludicrous at
the time but I did it anyway on my way in just in case
anybody was watching.

I kept the visit short as the arrival of suited execu-
tives often made workers nervous and introductions
awkward. Luckily for me, everything looked fine. Six,
3000 gallon delivery trucks were lined up side-by-side
ready for the day. As I walked through the delivery
area casually nodding and greeting the guys, I saw
Lou Costello (no, not the one from the famous com-
edy team) - a long term driver who dedicated over
25 years of his life to Irving. He was something of a leg-
end who took great pride in mentoring new employ-
ees, teaching them the Irving way of doing business
and taking care of each customer, one at a time.

The Captain Went Down!
6

1
Learning
“Why such an errand?” I thought. After all, I was in sage to me on the previous Saturday where he said,
charge of the biggest heating division in Atlantic “You are the captain of the ship, now you got to
Canada - approximately 100,000 customers and it earn your stripes”. Again he repeated “the captain
was my job to grow the customer base - not spy on went down, the captain went down… did you know
the work habits of drivers. Having gained nothing them”? I stared shockingly and blankly towards him -
from my visit I thought it was just a waste of time but I didn’t know what to say. “Did you know them? The
could honestly report that I was there if asked. fishing trawler that went down last night. All the fisher-
men perished.” Mr. Irving continued, “you’re from
Settling into my new surroundings that morning I Lunenburg, that’s where the fishermen were from,
couldn’t help but feel like a new man. Senior Manag- did you know them?” I reminded Mr. Irving I was not
ers and executives were congratulating me on my from Lunenburg, but from Windsor, a small town ap-
promotion, shaking my hand and making me feel proximately 30 miles west of Lunenburg.
welcome. These were now my peers! I made it!...
or so I thought. Without missing a beat, he looked me squarely in the
eyes and asked me if I did the little favor we talked
Suddenly there seemed to be a “buzz” within the about. Proudly and confidently I replied “Yes sir,
office. A perceptible electric charge in the air that drove through just shortly after 6:30 AM this morning…
made people move, phones ring and things hap- trucks were fired up and ready to go”. “That’s great,
pen. Having experienced it before, I knew what it now how were sales last week?” was his reply.
was – Mr. Irving was here. A wave of heat came over me like I was being stud-
ied under a magnifying glass in direct sunlight.
Catching me totally off guard, I was summoned to a He can’t be serious I thought. I’ve only been on the
nearby office. “Keep cool. Don’t panic. Don’t inter- job for 2 hours and already he was setting up some
rupt. Let them do all the talking” were the instruc- accountability for me? I vaguely knew sales were
tions I replayed to myself in my head. As I crossed down a few percentage points, but I didn’t know for
the threshold of the office door, Mr. Irving looked at sure… something like 3 or 3.5 %? I simply didn’t know.
me sharply and said “The captain went down, the With a dry mouth, I replied as honestly as I could.
captain went down!” I paused dumbstruck trying “Well, was it 3 or 3.5%?” He retorted. “That 0.5 % may
to decipher the meaning of this statement. Was it not mean much to you, but it certainly means a hell
some sort of secret greeting executives gave to one of a lot to me.” He continued, “you have to be like a
another like Masons? Was it something to do with pilot, he plugs in his coordinates before take-off and
my job? he knows exactly where he’s going and where he’s
going to land. It’s all based on his starting numbers
The only thing I could connect it to was his final mes- and what he plugs in… he knows exactly what these

7

1
Learning
numbers are… and you have to be exactly like that Specific
pilot… and if you don’t know the numbers in your Measurable
business unit you won’t know where you are going or
if you are going to the land the plane safely”.
Attainable
He was right, of course and he added, “you need to Realistic’
have goals, and it’s all based on the numbers. Tangible with a target date
Now go and figure out your goals, write them down,
and remember to have fun”. Sample Goal Sheet:

Empirical research and anecdotal evidence clearly
show the connection between having goals and
doing well. Now evidence is mounting that not only
does the fact of having and writing goals down will
lead to ultimate success, but can lead to ultimate
What are your lifetime goals?
happiness.

In his article “Positive Affectivity” psychologist David
Watson writes about the process of reaching the What are your goals for the next 3-5 years?
goal as being equally or more important than the
goal itself. This is what I believe Mr. Irving meant when
he said “now go and figure out your goals, and write
them down, and remember to have fun”. The jour-
ney versus the destination of goal setting is a critical What are your goals for the next 12 months?
concept I learned at Irving. Without having fun along
the way, everything is for not. I did not fully grasp this
fundamental principle until years later. A goal
enables us to experience a sense of purpose.
What are your weekly goals?
Getting caught up in the hectic daily activities of
work, school, and just living pay check to pay check,
we all lose sight of long term goals. Of all the goal
planning methods, the one approach that made
most sense to me is the S.M.A.R.T design.

8

1
Learning
Put these goals in writing and redefine your goals especially young as I was, didn’t grasp this funda-
over time. BUT, writing down the goal is the absolute mental principle.
most important part of the strategy to achieve
your goals. As Tal-Ben Shahar wrote in “Happier”- Goals are
means, not just the ends. He goes onto to say “the
I just wish I had understood goals in this context. proper role of goals is to liberate us, so that we can
I sheepishly felt Mr. Irving wanted more goals, only enjoy the here and now. There are many ways to
to feed his inexhaustible appetite for wealth. But in get things done in organizations. Goal setting is not
reality he got it - work ethics that he handed down to the only way, but it is an important way, as Mr. Irving
his family and coworkers were as a result of his love demonstrated in my early hours of being in the
of the journey, not the final destination. Most people, hot seat.

“The illiterate of the 21st Century
will not be those who cannot read or write,
but those who cannot learn, unlearn,
and relearn.”

Alvin Toffler

9

2
Learning
I moved to Saint John, New Brunswick in the fall of

Now
1989, just a few months after starting with Irving.
As mundane as that may sound, it is the circum-
stances that led up to that move that have proven

get up
to be life changing.

A new position was being created within Irving Oil

and learn!
to promote oil heat in the emerging new home
construction market. Up to this time Nova Scotian
homeowners were not really given a choice of how
to heat their homes and building contractors could
bang in electric baseboards for about a 1/3 of the
cost of an oil heat system. Most new homeowners
took such decisions for granted and felt secure in
the assumption that the contractor was knowl-
edgeable and offering the best system available.
Unfortunately for the homeowner, winter would
arrive and with electricity rates soaring, they soon
realized that not only were they paying an ever
increasing cost for basic comfort, electricity was an
inefficient way to heat a home.

Years later, I learned from Noel O’Dea, President
of Target Marketing and Communications that this
marketing psychological profile was known as High
Inertia, Low Involvement. A home heating system
is a grudge purchase without the sex appeal of
buying something like a computer, cell phone or
automobile. It’s just something that comes with
the house, right? I love the term High Inertia, Low
Involvement. People look at me as some sort of
ivy-league genius when I start throwing it around
into everyday conversation. If I’m at a restaurant
with friends and the server asks me if I want pota-

10

2
Learning
toes or rice with my meal, I just dazzle them with an a technical wiz and my ascent up the learning
abridged synopsis of this point. Which is also prob- curve felt like Mt. Everest. Then the silence was
ably why I don’t get invited out to many restau- broken on a late Friday afternoon. My boss called
rants anymore. to say he wanted me to prepare a presentation to
all regional managers in Atlantic Canada on the
Anyway, with less than 1% of the new homes going progress I was making in Nova Scotia on promoting
the oil route, we recognized the potential of this oil heat in new home construction. I had to be in
new market niche and were determined to get Saint John – first thing Monday morning.
a big piece of the pie. Sure, the up-front cost was
higher, but the payback and improved comfort Luckily for me there was Ted Moore. Ted worked
were the main selling features. Besides, the retrofit out of the Truro operation and was out-performing
market was going wild with high efficiency furnac- all of Nova Scotia combined. He was a wonderful
es replacing old, broken down models. Especially salesman who would put on his rubber boots and
for those homeowners who were not happy with trudge through muddy construction sites to talk
the comfort of electric heat in their new “dream to builders face to face on the benefits of oil heat
home”. and discuss giving homeowners a choice of heat-
ing methods. I just had to share and exploit Ted’s
As a relatively new Irving employee, I was surprised successes. If he could do it, everyone could do it.
when my boss asked me if I would be interested If the regional managers didn’t have a dedicated
in a new opportunity being created in Saint John new home salesperson, then my presentation
to help grow the Home Heat Division – not just in would be part of the convincing strategy.
Nova Scotia, but in all Atlantic Canada! What?
Me? I could barely tell the difference between a Monday came and my presentation (complete
warm air furnace and a hot water boiler system. with overhead projector slides, charts and graphs)
I seriously doubted that I was the man for the job went well. It was not long after I finished that my
but my boss reassured me that there were other boss tapped me on the shoulder and asked me
candidates and there would be no harm in throw- to follow him. “Remember the opportunity in Saint
ing my name in the hat. So, I agreed. John that we spoke about two months ago?” he
said. “We’re now ready to move forward and I’d
After several weeks with no word on this big oppor- like you to meet Mr. Irving.”
tunity, I felt I may have dodged a bullet and that
this was for the better. Besides, I was really catch- “Oh God, just take me now.” I thought.
ing on and had added oil tanks to my repertoire
of selling specialties. As you can surmise, I’m not At that time in 1989, the second floor of the Irving

11

2
Learning
Corporate Office was being renovated and Mr. herent response about being a hard worker, that I
Irving was using a makeshift office on the 1st floor. understood the importance of being entrepreneur-
As we made our way down the stairwell we had to ial, and basically ended my oration exhausted,
watch our step as construction was also in progress confused, and feeling totally inadequate for the
there. job. There was a pause and the few seconds that
passed felt like decades. Then Mr. Irving pointed his
Navigating past spools of hanging wires and ca- finger authoritatively at me and said, “let me tell
bles, whirling table saws, loud hammers and drills, you, sometimes you got to know when to shut-up
we approached a man in a plaid lumber jacket and stop talking.”
when my boss said, “Darrell I’d like to introduce
you to...” But I couldn’t hear the man’s name due With that I was convinced I just talked my way out
to all the noise. I responded with a friendly “it’s a of a job. My only desire at this point was to get the
pleasure to meet you” even though I didn’t know hell out of this office and not come within 100 miles
who I just met. Moments later I discovered that the of this place ever again.
man was Mr. Irving.
But Mr. Irving continued. “Tell me, did you hear An-
As he hung up his plaid jacket, he looked at us dre Welland speak this morning?” I hadn’t. “What
and said sharply, “How can I help you gentlemen do you mean you never heard him speak? Lubri-
today?” My boss began by saying, “Mr. Irving, I’d cants are a very important part of our company.
like you to meet Darrell Zwicker, he’s working out of How about Frank Flynn? Did you hear him speak?”
our Woodside office and is a potential candidate Again, my answer was no. “You mean you came
for the new marketing position to grow the home all the way from Halifax and you never heard Frank
heating division throughout Atlantic Canada.” Mr. Flynn speak? He looks after our tires, batteries, and
Irving looked me rather sternly and said, “where accessories department – another important area
were you born? Where do you live now?”“Windsor, of our business. What have you been doing since
Nova Scotia” was my answer to both questions. you got here?” With a dry mouth I offered up the
“Tell me, what does your father do?” was the next truth. “I’ve been working on preparing my pre-
question. I said he was a Sales Executive for Atlan- sentation on new home construction.” Obviously
tic Lottery for the past 10 years. Without hesitation unimpressed with me and my answers I visualized
Mr. Irving shot back, “ they’ve only been around in my mind how it would look if I leapt out of my
for 9 years!” Then Mr. Irving said, “So, you think chair and ran screaming for the door. Just then a
you can help us?” Like a deer in the headlights, I rather official looking red phone rang on the desk.
proceeded to demonstrate a total lack of pre- As it was some direct line to an important part of
paredness and went off into a completely inco- the company, Mr. Irving had to take this call and it

12

2
Learning
gave me some time to regain composure. a corporate sponsored program but an immensely
When the phone call ended Mr. Irving asked me if proud moment for me as I finally had my university
there was anything else I would like to say. I re- diploma. Mark Van Doren, the Pultizer prize winning
member giving him a response like “Mr. Irving if ever poet and critic so rightfully said it best:“Our best
given the chance to come to Saint John, I promise I chance for happiness is education.” I now had my
will work hard to help you grow the business...” The Diploma in Education and I was happy.
rest is a little hazy but the whole time I was talking I
was privately thinking, “if you just let me out of this I had implemented and delivered a Management
office alive, I promise I will never come back as Training program for all Convenience Store Manag-
long as I live.” To my astonishment at the end of my ers in Atlantic Canada. The curriculum was devel-
statement he replied, “well that’s great… now get oped in partnership through Cornell University and
up there and learn!” National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS).

So I got up and ran up the backstairs to the confer- Irving gave me that experiential learning opportuni-
ence room. Within the hour I was tapped on the ty - hands-on training. Looking back, I can unequiv-
shoulder again to visit Kenneth Irving. He asked me ocally say one of the most rewarding and motivat-
if I had seen his Dad yet, I replied yes. His response ing traits at Irving is their level of commitment to the
was this is good news that you are here. I did get training of their employees. Irving was legendary
the job, but it was nearly 7 years into my tenure in this regard. It was truly a learning organization,
that I truly grasped the meaning of “get up there however, quite informal back in those days.
and learn.”
Of all the wonderful learning opportunities, prob-
“Get up there and learn!” I didn’t know it at the ably the most valuable and sustainable learning
time but this statement would make a big impact lesson was taught to me accidentally as I was pre-
on me. paring to deliver a training lesson to frontline store
managers. During my preparation, I was intrigued
For me, learning was painful. I did not enjoy school. by learning about a Johari Window, a psychologi-
I disliked homework and formal learning. I felt so cal tool created by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham
liberated when I graduated from King’s Edgehill in 1955. The squares represent the windowpanes
School. My tenure at the University of Guelph was through which we see ourselves and how others see
short-lived and lasted only one and a half semesters us. I found it to be so simply profound and profound-
before I bowed out early in 1980. It was many years ly simple to grasp and utilize.
later that I finally graduated from St. Francis Univer-
sity, a secondary education institute. It was part of

13

2
Learning
Socrates left a legacy of wisdom to the world. Learning begins with learning about yourself. And it
The simplicity of his “Know Thyself” dictum belies its starts with the courage to look yourself in the mirror.
complexity. This is the best advice I have Imagine that.
ever heard.

The Johari Window

Known to self Not known to self

Open Blind
Adjectives that are selected by both Adjectives that are not selected by the
the participant and his or her peers are participant but only by their peers are
Known placed into the Open quadrant. This placed into the Blind Spot quadrant.
to others quadrant represents traits of the par- These represent information of which
ticipant of which both they and their the participant is not aware, but others
peers are aware. are, and they can decide whether
and how to inform the individual about
these “blind spots”.

Hidden Unknown
Adjectives selected only by the partici- Adjectives which were not selected
pant, but not by any of their peers, are by either the participant or their peers
Not known placed into the Hidden quadrant, remain in the Unknown quadrant, rep-
to others representing information about the resenting the participant’s behaviors or
participant of which their peers are motives which were not recognized by
unaware. It is then up to the participant anyone participating. This may be be-
whether or not to disclose this informa- cause they do not apply, or because
tion. there is collective ignorance of the
existence of said trait.

14

2
Learning
Johari adjectives: A Johari Window consists of the • mature • self-conscious
following 56 adjectives used as possible descriptions • modest • sensible
of the participant. In alphabetical order they are: • nervous • sentimental
• observant • shy
• organized • silly
• able • extroverted
• patient • smart
• accepting • friendly
• powerful • spontaneous
• adaptable • giving
• proud • sympathetic
• bold • happy
• quiet • tense
• brave • helpful
• reflective • trustworthy
• calm • idealistic
• relaxed • warm
• caring • independent
• religious • wise
• cheerful • ingenious
• responsive • witty
• clever • intelligent
• searching
• complex • introverted
• self-assertive source-wikipedia
• confident • kind
• dependable • knowledgeable
I can’t think of a better way to end this discussion
• dignified • logical
than saying “I believe Mr. Irving would be proud
• energetic • loving
of me today, as I am still learning.”

“Learning is not compulsory…
neither is survival.”

W. Edwards Deming

15

3
Learning
At dawn on a frigid January morning, Kenneth Irving

The
and his father Arthur set out from the Hotel Beausejour
in downtown Moncton for a brisk walk. As they reached
Main Street they stopped to notice their arch rival Petro-

early bird Canada filling up an oil tank at one of the boutiques in
the trendy part of town. The oil truck driver, unaware of

gets the
the Irvings, could have no idea how this rather mun-
dane task of filling up a tank had gotten their attention.
For Kenneth and his father it was almost distasteful to

worm! see a competitor conducting business in an area of
town which they felt belonged to them.

They decided to continue their walk and visit the Irving
Regional Office which was less than a mile away.
Making their way down St. George Boulevard they
arrived to find the gates of the compound locked. Not
a soul in sight and no sign of being open for business. It
didn’t matter that it was 6 a.m. - just the very idea that
the Irvings were caught napping was nothing short of
blasphemy! You can only imagine the resulting “discus-
sion” that took place after that - it probably could have
peeled paint. This experience definitely gnawed at Mr.
Irving and it wouldn’t be forgotten anytime soon. In
fact, the entire experience was relayed to me on the
Saturday I was promoted to General Manager. This was
the reason I was given the assignment to check in on
the boys at the Saint John branch - just to see if they
were getting out of bed any earlier than their counter-
parts in Moncton.

This story of Mr. Irving and Kenneth up at the crack of
dawn across from the Beausejour was told to me in a
lively and animated fashion that only Mr. Irving could
deliver. And after telling me this he looked me squarely
in the eye and said, “the early bird gets the worm”.

The early bird gets the worm!
16

3
Learning
Yes, we’ve all heard that one before. But can it ap- manufacturer. Sure enough as I leafed through the
ply to business? Well, the truth is that we all know the paper I found an ad by Kerr Manufacturing out of
early bird really does get the worm - especially in the Parrsboro, Nova Scotia promoting their new furnace
highly competitive world of business. And if you’re line, right on page three.
not following up on a consistent basis, you’re going
to lose a lot of deals simply because someone else It truly amazed me how Mr. Irving was on top of every
was more persistent, and motivated than you to get aspect of his business at all times. His “early bird”
it done. comment never left my mind. Think of all the talented
people in any number of fields: singing, painting,
Getting out of bed and ready for a day’s work is half dancing, sports and more but who lack the persis-
the battle and persistence is an attribute that does tence, determination and sense of urgency. Their
not come easily. Working at Irving I learned that be- achievements certainly are not what they could be.
ing ready and prepared was key to survival. Which I knew if I were to bring any kind of value to the Irvings
reminds me of a great African proverb that spoke to I would need to be consistently at work early ev-
me as loudly as Mr. Irving’s well-worn adage and it eryday to demonstrate my understanding and the
goes like this: importance of knowing whatever our competition
was up to and how we could out do them. Or in Mr.
“Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up. It Irving’s words “the early bird gets the worm”.
knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be
killed. Every morning a Lion wakes up. It knows it must Do it now! List 5 things you have been procrastinating
outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve to death. about and make a plan to take at least a little bit of
It doesn’t matter whether you are a Lion or a Gazelle... action on all five this week.
when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”
And if you think you can delay your plans until tomor-
A few months into my new job, I went into work one row, think about this … Multiply your age x 365 days
Saturday morning to catch up on a few things. It was - then subtract that number from 27,375 days (that’s
about 8:30 and I heard voices coming my way. It was average lifespan) = ___ days left to accomplish your
Mr. Irving and his son Arthur Jr. Mr. Irving didn’t hesitate dreams! Remember, every day matters.
to quiz me as to the time when I arrived. I told him
just a few minutes earlier. He said, “well to keep up
with me, you need to get in here earlier than that.” X 365 days = days
He then stated that he had been up since 3 a.m.
and asked if I read the morning paper yet. I replied days left to
accomplish
I hadn’t and he quickly pointed out that I should be 27,375 days – = your dreams!
aware of an ad on page three placed by a furnace

The early bird gets the worm!
17

4
Unlearning
I learned early in my career that sales is part art, part sci-

You ence - that there’s a process to sales and if you followed
the steps, you’d find great success at the end of the
rainbow. Well, when it came to sales, Mr. Irving also had

have to
great insight and shared a very important aspect with
me in his own direct way.

ask
I was in his office getting checks signed, a ritual where I
never really knew what would happen. My goal was to
get in and get out as quickly as possible with the fewest

for it!
visible scars. You see, when you went in for check signa-
tures, you never knew if you’d get all the checks signed.
There were lots of variables involved such as the time of
day, the amount of a particular check and of course,
any extenuating circumstances. Mostly, the time it took
to sign checks depended on how many questions Mr.
Irving had and what lesson he was going to teach. It’s
funny, whether they knew it or not, for most visitors to Mr.
Irving’s office, there was always an underlying lesson.

This particular day we were talking about hiring more
sales personnel to grow the residential heating business
when Mr. Irving looked me in the eye and asked, “Do
you know how to make a sale?” Keep in mind that Irving
was a sales-focused organization where the old ad-
age of “nothing happens until a sale is made” reigned
supreme.

I froze. Was this a trick question? I wished for a time
machine where I could set the controls to “yesterday” so
I could prepare an answer. He asked me again and as
I sweated and wondered what to say, Mr. Irving blurted
out “well it’s simple… you have to ask for it”. Oh, of
course it is. I was just about to say the same thing I mock-
ingly said to myself.

You have to ask for it!
18

4
Unlearning
Mr. Irving continued, “selling is as simple as asking for it. Well, for starters it helps to be passionate about the
Can we count on your business today? Simple as 1-2-3 product you’re selling. If your mind and heart are not
and if they ask you a question, and you don’t know the fully engaged, then maybe a career that relies on you
answer, tell them the truth - ‘I don’t know, but I’ll get the influencing others in making decisions is not right for you.
answer to you right away’”. It was obvious that Mr. Irving If you are engaged, start asking great questions. A sale
loved to sell. is the result of creating value and value creation starts
with value creating questions.
Tom Hopkins International Inc. conducted a survey on
why people were not persuaded to buy a particular
product or service. The most common answer: They
were never asked!

Can you imagine after all the preparation, prospecting,
phone calls and emails to get to the presentation and
then walk away without ever asking for the sale? All Value creating questions
salespeople have to ask for the sale sooner or later to
be successful.
What’s most important to you about . . . . . . . ?
For years, I thought that if I simply asked for the sale, and
if I asked often enough, a sale would be made. Invari- What has been your experience with . . . . . . . ?
ably this is true, but by focusing on just this selling virtue
alone, greater opportunities to close more sales were If you could change one thing about. . . . . . . ?
missed. The old sales philosophy of “Always Be Asking …
and Closing” is often misconstrued to mean not taking Explain what results you’re hoping to achieve.
your foot out of the doorway until the customer buys. As
widely believed as this is, I really had to unlearn it and …What plans have you made ?…
acquire a new skill. By substantiating the value of the
company, the product, and/or service I represented, I
What time frame are you considering?
could turn what I knew into action.

Now you’re asking yourself, “how do I articulate value Tell me a little about . . . . . . . …
by knowing what sets my offerings apart from the com-
petitive landscape?”

19

4
Unlearning
Lastly, create an extraordinary sales experience for your to make that emotional connection. And like any artist
potential customer. The art and science of the sales who can “move” us, the artist known as a salesperson
process is more important than ever, but it’s the art side can also affect others.
that will give you a sales advantage. If you’re the boss,
it’s paramount that you create a highly engaging work A great starting point is being aware of the importance
environment that inspires sales employees to give the of value creation. What you also receive: The part of the
very best of themselves. iceberg that is under the water and value points that
are not seen and need to be articulated more often.
Remember that every interaction with the customer is Value creation can take different forms, and providing
part of the value creation - the first introduction (to you new ideas or sharing new perspectives often is the value
or to the company), investigating the customer’s needs, creator, that enhances the perceived value of the prod-
understanding and presenting options and yes, as Mr. uct and/or service. And often, it’s polishing off existing
Irving schooled me, “asking for the business”. All of this strengths that are not talked about. Rather a hidden
goes into solidifying a long-term customer or advocate value, that would be deemed valuable only if shared.
for life.
As I gained experience over the years, I truly appreci-
Yes, it does all seem quite simple when presented like ated “you have to ask for it”, but had to unlearn it as the
this but it’s all part of a carved out process that needs only part of selling. Value creation is the game changer
to be adhered to if a sale is to occur. Each step needs in the world of selling.

“The cure for boredom is curiosity.
There is no cure for curiosity.”

Dorothy Parker

20

5
Unlearning
In the mid 1990’s I was quarterbacking a major

Ever t initiative to promote oil heat in homes throughout
Atlantic Canada. Helping my efforts were the facts
that at the time the cost to heat a home with oil

been o was less than electricity and the existing retro-fit
market was booming.

Sugarloaf? My “Oil Costs Less” campaign was scheduled to
kick off in January of 1994. But as the launch day
drew nearer it became abundantly clear that I was
heading for a mental crash. This was a stressful time
for me. I endlessly obsessed over the details I had
reviewed with the owners and the extent of the
campaign. Did I involve our legal counsel enough?
Would I be sued by the utilities? Was the data in
the campaign accurate? Was it validated? Was it
current enough? On and on it went. I couldn’t turn
it off.

By the middle of February I was having full-blown
panic attacks on a daily basis. During regional visits
to promote the campaign, I sometimes thought
I would end up in a local hospital’s emergency
room. At least in Saint John I had the comfort of
knowing that if I had the BIG ONE I was close to
Saint John Regional Hospital.

When I was calm I knew that all of the thoughts
putting me in that state were just that - thoughts.
But when my mind started to whirl in that panicky
mode, my heart would race, my arms would grow
heavy and I would have a water sensation rising up
through my body. Trying to convince myself that I
was not having a coronary was impossible.

Ever been to Sugarloaf?
21

5
Unlearning
Sure enough, on several occasions I did end up in and to Kenneth on other occasions. Unfortunately,
an emergency room only to be reassured a few they were both out of town the day my doctor
hours later that I would be fine. Just another run- prescribed the medical leave. So, instead of telling
of-the-mill terrifying but non-life threatening panic them, I told the HR Manager.
attack. My doctor factually stated that I needed
to address my health issue and would most likely It wasn’t until the following Monday that I finally
require some time off from work. What he failed to spoke first with Kenneth, then his father. Both
realize was that I was Darrell Zwicker (alias Super- seemed genuinely pleased that I called and were
man) and that I could beat this mental hurdle in very supportive. Arthur pointed out that he had
a single bound and not miss a single day of work. asked me two weeks prior if I was alright and that
Besides, big corporations thrive with big, strong, I said yes. “I knew at that time you weren’t up to
committed employees like me, not shrinking violets. your old self,” he said.

I was also nurtured by the thoughts that if I missed Arthur then added, “take as much time as you
a day at work, took more than one week holiday need, your office will remain closed til you’re back.
at a time or had to admit to having a stress disor- And don’t hesitate to drop in to see the boys if you
der that these were all valid points to be relieved wish.“ Then he asked “ever been to Sugarloaf?”
of my job. I was also convinced that if I broached Was this a veiled reference to an early retirement?
the subject with my boss and needed time off, it I wondered. What does Sugarloaf have to do
would be nothing short of corporate suicide. with my mental health? “Great place to ski and
This thinking was later validated by many of my unwind. Perhaps you should spend a couple days
colleagues. there,” he remarked. I thanked him for the advice
and replied I was under doctor’s orders not to ven-
So, as the “Oil Cost Less” campaign built up steam ture too far from the city since I was seeing the doc
and got attention on many fronts, I was losing every two days.
steam and getting attention in emergency rooms
- blowing into a brown paper bag. By the end of Well, the time-off, the psychotherapy, the rest, and
February I finally had to admit to myself, my wife most importantly, the support I had from my wife,
and my doctor that I needed to take some my doctor, and my employer were the best pre-
time off. scription for me to recover. The time off for healing
and re-creating myself was key in controlling my
Now I had to tell my boss. The trouble was that irrational thoughts. Best of all, taking time off was
back then I wasn’t really sure who my boss was. not a recipe for professional and personal failure.
I reported to Mr. Arthur Irving on a regular basis Since that time I have been able to control my

22

5
Unlearning
panic and anxiety episodes, and could even joke ing lesson - that I was put on this earth just to work
about it. Over the years I’ve shared my story with and that time off was a sign of weakness. Nothing
colleagues, friends, and family as a way of offering could be further from the truth.
support to someone after they’ve revealed some
of their inner challenges. Have you ever been to Sugarloaf?... has become
a mental image instilled in my mind, much like
To this day, I feel I’m more capable both person- the images of watching the sandpipers along the
ally and professionally because of the struggles I beaches of Florida.
faced. But most importantly, it was the unlearn-

“First they ignore you.
Then they laugh at you.
Then they fight you.
Then you win.”

Gandhi

23

6
Unlearning

When was When I started working at Irving in 1989, I learned
very quickly of two absolute obsessions with the

the last
company - growth and providing great customer
service. I was not sure which was more important or
if they were of equal value.

time you You see, back then Irving was acquiring lots of

visited our smaller oil dealers throughout Atlantic Canada
and New England. The marketplace, especially in

washrooms? Atlantic Canada, had very high expectations on
the service Irving provided since that’s what the
company was known for since it began in 1924.
I remember being in Mr. Irving’s office when he
put his pen down, looked me squarely in the eye
and asked, “when was the last time you visited the
washrooms in one of our service stations?”. For a
moment I thought he may have had me confused
with someone else because I didn’t work for the
service station side of the company, I was in the
heating division. Well, Mr. Irving clarified that in an
instant and said, “I don’t care if you think you work
for the heating division or not, it’s my name on the
check, it’s Irving you work for. When you’re travel-
ling, stop at every service station and check out
the washrooms… our reputation for clean wash-
rooms is critical for us to grow”.

Years later Irving actually ran an entire advertising
campaign around “OUR WASHROOMS ARE CLEAN,
CLEAN, CLEAN !!” Our marching orders were to
look after the customer - any customer. It didn’t
matter how big or small or how far away from the
bulk plant they were. “We need customers to turn
the wheels on the truck” Mr. Irving often said. And it
seemed there was no expense too great in grow-

When was the last time you visited our washrooms?
24

6
Unlearning
ing the business - newspaper ads, radio, TV - you Back then the idea of firing a customer was un-
name it, we did all with the support of the Irvings. heard of. Customers who are unprofitable, unruly,
Forget expensive campaign consultants, drab mar- and time-wasters should be fired without hesitation.
keting statistics and bottom line ROI forecasts. Broadcasting marketing messages to the masses is
We had to seize the day. These were fun and excit- a waste of time. Narrowcasting to your target audi-
ing times! ence is the only cost effective way to go.
Unlearning the idea of getting any and all custom-
Of course getting customers and keeping customers at all costs was a tough process for me as it
ers are paramount to any business but it took me went against conventional Irving wisdom.
years to unlearn this premise of getting customers But the day Mr. Irving asked me, “when was the
at any and all costs. It was learning the importance last time you visited the washrooms?” will stay with
of getting and keeping the RIGHT customers that me forever.
led to a breakthrough for me.

“You can’t be normal
and expect abnormal returns.”

Jeffrey Pfeffer

When was the last time you visited our washrooms?
25

7
Relearning
You got In January 2010, after 21 years of loyal service, I decided

to be kidding!
to take a hiatus from the oil industry and breathe life
into a small family business. What I didn’t realize then
was that I was going to have to relearn many aspects
of starting a business that I had accepted as truths or
givens regarding such a venture.

It was a classic clash of my baby boomer mentality in
the old economy versus the generation X & Y mentality
of a new economy. For instance, in the old economy
if I needed legal help I dealt with a lawyer. If I needed
an online presence, I dealt with a web developer. And
if I needed a professional video shoot, I dealt with a
videographer. So by April 1st, and this is no April Fool’s
joke, I shockingly learned that if I had adapted to a
new economy mind set sooner, I could have saved a
minimum of $20,000 in start-up fees.

I’ll share my story in regards to my legal learnings.
Primed to become the next Howard Shultz, I registered
our new company and did a name search at a price
of $2,200.00. At the time I felt this investment was money
well spent. After all, it takes money to make money,
you know. About a month after securing our name
and registering it, we asked our lawyer about licensing
agreements, and for approximately $1,600.00 he would
oblige and send me an agreement that could be easily
modified for each state. I tucked this information away
until I needed it.

In the meantime, when another name for our company
had to be registered and protected I noticed an ad for
Legal Zoom, a do-it-yourself legal document service,
and it intrigued me enough to go to their website.

You got to be kidding!
26

7
Relearning
Knowing that my initial investment was $2,200.00, I was agreements and if so, what would it cost? Remember,
hopeful that I might be able to save some money. the lawyer said that this type of document would be
I thought it was worthwhile to at least evaluate the approximately $1,600.00. “We can help you with that
entire process and then make a judgment on whether Mr. Zwicker” I was told. I held my breath and said, ”OK,
involving a lawyer was really necessary going forward. how big of an investment am I looking at?” The reply
Legal Zoom made it clear up front that they could not was $14.95, and included a Licensing Agreement
offer legal advice, only options. Fair enough I thought, Guideline Booklet. “FOURTEEN DOLLARS AND NINETY
worth the experience just the same. FIVE CENTS??!! - you got to be kidding!” was my reac-
tion. I was torn between wanting to fly to L.A. to give
Well, right out of the gates I thought I blew it, because I him a hug or leap out my attic window. Imagine that,
misspelled the word I wanted to protect. It was Zoo- $14.95 versus $1600.00 - it took about 1 nanosecond to
apalooza, not Zoo-apolooza. In a panic I emailed and make the decision.
called Legal Zoom in L.A. even though it was a Satur-
day. Instantly I received an email back, thanking me The more I thought about this the more I realized this
for the business, and stating that they would make the new legal model must be a real threat to the legal
appropriate changes to the application on Monday. world, at least to the ones that pump out standard
Whew! Simple and easy enough for me. legal documents for a living. I felt certain that the ones
that don’t offer true value in advice and other areas
Once that was taken care of I thought OK, now what will be out of business. Their focus needs to be on value
happens? Thankfully, every step of the way I received creation, not document creation.
an email explaining my options. Even though they
couldn’t offer advice, if I needed clarification I was Nowadays, I feel I could compete with old economy
invited to call Eric in L.A. I took them up on the offer and business by using the ingenuity and technological
thought to myself - OK, this is going to be painful at best, advancements and offer more relevant products
I’m out of my element here, I probably need real legal and services. It’s about thinking beyond old economy
counsel and I’m calling a call center. But again the businesses that adhered to and /or paying on a bank
experience was simple and easy. loan of outdated infrastructure, despite them being in
business for decades.
Bottom line… my investment to protect Zoo-apalooza
through Legal Zoom was $494.00 versus my original If that’s not a wake-up call to us all, nothing is... and
investment of $2,200.00. But wait, there’s more! Here’s as a magnet on my refrigerator says, “Life is not about
the “you got to be kidding moment”. Since my initial finding yourself, life is about creating yourself.”
experience was so great I asked one of the Legal Now, the question I ask is - how am I creating myself?
Zoom customer service reps if they provided licensing How about you?

You got to be kidding!
27

8
Relearning
Isn’t it interesting that most of us grew up with such
advice as:

Be different,
• you gotta fit in
• don’t bring too much attention to ourselves
• can’t be different

make a The relearning of these 3 points can be summed up
as be different, or go home. Whether you’re a lawyer,

difference, coffee shop owner, printing firm, oil dealer or any
small business in America, you need to touch the

have fun!
heartstrings of the community to create a customer…
for life.

Imagine that our job is to change people’s perspec-
tive on us, our industry, our lookout, and even
our day! That’s a pretty awesome and cool respon-
sibility when you think about it. And accomplish it by
having fun.

My Dad said, “who has more fun than people?”
Pema Choldron said, “the whole globe is shook up,
so what are you going to do when things are falling
apart? You’re either going to become more of a fun-
damentalist and try to hold things together, or you’re
going to forsake the old ambitions and goals and live
life as an experiment, making it up as you go along.”

Just imagine if we could lead our life, our business -
with these three attributes:
1 Be different
2 Make a difference
3 Have fun

The relearning of running a business genuinely and
authentically different to make a difference, with fun
to boot is an awesome challenge to embrace.

Be different, make a difference, have fun!
28

9
Relearning

Need
When I left Irving in the spring of 2006, I was really up-
tight because it was the first time in 17 years that I was
unemployed and looking for a job. After all, that’s
why we exist, right? We go to school, finish school,

a job!
and then get a job for the rest of our lives. Even
though I had a healthy severance package,
I didn’t want to stop and smell the roses - I needed
a job.

Speaking of school, I remember my Dad saying,
“before you go west, go out to Murray Sawler’s place
and he’ll show you how to drive one of his tractors
and you’ll never need to worry about a job again.
And if that university stuff isn’t for you son, look the
professor straight in the eye and tell him to take those
books and shove them where the sun doesn’t shine
and you’ll be coming home Charlie Brown!”

Years later I came across a quote from Fran Lebowitz,
that echoed my Dad’s sentiment on formal educa-
tion.

“Stand firm in your refusal to remain conscious during
algebra. In real life, I can assure you there is no such
thing as algebra.”

My Dad was self educated and felt education only
delayed the inevitability of getting a job. I realize now
my Dad’s approach to formal education was the
right approach for someone like me - riddled with
dyslexia, attention deficit, anxiety and panic disor-
ders. He had a wonderful way to look at the big pic-
ture. The education would come because continual
learning would occur.

Need a job!
29

9
Relearning
After considering moving to Florida in the spring of west of the Atlantic Ocean in North Hampton. Since
2006, I landed a job in New Hampshire. At least at 1923, the family had been providing home comfort
the time I thought it was a job… it became much in the area… from wood, ice, coal, oil, to alternative
more. I had a position as Marketing Director for energy solutions. The locals knew the story, but many
Lamprey Brothers, which later led me to become of the newcomers to the seacoast did not know the
their General Manager. During this time I acquired rich history.
a passion for transitioning this oil company into an
alternative energy company. It was fun taking customers, suppliers, and opinion
leaders throughout the historic homestead. It was
I didn’t have a job. I was having fun! I was doing only at this time I started to realize I didn’t need or
something I enjoyed! It was my calling! I started to want a job. I and most likely others only wanted the
understand what people meant when giving advice results of a job - a paycheck.
about career choices - “do something you’re pas-
sionate about” they would say. But I was never quite By early 2008, I was getting a nudge to do something
sure what that meant. It conflicted with the continual different… that would give me a reason to make a
drone heard throughout my life of, I needed a job. difference… the creation of Zoo Nation is a result of
Is it something you stumble upon or is this something this. While there may be a lot of motivation to have a
you acquire after years of contemplation? job, doing something that in some small way express-
es our family’s soul is a strategy that will sustain us in
At Lamprey Brothers, I realized bit by bit the culture the long term.
of the company was changing by simply chang-
ing the story… sharing the history, the affinity for the And I finally relearned the importance of having
family’s love for the land and the animals. Lamprey a job.
Brothers is a wonderful family business just 1.5 miles

“A life spent making mistakes is not only
more honorable, but more useful than
a life spent doing nothing.”
George Bernard Shaw

Need a job!
30

10
The next chapter
Zoo Nation helps companies and entrepreneurs
breathe life into their mission and find tangible
solutions to everyday challenges.

Are • Corporate branding
• Consultation services for developing

you ready
corporate vision, mission, and objectives
• Individually customized marketing strategies
• Awareness-building public relations campaigns

to make
• Effective and creative website design
• Understanding and employing social
media integration

things • Enhanced leadership skills

Partnering with a person or an organization is an

happen ?
investment-both financially and emotionally.
Even though my title is CEO & CMO - don’t let that
fool you - we are small and nimble. Zoo Nation
is a wrecking crew of a few good, I mean, great
people. AND capable of making things happen in

introducing your business.

the consulting arm Perhaps more important we have heart and soul,
and deem our relationship successful, only if you
are successful.
of Zoo Nation Call, tweet, or drop us a line today to help you start
to make things happen!

Phone 603 502 4344
Email- darrellz@zoonation.com
www.zoonation.com

Facebook: http://bit.ly/b57FSR
Twitter: http://twitter.com/darrellzwicker
www.linkedin.com/in/darrellzwicker

31

10
The next chapter

Create
Call To Action To All Current & Former Irving
Employees and Corporate America In General.

What is the story that has impacted your life in

the a positive way ?

Everyone has a unique memory, an interaction, a story

next
that can have an impact on all of us. That’s why I am
sharing a free digital download of You Can’t Make
This Up!

chapter Now is the time to share your story!

If you chuckle, find value, or catch yourself
reminiscing about your time at Irving Oil or with any other
company, please share it with others.
of
You can’t make this up! Here’s how you can participate:

• Email, tweet, or blog about this FREE gift to your
colleagues and friends.
• Tell them about Zoo Nation and the services we
offer to small businesses.
• Share your story with us - we can help you create
the next chapter.
And to inspire you, here are stories shared by Terry Small,
longtime Advertising Manager at Irving Oil.

contact us :

Darrell Zwicker:
darrellz@zoonation.com
(603) 502 4344
Facebook: http://bit.ly/b57FSR Or Terry Small:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/darrellzwicker tthssmall@hotmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/darrellzwicker (352) 404 6397

32

10
A Few The next chapter

Stories When Darrell asked me to contribute a few stories,
I thought to myself, where do I begin? After all, I

Rolled Into had worked at Irving Oil for 25 years! So, following
are some of my stories, rolled up into one... see if

One…
you can figure out the learnings, unlearnings
or relearnings...

by Terry Sm I joined Irving Oil in 1984 and was charged with
Former Ad all,
vertising M building an in-house advertising and sales promo-
anager
at Irving O tion team. It was felt at the time that doing more
il
marketing in-house would be more efficient and
save the company money rather than hiring a full-
service advertising agency. For an advertising guy
like me with over nine years retail ad experience
with Firestone Canada Inc. in Hamilton, Ontario.
– this opportunity with Irving Oil in Saint John, New
Brunswick was both exciting and challenging!

To provide some context here, Firestone was a
typical big, bureaucratic, publicly-owned com-
pany. Everyone had a job title and you knew your
job responsibility... and you stayed within clear job
boundaries. In 1984 Irving Oil was the exact
opposite in terms of company structure. Irving was
(and still is) privately owned, it was not bureaucrat-
ic, no one had a title and the company was rela-
tively small, at least compared to its multinational
competitors like Esso, Ultramar, Petro Canada, etc.
And, in those days, every manager reported
directly to Arthur Irving, president of the company.
At Firestone, I could count on one hand the
number of times I actually spoke to the president.

A few stories rolled into one
33

10
The next chapter
KC wrote this customer service philosophy in 1924!
What Is A Customer? And today, it is just as relevant as it was back then.
Is there anything in this philosophy that does not
By reporting to Mr. Irving, I soon realized I was in for
apply to your business today?
a great learning experience. Without question, the
first learning for me was “the customer is #1”.
Most companies say this, but Irving truly lived it!
Attention To Detail.
Every Irving branch office in Atlantic Canada,
Another aspect that fascinated me about the
and for that matter, many of the walls in the home
Irving culture was the attention to detail. Here’s
office in Saint John displayed the following creed
one brief example that every Irving manager can
written by KC Irving, the company founder.
relate to. If you spent the company’s money to
buy anything from office equipment to gas pumps,
What Is A Customer?
you had to get Mr. Irving to sign the check. In my
case, my ad budget was between two and three
• A customer is the most important person
million dollars a year! Just imagine how many
in your business.
checks I had to get signed! We were told that Mr.
• A customer is not an interruption to your work –
Irving signed every check himself so he could see
he is the purpose of it.
where his money was being spent. And at every
• We are not doing him a favor by serving him.
“sitting” you could be certain that you would be
He is doing us a favor by giving us the
challenged at least once… ”Why did you use this
opportunity to do so.
vendor?”, “Is he a good Irving customer?”, “How
• A customer is not dependent on us – we are
many quotes did you get?”, “Did we get value
dependent on him.
for our money?”. I learned early in the game – be
• A customer is not an outsider to our business.
prepared – know your vendors – be able to justify
He is part of it.
every nickel! And, the most important lesson –
• A customer is not a cold statistic. He is a flesh and
don’t try to bluff an answer! If you didn’t know the
blood human being with feelings and emotions,
correct answer, just say “I don’t know, but I will find
biases and prejudices.
out and let you know” and, you better not forget
• A customer is not someone to argue and match
to follow up quickly!
wits with. Nobody ever won an argument with
a customer.
Attention to detail was and still is a big part of
• A customer is someone who brings us his wants.
Irving’s winning formula when it comes to build-
It is our job to handle them profitably to him
ing a network of Irving Big Stops across the Trans
and ourselves.
Canada Highway in Eastern Canada. The Lincoln

34

10
The next chapter
Irving Big Stop near Fredericton is a great example.
Start with a great location – quick access to the
You Can’t Sell From An Empty Shelf
busy Trans Canada Highway; lots of parking – both
This phrase still rings in my head. Remember back
the truckers’ parking lot and the regular parking
in the early 90’s when those neon colored ball
lot have tons of room; easy access to both the
caps were so popular? Well, I was in my office
diesel and gas pumps; big letters on the building
one morning and in walked Mr. Irving, who threw
shout “Blue Canoe Restaurant” – code for great,
a neon cap on my desk and said, ”we should get
homestyle cooking inside; the décor has a local,
some of these, they’re a big thing in California”. He
rural hominess feel to it – but still a very modern
then walked out as quickly as he arrived. I thought
service station; inside the convenience store
to myself… is he serious? How many should I order?
there’s everything from the usual snack items – to
What message would we put on them? I pondered
fresh fruit – to CDs – to magazines – to groceries –
this a moment until the proverbial “light bulb”
to toys – to, well, you get the idea. The staff looks
went on over my head. We were just introducing
sharp in crisp, professional uniforms; the wash-
a new gasoline with an exclusive additive called
rooms – well, they are not your typical gas station
Microlene and we could order a couple thousand
washrooms – they are immaculate; plus there’s a
caps to help launch our new gasoline! I scurried
1-800 number posted for you to call if you want to
up to Mr. Irving’s office… proud of myself, that I
lodge a complaint! Everything is well organized,
was responding to his request so fast… and said
leaving no detail undone! But, there’s more – start
to him, “let’s order two thousand caps to promote
with great operators, long time Irving lessees,
Microlene… we could ship every branch a couple
Lynden and Beth Fenety – they keep everything in
cartons...” That’s when he interrupted and said, as
the facility running smoothly and are always close
only Mr. Irving could… ”Small, you can’t sell from
by to help a customer; there’s a big community
an empty shelf… order a truck load… at least a
bulletin board promoting anything local; and of
hundred thousand caps… every Irving location
course, the famous Irving Restaurant – even with
needs to sell them….” Just then, his phone rang – I
lots of seating, it’s not uncommon to see a lineup
was saved. I left his office and yes, ordered a hun-
of customers waiting for a seat – and that great,
dred thousand neon caps! Every Irving location in
home-cooked meal!
Eastern Canada sold hundreds of these red, green,
yellow and blue caps. Each one embroidered with
Every business could learn a thing or two from
slogans like “Lean & Mean With Microlene”. The
Irving’s ‘attention to detail’ playbook……
caps were a novelty and big hit that summer. Every
time I saw someone wearing one, I couldn’t help

35

but remember those prophetic words “you can’t per ad layouts to review. As our meeting pro-
sell from an empty shelf”. So simple, but yet so true! gressed Mr. Irving looked at the first layout, then the
second and as we were waiting for his approval,
Why Does The Fox Piss On His Biscuits? he asked, “why does the fox piss on his biscuits?”
This was not the question we were expecting and
It was a typical, summer day at Irving’s home of- one that I was sure I didn’t know the answer. Darrell
fice in Saint John when Darrell Zwicker, our home and I glanced at each other. An eternity of silence
heating General Manager and I were waiting out- seemed to pass until Mr. Irving answered his own
side Mr. Irving’s office. This area, referred to as the question for us! ”So no other animal will eat his
“bull-pit”, was where Irving employees would wait food”. His message to us? If you are going to do
for their chance to meet with Mr. Irving. It did not battle with the utilities, you better be prepared! Did
matter how far up the ‘pecking order’ you thought we have our facts nailed down? Did we get legal
you were, every manager waited his or her turn counsel? Did we do our homework?
in the bull-pit. When his office door opened you
would jump up, catch Mr. Irving’s attention, and On the surface, one might be confused by Mr.
hope to get his signal to come inside. We anxiously Irving’s question; but just below the surface is the
wanted to review with Mr. Irving our latest advertis- real meaning of the so-called ‘Irving culture’…
ing campaign, called “Oil Costs Less”. We knew be passionate about your work; have integrity and
we had a winner, after all, oil heat was less than honesty; be decisive and as in the case of the ‘Oil
electricity and the new home building market was Costs Less’ campaign... don’t be afraid to take a
booming. We had three or four different newspa- risk... if you are prepared!

36

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for anything other than personal use is subject to
express permission from Zoo Nation.

We’d love to hear from you!
Phone 603 502 4344
Email- darrellz@zoonation.com

References and books that provided content and inspiration:
Rouillard, Laurie A. “Goals and Goal Setting” Crisp Publications, 1993
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window
“Where will you be five years from today?” Sold Exclusively at Starbucks, 2008
Godin, Seth “LINCHPIN-Are you indispensable?” Penquin, 2010
Margolis,Michael “BELIEVE ME” Get Storied Press, 2009
Vaynerchuk,Gary “CRUSH IT.Now is the Time to Cash in on your Passion” HarperCollins, 2009
Trout, Jack “In Search of the Obvious” McGraw Hill, 2008
KODAK Social Media Tips Booklet, 2010
Sernovitz, Andy “Word of Mouth Marketing” Kaplan Publishing, 2006
Peters, Tom “Re-Imagine!” DK Publishing,2003

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