By Younas Chaudhary
Well-known Canadian entrepreneur, Bernie Lofchick, taught me to push hard to win in life and business. I joined as a salesman in Edmonton to Bernie Lofchick’s Worldwide Distributors in 1976, a company that sold pots and pans door-to-door. He taught me how to sell high end pots and pans for $500 a set. I made $100 in commission for each sale.
Bernie was a big fan of American marketing guru, Zig Ziglar. He taught us to make a 15 to 30-minute demo to prospective buyers and gave us cassette tapes filled with Ziglar’s advice on marketing and sales. I learned how to shut up after making my sales pitch to close a deal and that worked most of the time. His favorite slogan was “Hip Hip Hurray!” during and after every sales meeting.
Selling high end pots and pans door to door was hard work. When someone refused to open their door, expressed disinterest, or asked us to leave their home, it was frustrating. Bernie taught us not to feel bad and not take it personal. He believed in the power of data. The White and Yellow Pages phone book was our Bible. He gave us a script and taught us how to make effective cold calls using the phone book.
Life in Canada was hard in the 1970’s, it was not a welcoming place for new immigrants and racism was rampant. There was an outcry over an influx of brown immigrants from Asia and “Paki go home!” was the common sentiment of the local white population. Bernie was different and he knew the power of having a diverse workforce motivated to succeed in an alien land. He welcomed us, especially Indians, Pakistanis, Blacks, and people from other races.
As a young new immigrant, I observed Bernie’s business tactics, his art of delegation, and how he motivated people which helped me greatly later in my life and in business.
He taught us how to gather data at a time when there were no sophisticated data analysis tools. Our target audience was mostly single young women with disposable income who wanted to put something in their hope chest, a piece of furniture used by unmarried young women to collect items, such as clothing and household linen, in anticipation of married life. I didn’t know that such a thing existed until he taught me how valuable it was in the life of some single women those days!
We would visit homes and as the door opened, we would begin with a hook: “Would you like a free trip to Hawaii?” We would collect their name, address, and other demographic information on the free Hawaii trip card. This data was useful because we could contact them later if they were not ready to buy that day.
I worked for Worldwide Distributors for around two years. I was one of his top salesmen, won several awards, and got invited to his home in Winnipeg. I soon learned that if he could do it, I could do it too. His training, tenacity, and welcoming approach helped me fulfill my dreams as a businessman. Bernie later became highly successful by his Midland Appliances which became one of Canada’s largest appliance dealers.
One thing that always resonated to me was his positive thinking, his upbeat slogan, good attitude, and kindness towards the new immigrants. Hip Hip Hurray! Stay blessed.
Disclaimer
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article are my own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which I have been, am now, or will be affiliated. Further, I make no warranty regarding the accuracy or effectiveness of my recommendations, and readers are advised to consult other advisors as well as their own judgments in making business decisions.
YBC Foundation 