A Day at the Chamber – Let’s Do Lunch

An interesting event occurred at the Chamber office the other day. I heard it included free lunch, so I'm up for that. I walked in, and here's what I saw:

A rather large group of people, recognized many of them, sort of hanging around and talking to each other. At first, I thought the free-lunch table was in their midst. They were constantly looking over their shoulder at the next group.

A smaller group of people, recognized just one or two of them, talking with each other, and once in a while, glancing over at the bigger group.

Then, I noticed one person, sort of circling the big group, much like the proverbial hunter seeking the weakest prey.

Finally, off in a corner, was one person, looking like he was deep in prayer.

Somewhat amused and confused, I started listening to the conversations in the first group. "Sure would like to sell my business. I talk to people, the brokers want too much commission, who knows what it's worth …" You get the point.

The second, smaller group, was a bit more focused in their conversations. "We want to grow, but we need something very specific, at the right price, and there's too many out there to figure out which is the right one for us." Again, you get the point.

The loner made just one comment to me: "If I can find the right situation, I'll pay cash today." Whoa!

The prayer simply mumbled something about "Somebody will come along. I'm not really worried." I didn't have the heart to ask why he was praying at such a nice luncheon.

There's a wonderful word in Yiddish for what was lacking in the room: Shadkhin, a matchmaker! If only each of these people could find a way to talk with the right person in the room, their problems would be on the way to solution. They each need a shadkhin..  A matchmaker, someone to bring them together with the right person, rather than talking with the wrong person, or no one at all.

Talking with the right person does not guarantee a deal, but it's a good bet there will be no deal without it. Find the right buyer, and selling your business gets easier.

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