Do not be denied

Here’s a story.  

I have this one building (We have 13 of them now), Building 7.  We manufacture things in there that are important to us.  Well, we were chuck full and out of space.  We couldn’t spread out and get organized.  We were putting some parts in other buildings and moving things back and forth.  It was inefficient.  

So my friend Bill Purcell, who was the Chamber of Commerce president, told me about the building next door which was owned by an older guy who had this aerospace parts company in it, was thinking about selling the building. Well, at least he was selling the company.

The building was right next door, and proximity made it very valuable to me.  All my buildings are in the same commercial park, and we have trucks going between them every day.  It would be convenient for everyone to have more space in the park.  

So I go to the business, have to be buzzed in, and ask for the owner.  “He’s not here”.  So I told the gal what I wanted to talk to the owner about and she said she would tell him.  No call.  I went back and talked to someone else and left my card again.  No call.  I went back and asked for his number.  She would not give it to me.  Time went by.  I knew a guy who knew a guy who I called to get this guys phone number.  Finally, I got it.  I left a message.  No call.  I left another one.  Finally, he picked up the phone.  

“I hear you are selling your company and they are moving, and I want to buy your building.”  “Well, I don’t know.  It won’t be for a while.”  “We can sign a contract, and I’ll wait.”  “No.  I’ll get back to you.”  Months went by.  I reached out every so often, telling him why selling to me was a good idea versus putting it on the market.  He’d save real estate commission and help another company in the park – a neighbor.

Meanwhile, our need became more pressing.

The company moved out of the building.  It was empty.  Why isn’t he jumping on this?  Then he told me.  They had an oil spill that had to be cleaned up and cleared by the State.  I know that takes forever.  But I knew something about it, I talked to the Environmental guy, read the reports, and made a proposal.  

“How about you lease us the building until the State gives a clean bill of health, and then we close.  100% of the lease payments go toward the purchase price.  What do you say?”  He said yes!  I got free financing for 20 months, then we closed, and all the money I had paid in lease payments went toward the purchase price.  We remodeled the building, and it is really nice and solved our problem.

If I had given up when the guy did not call me back, I’d still have my problem, and it would be bigger.

I don’t have time to give this kind of persistence to all matters, large and small, but on the smart ones that really matter for the future, you can’t give up.  You have to get creative.  You have to build a relationship and be heard.

I hope this story is useful to you.