Are You a Bull or a Cow?

November 26, 2016 Tarmo Tamm

When facing obstacles, people can be divided into two groups: bulls and cows.

>> When a bull is at pasture and notices a thunderstorm approaching him, he gears up and runs full speed against the thundercloud. This bull is facing his fears, and as it is moving in the opposite direction to the cloud, it only has to stand in the rain for a very short time.
>> The cow, by contrast, starts to run away from the thunder. As she is fat and slow, sooner or later the cloud is going to catch her, and she now runs along with the cloud. As they are moving in the same direction, she has to stand in the rain a lot longer than the bull.

I am no expert in cattle and I have no clue whether this example is biologically correct, yet I consider it a brilliant metaphor to describe how different people think.

Many of them try to escape problems and challenges, doing things that seem easy in the short term. In the long run, sooner or later they will end up in the rain, whether emotionally, physically or financially.

At the same time, there are still a bunch of bulls pulling themselves together and facing their fears. They do what they have to do, stepping constantly out of their comfort zone. As today they are willing to do things others aren’t, tomorrow they can do things others can’t. Success begins beyond your comfort zone. 

 

The majority think that sales are something that at least at the beginning are clearly out of their comfort zone. I remember very well my first day of direct selling at a shopping centre. I had a cold sweat on my forehead and I was feeling nauseous. However, I took it as a sign that I was on the right track and mustn’t give up. I took a decision that as long as I was trying, I could not fail.

Tarmo Tamm

Tarmo has sold at least 12 different products and services and worked as a Sales Manager on at least 14 projects. The efficient practices described in this book have been successfully implemented for B2B and B2C. These principles have been tested over the phone, in conference rooms, implemented in retail business, at shopping malls as well as in door-to-door sales.