Employers always look for a certain spark in candidates while they are hiring freshers. Once hired, they help and guide them to polish their skills and realise their potential. This requires good leadership and John Brandon, who oversaw Apple's international sales, was reportedly great at it. He would give his retail sales associates advice in the form of a few “points to remember”. While these points were meant to bring the new employees up to speed about what was expected of them, the advice is just as good for the rest of us.
Investor-entrepreneur Brent Beshore shared the tips written on the back of what looked like a business card recently on his Twitter account. “This is what John Brandon, who ran Apple's international sales, gave to every retail sales associate to keep with them and refer to. Not bad life advice for the rest of us,” Mr Beshore said.
Mr Brandon's advice included tips like, “Let go of the old, make the most of the future” and “Learn to be a good businessperson, not just a good salesperson”. One of the most striking tips, however, was the senior Apple executive's suggestion to “have fun, otherwise it's not worth it.”
Many people have commented on the Twitter post, sharing their excitement as well as what they liked most from the 11 points.
“This is awesome,” said a user.
“Good businessperson versus good salesperson is IMHO about LT versus ST. Great one. Thanks for sharing,” one user wrote, using the short hands for long-term and short-term.
Some agreed with Mr Beshore's pitch that Brandon's tips were good life lessons.
“4 is necessary for leaders in all disciplines,” said another, referring to the same businessperson vs salesperson advice.
John Brandon spent nearly 40 years helping technology companies grow. He retired from Apple in 2015 after serving as the company's vice president of international for almost 15 years. He now serves as a board advisor for several technology startups.
