Selling With Noble Purpose, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 22How to Keep Your NSP from Dying in Accounting

It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.

—Upton Sinclair, writer

The true test of your Noble Purpose is how well you can keep it alive in the face of adversity. Every organization experiences financial ups and downs, market issues, operational issues, and other challenges. Sometimes they come with no warning. When times get tough, there are two things people will defend: their budget and their functional area. It can get ugly. Recently, I was an eyewitness to a scene like this; it wasn't pretty. I call it The Tale of Two Budgets.

Our story begins in a conference room.

The two men glared at each other from opposite sides of the conference table, looking like mortal enemies—and in some ways, they were. Steve, the younger of the two, had his hands perched on the arms of his chair, clenching his fingers on the edges as if he were ready to leap into battle. Bill looked like a war‐weary soldier. He'd been through this type of fight before, and he knew it wouldn't end well. He loosened his collar, let out a sigh, and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and looking over his glasses, as if daring Steve to speak first.

It worked. Steve took the bait.

“My team can't survive on this budget!” Steve shouted. “Are you trying to kill us?”

Bill looked at Steve with the dismissive disdain one might have for a chubby toddler stomping his feet for more cake. Steve ...