Threatened by boll weevils and parched land, George Washington Carver set out to discover another crop that could be planted in the place of cotton; the lowly peanut was all he could come up with. Heeding his advice, peanuts were planted, yet no one knew what to do with the peanuts once they were harvested. Faced with the quandary, Carver smashed, cracked, and peeled his way to 300 uses for the peanut and was invited to present his findings before Congress. Because Carver was black, his time was reduced to a mere 10 minutes-not even enough time to unpack his gear. Two hours later, they were still listening.

Allotted with only 600 seconds, Carver could’ve bitterly burned all of his apportioned minutes explaining why he needed more time, yet he instead graciously accepted what was given and enchanted his audience.

Prejudiced to your profession, customers will show up today saying they can only spare 10 minutes. Use it or lose it. Instead of setting an appointment they will never show up for, use what you are given. If you can captivate them, you can keep them. Your customers will give you more time-you’ve just got to earn it.

I'll see you next time on the blacktop!