Rudolf ❤️

Let me tell you a story about Rudolf. 

Before I dive in, Rudolf is a common name in South Africa (you’re observing the Afrikaans spelling here) which means competent amongst others.

I don’t know Rudolf well, but in the short time that I’ve come to know him, he’s been a source of inspiration that is shaping many of my stories.

Rudolf is an amazingly competent plumber.

You might wonder: “what makes him so great, Mirjam?”

He’s punctual.
He communicates well.
He knows his plumbing stuff.

But those aren’t the things that make him stand out.

His work isn’t easy.
He’s usually tasked to fix a very specific problem.
A blocked drain.
A leaking tap.
A pipe burst.

But, he rarely ends up fixing the one thing he is asked to repair.
It’s never just that and nothing more.
Not just a blocked drain.
A leaking tap.
A pipe burst.

If you’re wondering where I’m going with this, keep reading.
All will be revealed.

As Rudolf sets to work on a blocked drain, he looks beyond the actual issue.
He’s interested in the relationship.
What’s the relation of the blocked drain to the pipes?
To the underground sewage system?
To the tree growing in the yard?

He’s looking for the difference that makes a difference.

An example might help illustrate this.

We recently renovated our bathroom. As expected (those who’ve undergone renovations can confirm this) we had to deal with some unexpected things. Such as very smelly odours.

Every time we brushed our teeth we observed a foul smell (full disclosure the recommendation to brush your teeth twice a day was not always observed).

The contractor was notified.
He organized two different plumbers to investigate.
Both replaced the bathroom basin bottle trap.
This trap is attached to the waste plug under the basin and wards off smelly odours
amongst others (yep, I now read lots of plumbing-related stuff).

It did not resolve the issue.
The smell continued.

In came Rudolf.

He followed the smell and connected things that didn’t seem to be symbiotic (this might sound idiotic but one can picture the bathroom as an ecosystem where the basin, trap, drain all interact with one another).

He noticed a vent had disappeared from the roof.
A missing sewer trap.
A tree root blocking the sewage which resulted in a build-up of, very smelly, wastewater.

All were addressed.
The smell disappeared.

And, he left with an instruction:

“Those tree roots will grow back. Make sure to check and remove them every 3 months to prevent the return of the smell.”

I’m very fond of Rudolf*.
I like how he operates.
I trust him.
It’s a gut feeling more than anything.

Rudolf’s story has been (in)forming my story.

It’s continuously shaping my experiences in business, selling and marketing.

It looks something like this:

• Show up like a human being.
• Articulate how you can help – in person, in email, on social media – anywhere there are humans.
• Actually help them by solving a problem.

Like Rudolf, I rarely only fix the one thing I’m asked to repair. It’s never just that and nothing more.

I look for the difference that makes a difference.

I market being human – with feelings – to human beings.

I’m interested in how people do what they do.

Why?

It (in)forms what people are doing and why they’re doing it – which makes for very “alive” marketing.

This sounds simple but is actually very hard.

To make offers so accessible to human beings that they’ll say:

“This is for me, and me alone”.

As Rudolf, I’ll leave here with an instruction:

“If I’ve captured your attention, plan a free call and share your stories with me”.