Success Is Shown When You Say Thank You Elita Sohmer Clayman

“Success they say is doing the best you can with what you have. Success is the doing, not the getting in, the trying not the triumph.” We all think success is when someone makes a lot of money either in business, for an invention, for obtaining a great job, for anything that has to do with money. I worked for two men who just had a high school education, if that, and they were very successful and made a good amount of money in the fifties and sixties because they thought of a very excellent idea in the printing world. They became a specialty printing firm, like doctors, lawyers and dentists have become. When I was a little girl, the doctor was your ‘everything physician.’ He checked over everything there was about you from head to toe. Rarely, did he send you to a specialist, unless as a child you needed your tonsils out or your eyes needed glasses. The dentist did everything also, pulled teeth, filled teeth, did everything and anything related to your teeth. Rarely were you sent to a specialist, unless you needed braces and they were very expensive and out of the financial range of many people.

My employers decided they would become specialty printers and only print one thing and it was called in those days circulars, now called flyers. They printed them for stores and businesses all over the country and the day the order was received with the text wanted on them; they were shipped first class to the vendor and he usually received them in one to day days maximum, no matter what part of the country he was located in. The firm was called The Diamond Press (no wonder I love jewelry) was known for quick and efficient delivery and quality and inexpensive work. These two men Meyer and Dave built up a good reputation and we were a busy firm. We did not print wedding invitations (my own ones had to be sent to a wedding printer, not where I worked), business cards, or other printing items. They thought this idea up themselves and soon had copycat others trying the same thing.

Success came to both of them through hard work, ideas and efficiency. They were one of the first printers to use colored ink on ordinary circulars and having a red line or blue color made the work even more alluring to the store owners. They mainly printed for small grocery stores, drug stores and variety shops all over the USA. I ran the office and I learned the names of thousands of small cities all over our country, from where our customers lived.

Success can come to almost anyone if they try hard enough and have the stamina to work long hours. It can be in any field. Many dance studios are profitable because their dancer/owner is smart enough to teach well and to encourage the students to excel even though it is a sport/hobby.

Michael Phelps is an example of hard work, stamina and ambition and today as always, he brings honor and distinction to our state and the city and counties of Baltimore.

When I was a kid, there were lots of small businesses who were successful and they were admirable business owners. We, ourselves for twenty-three years ran an honorable and fine drug store now called pharmacies. We were kind, respectful, decent and nice to our customers, no matter how small the sale was. We knew many by their first names and they knew our first names. These stores then were called Mom and Pop stores, because the owners and the customers were sometimes like family.

Now days, you call up a place and when they are finished talking to you, they hang up, no goodbye, have a nice day etc. Verizon is the opposite when you have DSL problems on your computer. They are extremely polite as I have never heard anyone be. Also Nordstrom’s, a fine department store ,when you call there, ask for a department, they say “it is my pleasure.” This is really lovely and nicer than being hung up without a reply.

Success can be making a lot of money, it can be politeness in the market place and Wegmans is also noted for kind and knowledgeable employees. It somehow makes the day, even a rainy or gray day seem brighter, when you get a friendly person on the other end. It does not cost any money to be pleasant and yet it gives a boost to the consumer to hear niceties. I always thank everyone whether I am calling the hair salon, the dentist, the doctor or a store and when I give an order for carryout food, Olive Garden is a delightful place to deal with. Anything you want, they do and they listen and get it right, so when you come home, every item is as you want it.

These businesses like Wegmans, Nordstrom’s, Olive Garden, and Verizon have my vote for being successful and kind to their customers/clients.  Mom use to say “if you cannot say anything nice, say nothing at all.”

It is better to say thank you than to be the opposite way. That is success.

Thank you for reading my columns.  There I go practicing what I preach.

In the sixth grade, Mr. Wilson said to my eleven year old son, Jeffrey. “Jeffrey you are the politest

boy in the sixth grade.” He said “thank you Mr. Wilson.” Mr. W. said “this is what I mean.”