AFTERWORD

Thanks for reading The Collaborative Sale. We sincerely want to know what you thought of the book and the concepts. Please send your feedback or any questions to: www.thecollaborativesale.com or www.spisales.com.

A dear friend recently gave me a book that I fell in love with. Don't laugh, but it is an illustrated children's book—The Spyglass by Richard Paul Evans with illustrations by Jonathan Linton.¹ In addition to the wonderful story line and illustrations, what also made it special was the personal handwritten sentiment inside. It said, “To a wonderful friend and visionary.”

My friend wrote the inscription before she read The Collaborative Sale, and it touched me deeply. The connection she was making has to do with the story of The Spyglass and how she sees me as the founder and CEO of Sales Performance International. You see, in the book, an entire kingdom fell into ruin because neither the king nor the people had a vision for their lives. The people of the kingdom were not just poor in terms of material possessions; they were also poor of spirit.

To make things worse, to the east of this unhappy land was a beautiful kingdom with great farms, glorious gardens, cathedrals, and castles. Night and day, the breeze from the east blew the sounds and smells of this glorious kingdom to their land, reminding them of just how poor they actually were. The king did not want to leave his castle because he didn't want to hear the complaints.

Then one day there was a knock on the king's door from a man carrying nothing but a spyglass. The man was a Visualizer and through the spyglass he helped the king see great farms, glorious gardens, cathedrals, and castles once again in his own kingdom. “Is this a trick?” the king asked. “No,” said the Visualizer, “you have seen what might be; now go make it so.”

The king rode throughout the kingdom sharing the spyglass, each time saying, “You have seen what might be; now go make it so.” Though there were some who would not believe what they saw through the spyglass, the majority of the people did. That same year there was a plentiful harvest, and the gardens and a majestic cathedral were once again raised.

After the second year, the Visualizer returned and said, “You have done well. I cannot tarry—I only came back for my spyglass.” At this the king frowned and asked the Visualizer to leave the spyglass in exchange for all of the king's gold. “You have spoken wisely,” said the Visualizer, “for the gift of the spyglass is worth more than all the gold in the royal coffers. But keep your gold; you no longer need the spyglass. You are now a Visualizer; you can see without it.” The king was in disbelief and asked, “How is this possible?” The Visualizer placed his hand on the king's shoulder and said with a smile, “You have seen what might be. Now go make it so.”

In The Collaborative Sale, you have seen what might be. It's now up to you. Go make it so!

Keith Eades

CEO and Founder

Sales Performance International