We had an old water well when I was a kid.
It was nestled in between three large oak trees and was about 20 yards from the back door of our house. My step-father, Jim, had taken an old well house that was on the property, and moved it over the spot where the new well had been dug. Beside the well was a pump house that insured that we had water in our home when we turned on the faucet.
That water well seemed at least 100 years old in my young mind. I know that it was not. But in the eyes of a 7 year old boy – that well was an adventurous place that provided hours of entertainment… that is except when I would find a snake and run back to the house as fast as my legs would carry me.
We lived too far out in the country to have “city water”. So digging a well was the only way our family could have fresh water. Incidentally, when the grown ups used the term “city water”, they were of course describing having water brought from “the city” to their home via the underground pipes. Some would say the term “city water” with a tone of voice that implied true amazement at such a marvel. While others would say the same term with a tone of disapproval and a crinkled nose – as if having such things were a waste of money and certainly not as good for you.[lightbox link=”https://jeffcwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/old-well-house.jpg” thumb=”https://jeffcwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/old-well-house.jpg” width=”300″ align=”right” title=”old well house” frame=”true” icon=”image” caption=””]
Once a well is dug, bringing the water into your home involved putting in a pump – and then priming that pump. Priming the pump required that you find water from somewhere, then you would pour that water down the pump shaft. Once the pipe had been filled, you could then make the connections and start the pump.
I am no scientist, but basically pouring the water down the pump takes all the air out of the line and creates a vacuum. Then when the pump would begin the process of “pulling”, the vacuum would pull the water into your home.
My apologies to all the real well-diggers out there. I know that was a very rudimentary description.
In life and in sales, the same principle of “priming the pump” applies in almost everything we do.
In our posts this week, we will discuss how to “prime the pump” for both sales people and sales leaders.
QUESTION: If you look at your current pipeline, are there gaps that need to be filled?
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