Shane Parrish

Three kids, no husband, making $30 on a good day.

That list kept her sane.

It kept her going.

Every evening before bed, she'd write tomorrow's six things, the children's schedules, where the parties were, which customers needed follow-up calls, what inventory to pack.

My list keeps me on track, she explained, and I give it all the credit when people tell me how well I follow up.

Once she wrote something down, it became what she called a tangible commitment, something she had to do.

It also disciplines me to do those things I'd rather not do.

The list of things that most people tend to put off and never get around to doing.

And then she'd add this warning, don't trust it to memory.

If you don't write it down, you'll never get around to doing even the most well-intentioned tasks.

But the most important application to follow through wasn't the lists or early mornings.

It was the customers.

Most salespeople made a sale and then vanished onto the next prospect, the next commission.

But Mary Kay did something different.

She called customers back regularly, not to sell them something, just to check in.

Tell me, how are you doing?

How is the product working for you?

The customer hadn't even used up what she'd bought yet.

There was no sale to be made.

But if there was a problem, Mary Kay wanted to know immediately before it festered.