So, it's 10:04 am Thursday.

We've made it to a fancy Sauna, Pool & Water Park in Germany, just as they open. Cold these days.

Now at the entrance, my sister Karin and me waiting with two heavy bags of bath towels to get our full-day ticket.

We kill time standing in the queue chatting.
Forward. Stop. Forward. Stop. Forward. Stop.

At the admission, a tall woman with a white coat giving out tickets, change and a box wrapped in Happy-New-Year-gift-paper to every client.

She tells everyone who enters the turnstile: “Do you carry any glass bottles?!!!”

They all mumble: “No.” And pass.

"I know exactly that you carry glasses," the white-coat women says with no smile to my sister. "You have to keep them here – on your way out you can get them back."

My sister shrugs.

With one hand she lifts her bag while both water bottles inside bump together and make a gentle clinking noise.

Shoot!

White-coat-women gets up, pointing with her palm: “Give them to me!"

I tell her: "We keep them in the locker, we don’t take them inside the sauna.”

"Aw, come on, Yo! That’s only because of the insurance coverage” the white-coat-woman says. “We are not allowed to have any breakables inside that can injure people.”

What? Like everyone else, I'd thought okay that’s a bit too much.

Yes, I don’t tell her.

My sister grabs inside her bag and hands over our water reserves for the day over the counter.

Now, we’re allowed to pass and get one floor down to the changing room.

Wrapping herself into her bathrobe my sister gestures her head at the Happy-New-Year-gift-boxes we received. “What’s that?”

I tear the gift-paper, open the box and we see the last thing we expected: a drinking glass with the saunas' logo.

See how crazy rules can be?

And how flexible do people use them?

This white-coat-women did she even know what was in the gift boxes she gave to everybody?

She just followed the rules of her management, insurance matters, avoiding people getting injured and the marketing department thinking about clever giveaway promotions... - just doing their job as well.

If you want to keep your sanity, become a go-to, gorgeously booked expert in your industry, get out speak with your buyers about conflicting, ambiguous things.

You don't have to blindly accept everything.

I hear people all the time saying that they signed paragraphs in contracts that made no sense at all.

They're plagued by the thought: "Who am I not to sign this? So many people know so much more than me!"

Yes, but so many people know so much less.

And if you take ownership of what you know, you'll have instant authority. Authority brings … Money.

Take it from me... because I say so.

Oh, and if you want to know more about how to make your business a honey-trap for your buyers where they just can’t fly to someone else but stick to YOU - that's what I'll be talking about at my next live free online masterclass.

I want you to join me there. Not ambiguously, no. That’s definite. Join me.

Best
Heike

P.S. - Zero intention of becoming a master in attracting new buyers? Don't write off this event as a "not for me."

If you work in this field -- for instance, if you're a garment exporter, marketing manager or merchandiser, or of course a buying house owner or any garment export business... -- this is THE place to be.

You might come away with new ideas and strategies that make your whole business.

Join here.