I like to share a little story of a client of mine that was unable to attend an event a couple of weeks back. I naturally assumed it was because of being his wife’s birthday and they had other plans. However, when speaking to him later in the week he shared with me that his 7-month old little guy “Bram” was being extremely uncooperative the prior evening and into the morning of where mommy & daddy didn’t get much sleep. He also shared with me that the same thing happened on Mothers’ Day. Hmm, isn’t that interesting.
I asked Randy if he would like me to share why this happened. You see the little guy “Bram” is used to getting all the attention. Simply, the energy and attention shifted away from him to mom on those two days of where it should have, being her special days. “Bram” unfortunately was having no part of it! He was certainly letting mom and dad know that he’s the center of attention and no one else!
So why do I share this story and what does it have to do with business? There are actually two valuable lessons here to be learned here.
Lesson #1. There is always a sale going on somewhere in every connection amongst people. In this case, Bram wasn’t getting the attention that he was used to and the sale began. He used the tools he was familiar with to get the attention and energy of mom and dad back on him. They, in turn, shifted their interest and desire to soothe him as so they could hopefully get back to sleep. Unfortunately, in this case, the sale was not a win/win.
Lesson #2. We must be very conscious of where and when we are shifting our energy and attention. In business, we have two primary areas where we need to be present with someone else. That is with the members of our team/staff and with our clients and/or prospects. I truly believe that the secret to life is being present with the person we are with at and in that moment of time. If we are not totally present in a conversation with a team member, we will most certainly pay the price later. Could be in the form of having to go over the same instructions again and again of which only creates frustration and tension to both parties. Worse yet, the team member may not feel important and may simply one day leave your organization to go work for someone else.
Unfortunately, it is no different from a client, customer or prospect. If you are not totally present with that person. If your energy and attention aren’t fully on them, they will also let you know. Unfortunately, only a bold few will actually tell you to your face. The majority will just not come back and go to your competitor instead. Another lose/lose for both parties.
In sales as in wealth creation, it is always about getting the other party what they want as when they win as a customer or team member, you win as a business owner and leader. Making a sale has to be a win/win. The only way to create a win/win is to simply be present in the conversation you are in at that time. Give your full energy and attention to that person you are with at that time. Be conscious of and consistently apply these two lessons and you should consistently reap the rewards while being able to sleep comfortably satisfied at night.
The sale is on! Make it a Win/ Win!