19 Oct There’s a Reason Assumptive Begins with Those Three Letters
I was at a restaurant a couple of weeks ago, and the server mentioned he was attending the Bucs game the next day. “I’ll be the one by the pirate ship in my Dallas Cowboys jersey,” he said. While I tried to diplomatically let him down that the Bucs were playing the Rams, he responded that he was aware. When I questioned him again with a bit of sardonic humor as to why anyone would wear a Cowboys jersey to a Bucs-Rams matchup, he then retorted, “It’s not your $100.”
His response was pure gold to me. Once I took the time to ask why he was wearing the Cowboys jersey—he had loved the team since childhood and this was his closest opportunity to attend an NFL game—I realized my too-quick reaction was just plain stupid. It forced me to remember what I tell my clients.
How many times have you been too quick to judge someone’s choices based on your own choices?
I advise my clients to not assume, judge or offer commentary when and why their customers make a choice or decision. That’s why a “script” response often fails to accomplish the objective—whether that is for a builder to sell a home, a financial advisor to expand services to a near-retirement customer or a non-profit trying to secure a new donor. The key to providing the greatest ROI is to be on your customer’s agenda to truly understand why they make those choices. This can only be accomplished by keeping the dialogue free of judgment or assumptions. Only then can you address why they do what they do and how you will meet or exceed their expectations.
I made a choice at that same Bucs game others may have assumed bad, wrong or foolish. We waited out the rain delay to witness the game’s final two minutes. From my standpoint, that decision was the right one, as I was determined to witness a home-opener win. Alas they lost, but hey, it wasn’t your time. Or $100 (okay, much more).