The importance of listening to your potential business partners or customers. I once was a Regional Vice President of a large chain of western wear stores. One day, a TV actor named Chad Everett, who was very popular at that time, came into one of my stores. He wanted to purchase some boots. He asked one of my associates who was helping him if he could see the manager. Since the manager wasn’t there on that day, I introduced myself. Mr. Everett asked me, “Do you know who I am?” I replied, “I do. You are Mr. Everett of the TV show Medical Center.” He said,” I just wanted to let you know that I don’t pay retail for anything.” “I’ll see what I can do.” The boots he was buying was $299. I told Mr. Everett that he would be paying $334 for the boots. He said, “But the retail is $299!” “Yes sir,” I replied. “You mentioned that you do not pay retail. So I’m giving you a non-retail price.” He said, “You’re going the wrong way.” “You said, you do not want to pay retail, and you did not ask for a discount,” I replied. He told me I was the only person that he ever dealt with that did not want to give him a discount. “But sir, if you paid $299 you would be getting a discount off my quoted price.” He laughed and paid the $299.00. This is an exaggeration of the importance of listening; I gave Mr. Everett what he wanted, not to pay retail. It is so import to listen to what the business partner or customer says. I have used this example many times in my trainings of a person going to the doctors and telling him that he had a pain in his right side. The doctor asked, “ does it really hurt? “Yes, it really hurts badly in my right side.” The doctor says’” let’s operate!” As ridiculous as this sounds, this is how sometimes we approach potential customers. We’re so excited about all of our products that we don’t listen to what they have to say. I also use the example of a person who has a bad back and a distributor comes up to him and Says I have something that’ll help you. If they were to use the wants and needs questionnaire, it would go something like this. “I noticed that you have back pain?” “Yes.” “What are you doing about it?” “Nothing.” “What would you like to change?” “Nothing, I like people, to ask me about my back so I can complain to them.” Again, an exaggeration, but the point is why talk about your product or service if the client doesn’t want them.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Jul 2013 23:58:10 +0000
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