Given the Choice…….
Given a choice, most everyone chooses the easy path.
- Work out now or work out later ? most say later.
- Get up now or sleep for another 10 minutes? most sleep.
- File my taxes now or wait until tomorrow ? most wait.
The list goes on and on……. the results are the same.
So how does a person avoid this trap?
Here’s one solution; Don’t give yourself choices.
Stop the either/or cycle.
Do this.
Do it now.
There is no later.
Treat your actions as a first impression…… you only get one chance to do it right.
Talking to Walls
I know a man who trains people to be speakers. During his training, the instructor gave a very friendly, but implicit warning; Don’t train people who are from a specific industry. These people will only cause trouble and in the end, they won’t be able to become speakers or trainers.
The man heard the advice and made certain to follow it until, there came a day, when one of these people approached him and made a very convincing, heartfelt plea to train them. It went against everything he had been taught, but he figured there was always an exception to the rule and this person must be it! He decided to train her.
It was a nightmarish experience. The entire weekend of training was the worst he had ever been a part of. Not only did it take up so much of his time (which was wasted in the end) but it also took away from those who were there and getting something out of the training.
There are people out there who just don’t get it. I’ve seen people spend years (decades even) trying to show these people the world in a different light. It will never work.
Most people see negative only. Any situation could contain 100 positive things about it, but they focus on, and can only see, the negative aspects.
Words don’t work on walls, so save your breath for those that can hear.
Don’t Give Up
I met a gentleman yesterday. I had met him a week or two ago; but I got to know him a bit better yesterday. He came into my restaurant to sell us advertising space in a local coupon book. I began to ask him about his past …….I blinked, and an hour and a half had suddenly flown by.
This man was fascinating ! He’d done so much with his life, and his ability to retell these events held me captivated.
He also gave me hope, and recharged me.
It’s easy to get down, for all of us. Once you begin the downhill journey, it can be difficult to climb out of it. Most people get to a certain point and simply give up.
Imagine floating in the middle of the ocean with no hope of being rescued. Each person will tread water for a different length of time. Eventually every single person’s strength and determination will leave them, resulting in a slow sinking below the water surface.
What would happen if, at your darkest moment of despair, you saw another person floating slowly towards you? You would likely find a new reserve of strength and attempt to get close to the other survivor. Once the two of you got close enough, both of you would be re energized by each other.
You would survive a little longer.
This man who walked into my store the other day was a fellow survivor, wading through life and doing very well at it. I was getting tired of the wading…..
Thanks to Glenn, who will likely never read this blog.
To the rest of you…… don’t give up. Look on the horizon and find someone to help you.
No one can do it alone.
It really is that simple.
We love to complicate things. Maybe because, from an uninformed perspective, things look really complicated.
We hate to appear stupid. Rather than admit our short comings…… we console ourselves by saying topics and skills are so complicated, that only an expert can understand .
What am I talking about specifically? Pick a topic. Love, how to play the guitar, the stock market, real estate, customer service, marketing, tooth decay, ,,,,,, anything.
Everyone shrugs.
The novice who quits, shrugs and claims it’s too complicated.
The master shrugs and says things are so simple.
Who’s right?
They both are.
Everything is complicated when you first see it. Do you want to spend enough time and effort to understand your topic ? If do, then things will change from complicated…… to simple.
It’s magic……yet it works every time.
If you’re content to see things as complicated; then you will remain frustrated and a novice.
If you continuously struggle to see things as simple; you will be on your way to becoming a master.
the life long novice accomplishes nothing.
Finally a post on Steve’s Blog
If you would like to read it click below
Worth the wait in my opinion
Customer Service and Couth
Just the other day I was listening to a friend recount a bad customer service experience.
At the end of his story, I could only nod my head and reply, “So many people have no couth…..”
Then I fired up my iPhone and looked up the definition of couth ( I was afraid I had mis used the word and wanted to double check!)
adj. Marked by or possessing a high degree of sophistication; refined
n.
Refinement; sophistication: “The man has no couth” (Los Angeles Times).
Whew ! I had used the word correctly…..and many more people need to possess couth.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Seth Godin cover this topic today in his blog Cultural Wisdom
I recommend you read his blog post….. and realize that couth and customer service go hand in hand……
** I find it interesting to note that my spell checker doesn’t recognize the word “couth”
Seth and I are on the right track with our observation methinks…..
The Incredible Power of Simplicity
Years ago I read a book by a man named Bob Tasca Sr. If you haven’t heard of him you should get your hands on a copy of his book.
It’s called You Will Be Satisfied and I know I have already recommended it. I’ll likely recommend it again.
He owns one of the most successful Ford dealerships in Rhode Island USA, for decades it has been a huge success.
He shares his secret, which is simple. Customer Service.
People would come from far and wide to ask him the number one reason for his success.
He would say, “Satisfying the customer.”
Disappointed with his answer, they would ask for his number two reason.
“Satisfying the customer.”
Guess what his number three reason was? That’s right. Satisfying the customer.
Many people would ask him if there was another way to succeed. He would shrug and say, “There might be, but I don’t know of it. I like to keep things simple.”
Bob Tasca Sr. is right. Satisfying the customer is powerful. Many people try to make it complicated, but it can be simple if you try to look at it that way.
Especially if you’re a Gold Apple….. like Bob Tasca Sr.
What do you want?
I asked an employee who was unhappy with their role this question;
“If you had your way, what is it that you’d want to do here?”
They thought about it for a few seconds, then proceeded to spend the next 10 minutes answering my question.
After 10 minutes I had to interrupt.
“You’re only talking about what you Don’t Want to Do. What are the things that you Do Want to do……..?”
The employee was silent. He had no idea what he wanted…… but lots of thoughts about what he didn’t want. All of his energy was focused on complaining and the negatives. He couldn’t even begin to search for positives in that state of mind.
You can’t get something until you define what something is.
It’s simple.
It’s cliche.
It’s common sense.
Yet so few are aware of it.
When Will They Learn……….?
When do you learn?
- Everyone is expected to learn when they attend a class or seminar…..
- We should learn from our mistakes…..
-But what about other peoples mistakes ? If you see a total stranger messing up in real life, do you attempt to learn from that?
You see a parent scold their child in a public store….. do you think to yourself, “Wow, what a bad parent. Freaking out on their kids in a public place and over reacting.” or, “That is one terrbile kid, the parents should be ashamed of themselves.”
Do you Judge or do you Learn?
It’s impossible to do both at the same time.
Learning will benefit you more.
The problem with saying “I’m Sorry” too much….
When you do something that requires an apology, you should sincerely and immediately apologize.
But what happens when you apologize too much…… and for things that don’t require an apology?
If a waitress apologizes every time she comes to your table, it will affect your overall perception of her service.
q.”Excuse me, could I get a refill on my drink please?”
a.”Oh, sorry. I’ll bring that for you right away.”
q.”Is it possible to get another fork? I dropped mine on the floor.”
a.”Oh, sorry about that. Sure I’ll go get you another one.”
q.”I changed my mind and decided to get a coffee after all please.”
a.”Sorry, I’ll be right back with one for you.”
Now the waitress/waiter didn’t have to be sorry for any of that. They are using the word as a filler. But the impact can be bad on their tips.
When it comes time to leave the tip, the customer might think something like this; “Well everything seemed fine about the service, but the waitress did say sorry alot. The service must not have been that great.:”
This example can be used for any customer service interaction.
IF you do apologize for something that isn’t your fault then be clear about it.
“I’m sorry the shipping company didn’t deliver your package on time.” is much different than saying “I’m sorry” when a customer calls to say the shipping company didn’t deliver their package on time.
The first sentence shows you are disappointed and on their side. The second sentence can leave them feeling it is your fault the package didn’t get delivered on time.
Apologize when you make a mistake. Don’t use “I’m Sorry” as a way to start a sentence with your customers,
or they might look back on the experience and think something was wrong……. even though there wasn’t.
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