"EVERYTHING CHANGES"

THINGS CHANGE
From a story by Peter Thomson

My nostrils dilated as I inhaled the aroma of freshly cooked bacon. Two of my sons were in the kitchen and just in the process of wiping their mouths as they’d obviously just finished a bacon-sandwich-breakfast.

Smiling, I said...

“You didn’t ask me if I wanted one!”

This was when...

One of them uttered the ‘there’s something to learn here’ reply – here it is:

“Dad, I asked you yesterday and you said – No!”


Later...

On the journey to London to the conference I was telling Sharon, my wife, about the kitchen conversation when she made the insightful comment:

“I wonder - how many people do the same thing with their customers?”

She does, just occasionally, come up with bright ideas!!!

Seriously...

I thought “She was right; she’s right; she is right!”

I wonder how many times I’ve made that error – the error of asking a customer if they wanted to buy something from me - and hearing their “No, thanks Peter” have mistakenly taken the words to mean: “No – never, ever, ever – thanks Peter”

It’s true isn’t it...

Times change, businesses change, markets change, people change, situations change, problems change, opportunities change – everything changes!

And just because...

We’ve asked a customer if they’d like to buy something from us and they said “No, thanks” doesn’t mean they’ll NEVER buy it. It might just have been the timing wasn’t right for them at that moment.

And so...

I’m off to ask my clients and customers (and prospects) to see if by now they’d like to buy now. After all it wouldn’t be fair to them (or me) NOT to ask again – would it?

WHAT DO WE LEARN?
We learn that unless the client has fallen out with you on a personal basis follow up,and keep in touch. Don't pester, don't be pushy, just every so often pop into their lives again to see if you can help. Don't take the 'no' personally they are just refusing the offer of your help.keep asking permission for that pop up and they can never accuse you of pestering them

We run networking skills seminars which leads you step-by-step through a very comfortable follow up process

Why barristers don’t shake hands!

You learn something every day.
As part of our training and presentations we suggest that a good handshake when meeting people is a very important part of creating a good first impression.
At a recent workshop a delegate said, “We don’t shake hands with other barristers.” My eye brows raised to query this comment.
It seems in olden days it came from the custom of showing that there were no weapons in one's hand so mutual trust and respect could be established before negotiations.
So the barristers say, ‘We don’t need any of that; as a fellow professional we automatically trust each other, hence we don’t need to shake hands.’
Good history!

Setting up in business?

When you decide to set up in business make 3 vital lists
1. List everyone you have ever known who you think would want to help you if asked. These are people who like and trust you
2. List exactly what areas of expertise you have and what benefits people will get from that advice.
3. List the companies and, if possible, positions of people in those companies you wish to meet. The more specific you can be the more your friends and family can help you.

Take lists 2 and 3 to list 1 and say, “I have just started in business and this is what I do. Please can you help me? Do you know anyone at these companies or this particular person at this company”?
If they say yes ask, “If you were me how would you approach….?”
If they like and trust you they will be happy to help. Any, my goodness, at this stage you need every bit of help you can at this point!