As we all muddle through the realities
of the economic times that continue to batter the way we conduct business,
isn't it interesting how frequently there are two forces that drive most of our decision making?
These two forces are "Instinct" and "Logic," and the battle is relentless. We
all would like to think that logic would win out, but far too often it is instinct that
clouds our decision making. How do I know this? It's quite simple, because if we were
reacting logically as business people we would
adhere to these four simple rules.
Instinct whispers in our ear, "It's all
about solutions!" You can certainly listen to
that voice. But that is the voice of a vendor, not a consultant, and certainly not the
voice of a trusted business advisor. Logic would remind us that the more the client
talks, the more they like us. When we have the privilege of meeting with a client, it's
not a lecture or an interrogation; it's a conversation. Let's get back to earning
trust by allowing the client to take the lead
early by responding to our well thought out, open questions.
Instinct whispers in our ear, "You know
what the client needs, now sell it!" Clearly
that's a voice many of us hear, sometimes directly and not so subtly from our
immediate superior. Logic paints a completely
different picture because logic deals with facts,
not feelings. Try this fact on for size: I have 15 years of data that says needs don't just
fall from the sky; they come from problems. |
