Make Effort More Effective
We have all noticed individuals who excel at sales, customer service or leadership. What is the secret formula, the common denominator, something that these people all have in common that places them at a higher level of achievement?
Once upon a time there was a property owner that needed to have his trees trimmed. Anticipating the cost of this task, the property owner contacted multiple landscape companies and asked for bids to trim 40 trees.
During the next few weeks the property owner received several competitive bids with similar prices. However, one bid was substantially lower than all of the others. Upon reviewing the bid, the property owner realized that the quote was only for 35 trees.
The property owner asked the landscape company to explain the discrepancy.
The owner of the landscape company replied, "I took a few minutes to drive by your property and counted 40 trees, but 5 of them are very small and do not need to be trimmed yet. So I provided you a quote for the 35 trees that actually need my service."
The landscape company was awarded that business, as well as future business and referrals from the property owner.
Take the time to understand the real needs of your customers and you will be able to offer true value in your proposals, negotiations and solutions.
Dedication, motivation, inspiration and commitment are driving forces in the continuous pursuit to achieve success. Working harder, faster, longer or smarter will increase opportunity. But there is an important counter-balance to the secret formula for success. Take time to pause from the pursuit of accomplishment and look at the situation from the eyes of your customer or client. The better your understanding of the issue or opportunity, the more effective your efforts will be.
- Courtesy of Greg Gadbois
Executive Vice President of Sales, ServiceNet
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Words of Wisdom
"If you can't listen, you don't have empathy - the ability to engage - and
that's an incredible talent in business."
- Peter Crist, chairman, Crist Associates, Executive Recruiters
"Minutes are worth more than money.
Spend them wisely."
- Thomas Murphy
"The most important thing in good leadership is truly caring. The best people
in any profession care about the people they lead, and the people who are being
led know when it's faked or not there at all."
- Dean Smith, Hall of Fame basketball coach
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About the Author:
John Mehrmann is a freelance writer and President of
Executive Blueprints Inc., an organization devoted to improving
business practices and developing human capital.
www.ExecutiveBlueprints.com provides resource materials for
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