And yet much of the fluff can be boiled down into the incredibly simple concept of agreeing to please someone. That's it - the act of validating a need or concern another human has - spreads happiness, brings a sense of relief and invokes a feeling of trust and satisfaction.
The thing is.....people want to be told "yes, we can do that for you"; they crave hearing that you will solve their problems and provide a solution to their dilemma or situation. Example: I walked into a store one holiday season, uncertain about what I needed to buy, hesitant over making the wrong choice, hoping to find a friendly human who could assist me in building the special gift basket I had vaguely floating in my mind. I began asking questions; could they assemble a variety of the candies available, perhaps creating several little packages to fit in among the larger items I hoped to include, maybe even building a gift crate or wooden box?
Essentially, I knew what I wanted, but not how to achieve that end result, and the more questions I asked.....the less confident I became. "Well, we don't really have a basket." "Hmmm, I'm not sure we can do that." "Could you come back tomorrow and talk to the manager?" My confidence faded fast, like snowflakes falling on a hot car, as every inquiry I made resulted in a "No", and finally, I gave up and left. My $140 purchase? Was made online, from a company I don't know, dollars going out of the local economy rather than staying right down the street.....and all I wanted was to hear a YES.
How often are you telling your customer "YES"? Why, or why not?
Sincerely,
Andrea Baumann
Marketing Delmarva
Andrea Baumann
Marketing Delmarva
Growth strategies for small business & nonprofits; community-centered
resource serving the Delmarva Peninsula (DE/MD/VA). Connect with us!
