In Shallow Waters Dragons Are the Sport of Shrimp!
"Whom Do You Want to Serve?"
Maybe it was in a Bob Dylan lyric that I heard the phrase, "You gotta serve somebody!" and isn't that the truth? But we cannot serve everybody, nor should we try.
And my point is this: We shouldn't leave whom we serve to chance or to tradition or to others to decide for us.
We need to do some soul searching to figure this out on our own.
For instance, I serve best those whom I RESPECT.
Fortunately, I respect most hard working, thoughtful, honest prospects.
But I do have more requirements. They need to respect me, the investment I've made in earning pertinent credentials, and my unique experience and abilities.
If they pretend that all consultants are fungible, interchangeable, simply for the purpose of driving down my already reasonable fees, I can't respect that.
Or, if they genuinely believe all consultants are the same, I certainly don't respect that either, because it is simpleminded and simply wrong.
After more than 20 years in business, I have drawn these conclusions:
(1) Dumb people will never "get" me or my ideas.
(2) If I don't hit it off with prospects right away, our relationship will probably not warm-up later on.
(3) Good clients are smart enough to know everyone needs to make a living, and they don't grind you to death for a reduction in your fees. Grinders don't value their products and services, either, so that rotten self image takes a toll on everyone around them, including me.
(4) The best clients are steadfastly polite.
(5) The best clients know they still have a lot to learn, yet they also have a lot to teach.
If you find you're just not on the same page with many of your prospects, that you aren't really communicating, that mutual respect is absent, it is a sign that you have chosen poorly those whom you are going to serve.
You and your products and services could be terrific, but if they aren't aimed at the right buyers you're wasting more than your time and money; you're wasting a major part of your life.
If you feel that you're being gummed to death by your current prospects, repeat this Chinese saying:
"In shallow waters, dragons are the sport of shrimp!"
Related Tags: marketing, sales training, sales speaker, prospecting, cold calls, seminars, telemarketing training, keynot
Dr. Gary S. Goodman is the best-selling author of 12 books and more than a thousand articles. A frequent expert commentator on radio and TV, he is quoted often in prominent publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Business Week. His seminars and training programs are sponsored internationally and he is a top-rated faculty member at more than 40 universities. Dynamic, experienced, and lots of fun, Gary brings more than two decades of solid management and consulting experience to the table, along with the best academic preparation and credentials in the speaking and training industry. Holder of a Ph.D. from the Annenberg School For Communication at USC, an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management, and a law degree from Loyola, his clients include several Fortune 1000 companies along with successful family owned and operated firms. Much more than a "talking head," Gary is a top mind that you'll enjoy working with and putting to use. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com
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