You're So Vain, You Probably Think This Song is About You!
You’re so vain; you probably think this song is about you – don’t you, don’t you?
Remember the catchy tune about vanity by the legendary Carly Simon?
Despite the fact that I’m usually advising managers to turn their perspective outward, this time I’m going to suggest a little vanity.
I’d like you to ask your customers what you’re doing well.
The reason for asking what am I doing well is to make sure that you’re concentrating on those tasks that are meaningful to our customers. The truth is that just because you think something is important does not mean your customers agree. As noted author Brian Tracy says in his legendary book Eat that Frog, "the biggest crime is to do something well that need not be done at all!"
Every day I hear of unfortunate situations where well-intentioned professionals excel at tasks that just aren’t that important (or wanted) by their customers. The result is time wasted, and in this environment, that’s a recipe for disaster. Ask, and you shall receive the truth on what is really important to your customers.
Another question -What should I do better is a bit more straightforward. This is information we need to be successful. Look for trends. Are many customers saying the same things? If so, you know your opportunities and where you can improve. A few words of caution, though, about how your customers may respond:
- Many customers may automatically (as if conditioned by Pavlov) speak about price, discounts, or other monetary variables. Push a little on this. Beyond the world of price, there are always other variables that help your customers make decisions.
- Don’t ask the questions if you’ll automatically dismiss the answers. In other words, the more serious you are, the more beneficial the process will be. Automatically dismissing what your customers say will do more harm than good. "Denial" isn’t just a river in Egypt, as they say. Besides, if many customers point out the same issues – take the lesson and run with it. The truth is that if it walks like a duck and talks like duck….(well, you know how that one ends)
- Accept feedback with a good nature. Sure, it is not easy to hear criticism, but remember the following: a) you asked the question, and b) feedback (especially negative) is how sales people grow into better sales professionals.
Accept your customer’s comments with a smile on your face. As long as their feedback is well intended and not vindictive, you can always learn from it.
That’s just the way it works.
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