“Hello, is this Robert?”
“Yes, this is Robert.”
“Well, Robert, we’re calling you today because our company wants to help you make more money. We do this by plucking gold corn flakes out of cumulonimbus clouds that are flying at 10.3 degrees latitude over the southern tip of Antarctica. Furthermore, we harvest chicken feathers which we use to brush the dust off golden giraffes in…”
“Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz”
If you’re in business, you’ve received this call. If you live in a house, you’ve received this call. You’ve probably received this call if you happened to be standing by an old pay phone in New York City. If there is a phone in your life, you’ve received this call.
The fact that this call still takes place is bothersome to me because it makes me ask the question, “Does this call actually work for someone, somewhere?”
Who are the people that are saying, “OMG, YES!” to the chicken feathers sales pitch?
My problem with this call is the same problem with many business leaders, salespeople and organizations. They have forgotten two words…Relationships & People. Your call might be automated but it doesn’t mean that the person on the other end IS. Your call might be scripted but it doesn’t mean that the person on the other end paid for a performance. Your call might be a predictable, templated, sequence of snippets. But, the person on the other end is a complicated, amazing group of tissues, cells, and electrical impulses that are firing in their own unique patterns.
I know. We are living in a generation where things have to get done quickly in order to meet the quota. We are living in a time where the CEO returns from the board meeting with an order to increase the results because the stock prices call for it. We are in a time when the ability to grab information instantaneously with a click seems to require that we act just as quickly.
Yet, we move further away from the reason for these developments…PEOPLE!
Are you a CEO, a manager, a business leader of any sort? Here is how you can lead powerfully and LIVE powerfully. Simply develop a relationship strategy. Ask yourself weekly:
1. What new relationships do I need to create?
2. What relationships do I need to maintain/rekindle with peers/colleagues?
3. What relationships do I need to maintain/seek with the people I lead?
“But, I’ve got to sell!”
OK. People buy what they feel they NEED and they do business with people they Know, Like & Trust. If your demographic reports tell you that I’m a prospect for chicken feathers, then taking a moment to ask me how I feel about chicken feathers at the beginning of the call might be important.
Living powerfully and leading powerfully begins with intentionally making the decision to pursue authentic relationships with…you know, PEOPLE!