Morning Minute 4/16/24:
“You Had Me at Hello!”
Remember that line from Renee Zellweger in the movie “Jerry Maguire?”
Or, possibly from the Kenny Chesney song: “You Had Me From Hello?”
How does a genuinely respectful greeting, begin a productive conversation?
Entering this store, a pleasant woman asks: “Welcome to Bath & Body Works! Soaps are on the left, fragrances on the right. Today, get one item free with every five that you buy! Handing you a basket, she says: “Let me know if you need anything!”
Compare that with going into a big lawn & garden store. No one greets you at the door. You have to find someone to ask where the item is that you want. Then you arrive at that area and can’t find the item. Searching for an employee, the one you find shares: “This is not my department, let me have someone paged for you!”
How about this interaction? Your phone rings when you are very busy. The caller says: “This is Amy from the Red Cross calling to schedule your blood donation for next month. Did I catch you at an OK time?” You know who is calling and why.
Or, maybe you experienced this? You are multi-tasking, trying to handle 3 issues when the phone rings. You pick up the phone saying: “Hello?” 8 seconds of dead air space later, a voice asks: “Are you interested in selling or leasing in your home?”
In which of these real interactions was there a genuinely respectful first greeting? Why is it so difficult to offer a pleasant, helpful greeting? Professional organizations train their team members how to begin a quality interaction with prospects and customers.
Let’s dissect each of these examples…
(1st:) A person entering a business, office, or worksite has a reason for being there. The visitor must be greeted immediately and professionally. For instance: “Welcome to BCG company! How may we assist you today?” Regardless of their reason for visiting, how they are greeted upon their arrival will probably determine how they perceive both the greeter and the company. Ensure that all customer contact personnel follow this process.
(2nd:) Understand, when you call someone, you are an interruption of their day. (Remember how Amy from Red Cross started her phone conversation earlier.) Take the “curse off the call” by identifying yourself and where you calling from. For example: “This is Larry from BCG company.” Then ask, “Did I catch you at an OK time?” You will get 1 of 3 responses to that question. “Yes!” Allows you to continue with your call. “No!” Ask when would be a better time to call back? Or, “What is this about?” That gives you permission to continue.
These helpful, professional interactions will not happen automatically. Team members must be trained and tracked to ensure they are using these processes in every interaction with your clients. What gets practiced, and inspected, gets done.
Your processes will determine if: “You Had Me at Hello!” Or. “You Lost Me at Hello!”
That is today’s Morning Minute!
Morning Minute 4/19/24:
“Do You Dread or Welcome Adversity?”
In the movie, “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” Matt Damon plays Capt. Rannulph Junah, a WWI veteran playing in a golf tournament in Savannah, GA. Junah admonished his 12 year old friend, Hardy. because Hardy was embarrassed that his Dad, due to the Depression, had taken a job sweeping streets. He said that job was beneath his father’s dignity. Junah told Hardy that his father was an honorable man who sold everything to pay off everyone he owed rather than declaring bankruptcy. Then he stated that: “Your daddy stared adversity in the eye, and he beat it back with a broom!”
All of us will face setbacks, problems, and troubles. As we deal with these, we can grow stronger and wiser from them, depending on how we view adversity. Let’s look at some examples of turning adversity into success.
Gen. Douglas McArthur, commanded of the American army in the Pacific during WWII. His forces were outflanked and outmanned by the enemy due to the decision by Roosevelt to first concentrate on beating the Germans in Europe. He was short of men, weapons, airplanes, ammunition, and much more. His strategic planning had him identify every possible move that the enemy could make. Then develop a contingency plan to thwart them. By analyzing each of those moves he developed plans to meet and defeat them. His soldiers achieved victory in the Pacific in 3½ years despite facing a veteran, battle-tested enemy, who possessed more of everything than he had.
Overcoming and surviving adversity, requires a realistic analysis of what happened, and why. As an 18 year old college student, I was fired from the restaurant that was paying for school. I experienced rejection, betrayal, and anger. At the time did not occur to me that God had something better in mind for me. He led me to different job, paying more money, that provided me with many opportunities to develop my ability to lead others. That experience taught me to ask God what He had planned for me. And, that overcoming adversity was a part of maturing.
To overcome adversity, and thrive from the chaos it creates,, we need to remember Murphy’s Law. “What can happen, will happen, and usually does at the worst possible time.” As you make decisions, and plan your career, your family, and your life, write down all the possible setbacks you might encounter. You may experience job loss,or career change, or death/injury/sickness for yourself or a family member. Put in place contingency plans with people, funds, and options to aid you through the tough times. Waiting until these issues occur, can be devastating for you and everyone concerned.
Please remember this. God has a perfect plan for your life. The closer we adhere to His plan, the more success we will enjoy. He will use you to bring others to Him. He will use others to bring you to Him. Our success depends on us having a personal relationship with God. Plus, trusting that His plans for us are always better than ours.
Just as a hot furnace turns iron into steel, our setbacks create in us the strength to overcome adversities, as we provide for ourselves, our families, and our community.
“Do You Dread or Welcome Adversity?”
That is today’s Morning Minute!