Chuck Terry’s Blog

Okay, here is the set up: it is the end of the month, and you are already struggling to make your numbers, when the phone rings.  It is your best client calling.  Well actually, that isn’t a strong enough reference, because this client represents about 20% of your monthly sales.  Great client, essential client… I think you get the point.  The call goes something like, “Hello, this is Bob Smith with ABC Company.”  You are already nervous because Bob never sounds that stiff and formal. He continues with “I need you to get down here as quickly as possible because I am very upset and we need to talk.” Once your heart is out of your throat, you ask what is troubling him.  To this, he only replies, “you really need to get here as soon as you can, so we can discuss this in person.”

Wow, it sounds bad… so you race to your car and begin a frantic journey across town. Now, mentally freeze the story right there (in your car as you are flying through traffic) and try to imagine the mental talk show playing inside your head.  If you are like most people, you are trying to think about what might have gone wrong.  You are calling shipping, billing, and anyone else you can reach, looking for clues to tip you off about what may have happened.  But here is the catch: The Odds Are Two to One that you are thinking about the entire situation in terms of how it will impact YOU if you don’t handle things well with Bob.  You are thinking about how YOU will deal with the loss if Bob pulls the business, where YOU could go to make up the lost business, how this could be happening to YOU, the timing couldn’t be worse for YOU.  But it isn’t really about what is happening to you at all, because it’s BOB you should be focusing on.  You need to understand the problem from Bob’s operating reality, not your own.

Carew International has conducted a great deal of research that verifies that “Odds Are Two to One” that you will have an inwardly focused reaction in this type of scenario and fall into what we call the “Odds Are Dilemma.”  We call it a “dilemma” because at the times when you most need to be focused on your customer’s business reality, there is a 67% chance you will be focused on your own and processing everything the other person says in terms of “how does this impact me?”

While this is a perfectly natural reaction for all of us, it can be highly unproductive — particularly in a business situation.  In our programs, we teach a very powerful antidote for the “Odds Are Dilemma.” In the end, it is about finding a way to get out of our “Odds Are” and into the customer’s.  In the case of Bob, you should carefully listen to what has happened to upset him, let him know you are paying attention and don’t rush into problem solving mode until you have given him a chance to explain himself completely.  Once you are absolutely sure you are in alignment in your understanding of the situation from Bob’s perspective, you can offer solutions to rectify the problem.  Bob will feel like his concerns were not only addressed, but that he was allowed to become part of the solution.

If you go through the business day operating from your own “Odds Are” the “Odds Aren’t” very good that you will be as successful in solving the problems of your next unhappy client. 

Chuck Terry is the Executive Vice President and CSO of Carew International and is regular contributor to Carew’s blog – Executive Insights

Carew International is a leader in sales training and leadership development; specializing in comprehensive, proven training programs for sales, sales management and customer service excellence. For over 30 years, Carew has earned its reputation of delivering increased productivity and profitability to our valued clients world wide.