Writing another chapter for my upcoming book, “Good Husband School,” I was dealing with the subject of “the worst thing a man can say to his woman.” This got me thinking about the worst thing a business can say to a client or prospect. It’s not like the worst thing to say to Alice in Wonderland’s Queen of Hearts before she shouts, “Off with his head!” And it’s not like making a fashion faux pas. And it’s not about admitting that you need some help.
The worst thing we can say to a prospect or client is… “I am in this for me.” The strong inference, of course, is that the client or prospect is just another stone to be stepped on in pursuit of a goal. It leaves them stranded, alone, used and their loyalty is based on things like price or convenience that can be undercut.
Do you think your business doesn’t say the worst thing? What about when an appointment is missed, follow up doesn’t take place, promises or claims are made with no intention of being kept, email correspondence is dropped, personal appearance is sloppy or the office is uninviting, or my “favorite” “I am in this for me” – web content or sales materials that are all about how great the company is at what they do?
Networking is another way we can easily come off saying the worst thing. I know we are supposed to have the right pitch so we don’t waste the other’s time and so they can remember us. But networking is about the net-working, not about you-working. It is about listening to the contact’s needs to see if you know someone that could help them. Networking at its best is asking questions about building their business and finding ways to promote them. (Don’t take it from me, consult a networking professional such as Donna Fisher (www.donnafisher.com)
Why am I ranting about the worst thing? Because I see that many of us are guilty and if we are going to turn things around for our businesses and the economy, together we must stop saying and doing the worst thing, “I am in this for me.”
Relationship marketing is the standard we uphold at Romantic Comedy Marketing. If we are not in business for all of us, and acting on that principle, one by one our businesses will rightly fail, with no one else to mourn our loss.
“I am here for you because together we are golden.” That’s the best thing to say. (It works for romance, too.)
Copyright 2009 Rich Guy Miller
