Business Growth #285-This week: Time management, Mysteries, Mismatches

GREG’S BUSINESS GROWTH NEWSLETTER #285
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Quick notes to help you grow your business in less time with less effort. . . sometime next week.

In this issue:

– Techniques for FIT
– Being Human
– Random Stuff

Techniques for FIT
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• Very often, time management tension originates with activities we think we should do versus activities we actually should do. Now is the time to question should vs ignore.
• Instant communication has the downside of possible misinterpretation. In decreasing order of misinterpretation: text, email, video call, phone, in person. Alleviate misunderstanding with a phone call. 

• Not being conscious about your self-talk can lead to problems. Journaling, free-writing, or other form of thought capture helps catch negative thoughts before they pile up.
• Calling a friend out of the blue gives both parties a charge. Why don’t we do it more often? Or rather, why don’t I do it more often?

Being Human – Give me the best solution
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“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson 

There’s a part of being human which demands knowing how a story ends, how a mystery is solved. Once we know the outcome, our attention wanes. This tendency works against us when we’re selling to prospects or launching a new product. We can see where we want to go, we’ve been there before, and we’re anxious to get the prospects to the end of the process.

The problem is our prospects haven’t been on the journey before. It’s their first time hearing the story. When the seller is in a hurry the prospect doesn’t get a chance to wonder how the story ends, to soak in the mystery. The resulting conversations are filled with hints of mystery which are quickly resolved. No tension, no momentum building, no action taking place.

The best way to let your prospects enjoy the journey is to listen and take notes, leading them through the process. Like professional dancers gliding across the dance floor. Effortless. Impossible for an outsider to tell who is leading and who is following.

For this to take place we need to believe a “no” answer can be just as valid as a “yes” answer. We have to let the client consider all the possibilities and use our questions to help them through decision traps along the way. If their journey ends in a different place than we’d prefer, that’s okay.

Enjoy the process.

Random stuff

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I love it when I discover mismatches in how someone perceives themselves and how I see them. Like when the person I consider long-winded starts a comment with, “I usually keep my comments brief, but today. . .” This makes me smile.

I went to my first in-person group activity last weekend and enjoyed myself thoroughly. Catching up with people I would normally see once a year, meeting new persons by the beer keg, and trying to remember how to act in public. I just finished a book, “Face To Face” by Brian Glazer, and he focuses a lot of energy on eye contact. With this in mind, I focus my energy on maintaining eye contact with a woman I’ve just met. At one point, she takes a step back, reaches up, touches her eyebrow, and says, “Is there something on my face?”

A mismatch.

I tell this to a friend, we laugh, and he shares a story about his brother.

His brother’s family is at a church service and the son is acting up as little boys sometimes do. He toakes his son to the vestibule and starts in on the boy, but he notices the boy is unusually attentive. He goes deeper with his son, explaining courtesy, reverence, and the meaning of community. His son is rapt, staring right into his eyes, and taking in every word.

With his son calm, and the message delivered, the dad turns the conversation over to his son.

“Son, tell me what you think about what you’ve heard” he said.

“Dad,” he says, “what are tongues for?”

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