Greg's Right FIT #386

Quick notes to help you grow your business in less time with less effort. . . sometime next week. 

In this issue: 

- Thoughts on Priorities
- Being Human
- Random Stuff

Thoughts on Priorities

• In opportunity development the magic question is "and what else?" The best way to get closer to the dream of an exact right solution for clients is having a complete list of priorities. 
• Getting a lot out of a day starts with a short list of priorities. Get them done first thing and move through the rest of the day feeling a sense of accomplishment. 
• After a meeting take a moment to process the information received, and prioritize the immediate next step. Especially if you set a follow-up appointment. Don't wait. 
• Recognize objections to cost or time required as priorities. If it's important enough buyers find the money, or make the time. Keep looking for the most important things to them. (Hint: it's not always the same as their corporate priorities.)

Being Human - Teasing out priorities

"Define your terms, you will permit me again to say, or we shall never understand one another." – Voltaire

When you're sitting with an executive, and you ask how they'll know they'll know their desired result is achieved, what comes out of their mouth sounds like a metric. A measure of success. Exactly what you want to hear.

Double check what you write down. An easy way to do this is to say something like, "It sounds like if we design a program that gets you [insert result], within the parameters we've discussed, it will be the exact right solution. Is that right?" 

More often than not, something in their next response will change the result/metric slightly. It may sound like, "Yes. That's right. Assuming [new metric]. If you can do that, it will be a good solution." 

This new metric tends to be "soft," and harder to measure than the original. For instance, I was just in a meeting where the new, enhanced metric was "partner buy in." He just slipped it in near the end of our 30 minutes together. My notebook was almost closed. Partner buy in? What does that mean? 

Like the sign says, if you see something, say something. In a nice way, without sounded panicky. Like, "Yes. Partner buy in. (pause) Tell me a little more about that. Since we're almost out of time it may help if you give me an example of getting partner buy in, and an example of not getting it." 

Buyers don't mean to be obtuse, communication is hard. There is a lot of assumed knowledge. Especially around priorities. Partner buy in may not sound like much to my contact because he lives it, but as an outsider I have no context. After talking about it for a few minutes it's clear I will be talking to all the partners about their individual priorities before getting the exact right solution.

Check your assumptions. Tease out priorities. Spend a little more time chatting up front versus spending of a lot of time fixing something later on. 

Good stuff. 

Random Stuff

"Crazy people don't sit around wondering if they're nuts." 
– from the play "Proof"

There's an old couple that lives down the street. I've known them because on one of my regular walks they are usually in the front yard. Plus, most mornings I see them walking past our house too. She in front of him by about 20 paces. Both of them are slightly hunched over, very frail, but out there shuffling through their walk in all kinds of weather. He stopped joining her as a walker about a year ago. He switched to a recumbent bike with a tall orange "don't hit me" flag attached to the back. Stay active, someone must have told them, and they're keeping to it. 

This is on my mind because I did something to pinch my sciatic nerve. I'm slightly hunched over. Shuffling. It's making me irrational. A little nuts.

Back pain is a hidden ailment, 100% in the injured person's mind, but since it doesn't come with an arm sling or eye patch it's not obvious to outsiders there's something wrong. You wouldn't know I'm in pain unless I got up and shuffled across the room. It's like a time I was delayed in the D.C. airport.

Knowing I have two hours to kill I belly up to the bar making small talk with my fellow travelers. The guy on my right happens to be a congressional representative from Iowa. I don't know much about politics, but I had just read an article about fundraising. It said since congress is on 2 year terms they basically never stop fundraising. I asked if it is true and how he balances getting the real work of the country done while worrying about the next election. He's only too happy to answer.

About 8 minutes in I realize he is crazy. Like "what color is the sky in your world" crazy. And he's getting excited. I listen to him rant, take giant gulps to finish my beer, and gracefully exit. When I get back to the gate a guy said, "I saw you talking to that guy. He's a nutter." I had no clue. No crazy hair, no maniacal laugh, just weird stuff in his head waiting to be sprayed around.  

I wonder if he had sciatica.