Greg's Right FIT #516–This week: Value, Stimulus, Birds

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

In this issue: 

- Thoughts on Value
- Being Human
- Random Stuff

Thoughts on Value

• One way to think about value is it isn't something the seller generates, it's something we uncover. The solution we're selling gets its value from the problems it solves or the results it produces. We don't build it.
• We uncover value by asking questions. We need to anchor the conversation of course, but the prospect has to tell us about their to-do list so we can match our solution to it, or suggest another path. (To-do's = goals in my world)
• Business is always changing. As circumstances change, the relative value of our solution changes too. A to-do item that isn't worth much today might be worth a fortune to solve a year from now. Keep in touch.
• Another way of unearthing value comes from recognizing when you see, hear, or feel a deviation between what the prospect says and what you see happening. "Gen Z doesn't want to put in the hours," they say, shaking their head. Looking around a half-empty office at 3:30 pm on Friday, you ask, "Does anyone?"

Being Human – Stimulus–Pause–Response

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."
– Mario Andretti

I'm cresting a hill on a street I drive on all the time. On the down hill, as the car picks up speed, I see a speed reminder sign. It's one of those signs that blinks my current speed compared to the speed limit. It says I'm over the limit, so I check my speedometer which confirms it, and I slow down. Stimulus–Pause–Response. It's a positive stimulus that encourages a good result from me. It makes me a better citizen and helps me avoid consequences like a speeding ticket.

Next week, consider some of the stimuli your managers are putting into your workplace. Are they encouraging positive, or negative results?

As you know, the same stimulus can provide wildly different outcomes. Like my speed sign. While it encouraged me to slow down today, back when I was 17 there's a good chance this stimulus would have made me respond with, "I wonder how much higher I can get it before I pass?" Not the outcome the city is hoping for.

Random stuff

"I hope good luck lies in odd numbers."
– William Shakespeare, Falstaff in the Merry Wives of Windsor

5-7-9

Odd numbers have been in my brain this week.

First instance, I learned to play mahjong. As the instructor walked us through the first game, I thought, "Never. I'll never get this. I feel dumb." But after three rounds, I felt pretty good and even won one of them. In each round, I played tiles in the odd numbers pattern neighborhood. Though I considered "Winds and Dragons," and eyeballed "Consecutive Run," each hand ended up in "13579: Odd Numbers."

My second odd number instance came from Neil Diamond. I heard the song "Solitary Man" five times this week. It must be the season. Neil Diamond represents a failed Christmas. One year I saw a "The Very Best of Neil Diamond CD" and thought, "Yes! Perfect gift. My old man loves Neil Diamond."

I learned he does not love Neil Diamond.

A third instance comes from squirrels.

All week long I've been dealing with squirrels getting fat on my bird feeder. As you may remember I received a Bird Buddy bird feeder last Christmas. Lots of birds. My friends the red bellied woodpecker and the little pooping nuthatch. And now, big fat squirrels.

I visited a bird feeder store (yes they exist), and asked what they thought.

"5-7-9," she said.

What?

"The squirrel rule of 5-7-9. They can jump 5 feet off the ground. Seven feet across from an elevated surface. And nine feet from an elevated surface. Keep the feeder a minimum of that distance from those surfaces and you'll be good."

"So, basically put it on a big pole in the middle of the yard?"

"Yes."

"Ok."

I told this story to my lovely bride and she said, "Really. When did you go to the store? I haven't seen you leave the house all week. Was this the bird store over in Rockbrook? Or the one off Center?"

I look at the floor and shake my head.

"Did you talk to them on the phone?"

I shake my head.

"Did you actually talk to anyone? Or are you making stuff up for your little newsletter thingy again? Look at me when I'm talking to you."

"Well," I said, shifting on my feet, peeking at her, "I did look it up online. And, and it was on the store's website, so I mean, well, we could have talked like that. You know, witty banter. A sassy back and forth. Like a rom-com or something. And I mean, jumping five feet off the ground. That's only to my chest but. . ," I catch myself before saying anything more, but not after gesturing her way.

She looks at me for a solid two minutes. "You're odd."

She's right. I guess that's another instance.