Your customer just enjoyed the heck out of your product or
service. Now, it's a week later and you want to follow up-
is it still working? Are they still getting value?
A Heart of Money participant asked this question recently: "How
do I follow up with someone like that? I'm worried that they'll
think I'm pressuring them to spend more money with me."
Sound familiar? Part of the problem is that she actually did have
mixed intentions. She had an intention to honestly follow-up with
the person to know how they were doing (her customer had just had
surgery, and her service was related to supporting the recovery
process).
But, she really did want more business, too.
Mixed intentions were the problem.
You want to help people, and you want more business. Of COURSE
your intentions are mixed. Unfortunately, if you separate the
intentions, when they are both alive in you, each one will just
trip up the other, with neither intention coming to fruition.
Intention one: "I want to help."
Intention two: "I want more business."
Result: "I can't help selflessly if I want more business. I can't
get more business when they are in such a vulnerable state." No
follow-up. And no more business.
Lose-lose.
The real problem: Mixing intentions, instead of integrating them
The problem for the participant, and many others in the class who
shared the same concern, is that she was seeing only two options:
either mix the intentions or separate them. And neither worked.
If you mix your intentions, you are trying to accomplish two
different things at the same time, and it's bound to be confusing
for you and your customer. Yet, separating your intentions is
actually a falsehood, because both intentions are present, just
one ends up being silent. And, the silent intention can end up
feeling quite loud indeed, and bring a feeling of falseness to
your interactions.
There is a third option: Integrating your intentions.
Integration is the only clean way through. You are in business to
help your customers. The more help they get, the better you do.
The trouble isn't that you are selling too hard. The problem may
be that you aren't selling them enough. That out of fear of
disturbing your customers, or seeming "pushy," you are only
offering partial solutions, and so your customer is only
partially satisfied, and you end up being paid only a part of
what you could have been paid.
But, you aren't to blame. This is a natural result of
'transactional' thinking, where you are selling your services or
products for money.
Stop thinking of yourself in transaction, and start putting
yourself on your customer's side. They'll buy more, and be
happier about it, and you will, too.
Keys to Integrating Intentions
* Stand next to your customer, not across from them.
Most of us face our customers- meaning we're looking at our
customer and our customer is looking at us. What I suggest you do
differently is to stand *next to* your customer, so instead of
seeing each other, you see what they see. You keep in mind what
it is they want, and where they want to get to, results-wise.
"Oh... from here I can see that my customer is looking to not
only recover quickly from surgery, but actually wants to stop the
pattern that caused her to go into surgery in the first place.
That's a big goal, and well worth it!"
* Use your expertise
Listen, you're the expert. Use your knowledge and experience of
your area of expertise to figure out- what the heck WILL it take
to get the customer where they want to go.
"Hmm... that'll take a lot more than just a few sessions. I can
see a whole program that will walk her through, that includes
even more than what I'm currently offering. Hey, business
expansion!"
* Be honest.
What will it really take to fully deliver all of the resources
and effort that will get your customer where they want to go. How
much of your time- not just face-to-face time, but development
time, preparation time. What other resources. How much rest and
down time do you need to be fully functional? Hmmm...
Then, taking into account the big picture, how much would that
really cost for your heart to feel good about showing up that
much?
If you help someone get where they want to go, chances are
they'll get in your car again. Instead of dropping people off
half-way there, take them all the way home. Then, follow-up isn't
such a big deal after all, eh?
My very best to you and your business,
Mark Silver
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