- 30/09/2016
- |Executive Coaching
A couple of weeks ago the temperature in London hit 24 degrees. Going from one client meeting to the next I walked past St Paul’s Cathedral then over the Millennium Footbridge, soaking up the heat in the air as I headed for the Tate Modern. And then I heard him, faintly at first but eventually in full harmony; a busker sitting on the embankment singing “Here comes the sun“. And guess what? He was coining it in! Guess why? Well he wasn’t just a good singer. It was more than that. He’d captured the mood of the moment and entered the headspace of his target market; passersby were becoming paying clients.
If only it was always this easy to apply a Pied Piper approach to winning over clients. Had the weather been wet (as opposed to warm) and he’d been belting out “Why does it always rain on me?” I doubt his approach would have been quite so successful! Nevertheless getting inside our client or prospect’s head is crucial and this one question might help you do just that;
‘How can I serve my client(s) so powerfully today that they have an unforgettable if not transformational experience?’
When we ask ourselves this question, it takes us outside of our own heads (and wants) and takes us inside the mind of our client. In short we become of service. However when we don’t ask ourselves this question it’s very easy to start thinking about what we can get out of the transaction and when that happens we become self-serving. And self-service is a sure-fire route to failure. Self-service is not unlike “people pleasing” where we might say what we think the client or prospect wants to hear in order for us to win their business. On the other hand, genuine service is when we tell the client or prospect what they need to hear. That’s where the value is – especially so in coaching – feeding back to the client or prospect what will be of most service to them come rain or shine.
But don’t take my word for it. Try it for yourself. Impact your clients and prospects profoundly by asking yourself how you can serve them so powerfully today that they will have an unforgettable if not transformational experience.
They’ll sing your praises for it and you’ll never be short of clients.
Author: Thomas Chalmers
