Last night my wife and I took the kids out to dinner with my parents at a "fancy" restaurant for my mother's birthday. Despite repeated, consistent efforts to instill the importance of politeness into my two elementary-school-age daughters, it's something of a crapshoot when you get them in an actual situation to use their "best behavior." Fortunately, they were wonderful: well-mannered, talkative, using the right utensils, sitting up, saying pleases and thank-yous... As a parent, I was proud and delighted.
Reflecting on our evening out, a couple ideas occurred to me:
First, from the time we are small, most of us are taught that it's perfectly normal to have different modes of behavior. At home, it may be permissible to use the spoon when you should use the fork, but it's not okay at the restauarant. You can pick up the chicken tenders when you're snacking in front of the Scooby Doo video, but cutlery is required at any place the meal doesn't come with a toy... And it got me thinking- I am convinced that most of us, as salespeople, have a mode of "client behavior." I believe, though, most of us don't think of our behavior in that context. If we ruminate on it at all, we think we are being "professional" or "business-like." But while those are certainly apt descriptions, they are triggered by the prospect of interaction with clients- So, I think it might be very helpful for us to personally define our own code of conduct for "client behavior." If we took the time to set strategies and goals in this aspect of our careers, it would pay off dividends the way such planning does in other areas. Which leads to-
Second, like anything else in our lives, practice may not lead to perfection, but it does lead to habits. "Good" practice leads to good habits, and the opposite is true. It's why sports teams practice- so they'll execute the right moves in an actual game. It's why my wife and I work so hard with our girls- so they'll "do well" when they're beyond the confines of our dining room. As working adults, however, I'm not so sure we remember to practice our "client behavior." Thankfully, it's never too late! And it's not just limited to refraining from picking at our teeth: Returning calls, responding to e-mails, timely sending requested information are all part of the "behavior" we want to display. The more we practice, the more second-nature it becomes, and the more successful we find ourselves.
At Obbee, helping realtors, insurance agents, mortgage brokers and debt/modification specialists is second-nature to us. Our "client behavior" includes providing sales professionals with the freshest, highest quality real time internet leads in the industry. We match up prospects with specific needs to the folks who can help them- and we're very polite while doing it! :)
- Dave
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