Thursday, January 26, 2006
Consistency Is Far Greater Than Rare Moments of Greatness
You just never know. When you answer a phone call from an unknown number...When you engage in a conversation with a guest at your office...When you greet a potential customer who walks into your store...When you make small talk with a stranger you’ve just been introduced to...When you respond to a random email from a friend of a friend of a friend...
You just never know.
And because of that, because any of these individuals has the potential to immediately tell everyone he knows either “That guy’s great!” or “That guy’s an asshole!” you must remember that consistency is far greater than rare moments of greatness.
This means you have a choice. You can be a nice, friendly, approachable, authentic, easy-to-deal-with person ONLY around those “important” people, i.e., customers, coworkers and managers; or you can act that way with EVERYBODY, notwithstanding their apparent insignificance. It brings to mind the words of Roy Beers, who once said, “Your true character is most accurately measured by how you treat those who can do nothing for you.”
Great example: I do a lot of staff training for hotels, namely, Hyatt Regency. One Friday night after hosting an afternoon session, I bumped into a few of my audience members at a nearby bar. (I didn’t know who they were at the time.) But literally, we smacked into each other! And I spilled half of my drink on the floor. I looked up at the three guys and said, “No worries guys - this place is a madhouse. It’s just water anyway.”
One of them said, “Sorry about that Scott. Hey, by the way, we really loved your speech on approachability today! Thanks a lot.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize you guys worked for the Hyatt! Yeah, sorry we didn’t get a chance to meet after the session. But I’m glad you enjoyed it. And it sure is funny running into you now, huh?”
Yeah, funny.
Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever realized who the person was 20 seconds AFTER you’d made your impression?
It’s kind of scary. Kind of makes you think back and wonder, “Wait, what did I say again? Was it something stupid? And would I have said something different if I knew exactly who I was talking to?”
That’s the big question. That’s where consistency comes in to play. Because odds are, you might not know right away if the person you’re talking to is stranger you’ll never see again, an existing customer, a potential customer, or a friend of an existing or potential customer.
And all it takes is one sentence to make him think, “You know, I think I’ll take my business elsewhere.” Then again, all it takes is one sentence to make him think, “Man, I love this place! I can’t wait to tell everyone back at the office all about it!”
Because you just never know.
And yet, some people still don’t understand the power of this idea. Probably because they’ve never had a business-changing encounter – positive or negative – that swiveled on the hinges of serendipity.
But they will. And so will you. Both bad and good. Hey, I once started a friendly conversation on a bus with a complete stranger who eventually passed along my business card to a local reporter whose news story kicked off my career as an author and a speaker! Then again, I once made a terribly rude comment about my former boss without knowing he was a customer of my father’s! Ouch!
So whether you’re prospecting, greeting guests or just making small talk around the office, remember this: it’s just easier to be consistent. Kind of like the old adage, “If you tell the truth all the time, you won’t have to remember anything.” Because ultimately, consistently is greater than rare moments of greatness. And people only give you credit for that which they see you do consistently.
Because you just never know.
LET ME ASK YA THIS...
What's your best (or worst) "you never know" story?
* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That guy with the nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com
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Scott's Books
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-ABLE
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The Approachable Leader
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Live Your Name
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Stick Yourself Out There : Get Them to Come to You!
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The Approachable Frontline
17 Daily Practices for Delivering Unforgettable Service
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The Approachable Manager
24 daily practices for getting employees to come to you
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The Approachable Salesperson
22 Daily Practices for Enabling Customers to Buy
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Make A Name for Yourself
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How To Be That Guy
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The Power of Approachability
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Hello, My Name is Scott
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I was being recruited to play college basketball my senior year in high school. I was attending a somewhat local basketball game in the Bay Area, going to watch the visiting school (highly recruiting me, not so local) play. The minute I walked into the gym, I was greeted by an assistant coach of the home team, (no previous contact at all) by my first name. I will never forget that.
By the end of the first half, the team I came to watch was down by 15 and I had an application in my hand from the new school. Even though for the next month I kept both schools at bay in terms of where I was standing, my decision was made up that night. And I know that it all started with the warm greeting by my first name, by someone I had never met before.
So, I guess you never know who really is looking out for you...5 years later, this May I will have graduated twice from that school with my BA last year and my MBA this May.
Great post Scott!
Awesome story Patrick. That's why I love blogs - people can share experiences. Way cool.
Anyway, I met your buddy Faisal at WOMMA. We hung out in the lobby bar till the weeeeee hours of the morning. He's good people.
I'm glad you hooked the two of us up!
I was sitting in a local cafe this morning having breakfast when a man with a different accent started talking to the waitress. I commented on it and he said he was from Brazil.
So on with the small talk and I discovered he had moved to Georgia in the southern States to have a better life. I said Georgia is very nice... I used to live in Cocoa Beach, Florida. The man next to me overheard and he said "Thats so strange. I lived in Cocoa Beach for 9 years." Turns out he knows my uncle who has just recently moved out of that area.
Small world.
I felt like if I hadn't started up some small talk I would have missed out on something. I felt a little more at ease in a country I've never truly felt at home. (Canada)
I really enjoyed the post (and the one about the guy who looks exactly like Dana Harvey). Thankyou!
Very good post, Scott, and so true. A co-worker of mine was flying cross-country one Sunday to meet with the CEO of a large company on Monday. On the plane, he started up a friendly conversation with the fellow next to him, who was returning from vacation. Unbelievably, it turned out that his seatmate was the CEO he was scheduled to meet the next morning! Good thing they didn't fight over the armrest...
In 1992 I attended the baptism for the newborn daughter of a (relatively* new) friend of mine from graduate school, Steve. (*this word will have greater significance after you have read the whole story.)
Since I was the only "non-family" person, I volunteered to take the "family picture". In the process, I briefly met my friend's brothers and two sisters (both were single at the time, like I was).
Fast forward to 2002. 10 years later, I'm still close friends with Steve and have met his sisters at various other family functions. He moved to North Carolina (from Connecticut) and I visit at least once or twice a year to do triathons with him.
This trip (July 2002), one of his sisters is visiting at the same time. She invites me to her upcoming birthday party (in NYC) but I decline since I don't know any of her friends.
We end up meeting when I do a half marathon in Central Park the next month. 6 months later we were engaged.
She still does not remember meeting me in 1992. (Good thing I didn't do anything stupid!)
* now we actually ARE RELATIVES !
I like this very much. Treat everyone the same and treat them well, not because of who they are, because of who you are. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to figure it out!
I think for the most part I'm pretty consistent. I try to be nice to everyone, but I do have to say I'm nicer to those that are consistent in being nice and tend to shut out or make it quick with those that are consistently rude or ignorant (ie nearly 1/3 of the 'regulars' I deal with at the new store).
Super post.
Good points, good post. I recently bought a couple pricey pieces of computer hardware from Staples rather than somewhere that specializes in electronics or computers because I'd been receiving consistently good service in-store. The other store I checked out in my hunt was having a bad day with a shortage of staff - I knew it wasn't always that way, but Staples always had people available to talk with me, so I took my buisiness there instead.