One of the verses to Smokey Robinson’s legendary Motown hit “Tears of a Clown” goes like this:
“Oh yeah, baby, now if I appear to be carefree it’s only to camouflage my sadness. In order to shield my pride I try to cover this hurt with a show of gladness.”
That sure seems like a tough way to live. However, with modern technology more and more people choose to “cocoon” themselves from dealing with their problems on a personal level. It’s too easy to avoid the personal interactions that are so important to building or healing relationships. We choose to text, e-mail and tweet about our feelings, often anonymously. Whatever happened to meeting in person to resolve our differences? Kids today can transfer information at record speeds. But can they truly communicate their feelings to other people?
Let’s try something. Let’s go back to when we didn’t have access to cyberspace and the whole electronic world we live in today. When your significant other was breaking up with you they did it in person, not by changing their relationship status on Facebook. Your neighborhood became your support system. Some of my closest friends are people I know from “the neighborhood” long ago.
A famous airline commercial from the early 90s featured a large company having a sales meeting. They had just been fired from a big account with a long-time customer and the lead guy thought it was because they were losing the personal touch of face-to-face interaction with their clients. He told them all, “We are going to get to know our clients better,” and then had plane tickets handed out to all the employees to go meet with their customers in person. Well, many of you know I’m a big proponent of Woody Allen quotes, and one of my favorites fits this scenario perfectly: “80% of life’s successes are achieved by just showing up.” What better way is there to really show your clients that you care about them and are interested in their needs?
I asked one of the top brokers in our industry what made him different from other brokers. He responded simply, “I show up.” Every chance he gets to show up in person, he takes. If something could be sent via e-mail, he chooses instead to drop it off personally. Before long he’s around so much the clients consider him part of the company! And he never has to worry about courier bills.
I’ve got a policy I’ve dubbed the “Three Ps”. When it comes to clients, I say: personalize, personalize and personalize. The best way to accomplish this and separate yourself from the rest is by showing up. Sounds easy, right? Give it a shot. I think you’ll be very pleased with the results.
Have a great weekend,
Ro
Special thanks to my cousin Jack McShea, Jr. for sharing this commercial with me and saying it would be perfect for the Words.