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RUSTAMIRANI.COM

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May
9

By admin


WHAT RECESSION? I FOUND 4 COMPANIES WHO DON’T NEED $

Category: Posts Leave a Comment




Posted on 02-06-2010 | By: Rustam

It never ceases to amaze me that companies don’t realize how valuable each
contact or prospect is to the business.  How many times have you been frustrated
by a person behind the counter who doesn’t really give a hoot that you are
buying something from their company?  Will you go back?  How many times have you
called a company to get an estimate on work to be done at your house never to
hear from the salesperson who was supposedly going to call you?

WHO WANTS AN EASY $4,000?  I found 4 companies who don’t!

Yesterday I called four different companies about getting an estimate to install
a heat pump for our pool.  Of the four companies, I got two voice-mails.  I did
leave voice-mails on both, but have not heard anything from either.  Of the
other two that answered, here is what happened:

The first one a lady picked up said hi and then told me to hold.  After 30
seconds she came back on the phone and asked me what I wanted.  She took down
all of my info, never asking me one thing about my pool and told me a sales
person would call me in a few minutes.  As I write this, I still have not heard
from anyone.

The person at the second company actually asked me some questions about my pool
and gave me 3 alternatives for heat pumps and the prices.  So far, so good I
thought.  Then he started asking me details about crawlspace in the attic, if I
had a 50 amp circuit breaker, the distance along the side of my house to the
circuit breaker, and other random things.  I kept telling him I wasn’t sure and
started thinking why doesn’t he just come out and look.  So, I asked him if they
came out to give an estimate and he said YES.  I thought this was great, then I
waited for him to OFFER to come out and look at everything and give me an
estimate, but NOPE it didn’t happen.  He asked if I had any more questions.  I
said no.  He said thanks and to call him if I had any more questions… and
CLICK!  He hung up.  Did he loose a $4,000 sale?

Here are the results of the 4 Companies that I called:

Company 1: Left voicemail and haven’t heard back.

Company 2: Left voicemail and haven’t heard back.

Company 3: Had a lady who told me a sales person would call…still waiting.

Company 4: Best response and info, but apparently the sales person didn’t think
it was a good idea to offer to come out and give me an estimate.

Why do so many companies cry about the Recession, but have a culture of
unmotivated untrained sales people and processes?  This KILLS me every time I
have to experience it.

I’m still looking for a company to offer to come out and give me an estimate, I
will most likely buy from them, it’s really that easy!  It’s not about price,
just selling whatever product or service your selling.  Every process in a
business is a part of the sales process, train your employees to realize this
and KILL your competition.

~ Rustam

May
7

By admin


THE TURTLE AND THE HARE

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Posted on 08-06-2010 | By: Rustam

THE TURTLE AND THE HARE

One of my daughters favorite stories before bed is the story of the “Turtle and
the Hare” and as most of you know the moral of the story is:  SLOW AND STEADY
WINS THE RACE.

In life and in business there are many free resources to help us succeed, it’s
up to us to utilize these to our benefit.  The problem is, there are SO many
resources, that we try to use all of them and get nowhere with any of them. 
Sound familiar?

BEST ONLINE RESOURCE TO SLOWLY BUILD YOUR VALUE

Over the last year I have been building my professional network online through
Linked-in, an online networking site for professionals.  Linked-in is absolutely
free and has over 40 million professionals from every field imaginable. 
Linked-in will allow you to build your resume online, connect with other
professionals, seek potential employees, and help you generate business. (my
favorite part)  I believe this is one of those free resources, that everyone
should absolutely use and master.  Below I have laid out my success strategy for
building a VALUABLE professional network using Linked-in.

SOME ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Within this last year, I have increased my number of QUALITY connections from 25
to nearly 400 and I am adding on average 3-5 a day.  Please note, the fact that
I am adding QUALITY connections and not just anyone.  Over the last year, I have
had numerous candidates respond to job postings, have connected with most of the
top CEO’s in our industry, improved my image and credibility, and generated
actual SALES.  All from spending a few minutes a day.  Even if you believe time
is money, this is a HUGE Return on Investment. (ROI)

Here are my criteria for a QUALITY CONNECTION.

QUALITY CONNECTION CRITERIA:

 1. Does my company currently do business with them?
 2. Are they a decision maker for their business?
 3. Are they an active member in my industry and do they have a lot of
    connections?
 4. Is this a good contact for hiring future employees?
 5. Is this a good connection for future business?

Once you have decided on the criteria for your connections, it’s important to
have a GAME PLAN to build your profile.  Below are 7 STEPS to BUILDING A
VALUABLE PROFESSIONAL PROFILE:

7 STEPS TO BUILDING A VALUABLE PROFILE

 1. If you haven’t already, create a Linked-in profile at:
    http://www.linkedin.com
 2. Update your information and have a goal of getting your profile to 100%
    complete.
 3. Initially search and connect with people you already know.  This way you
    will have a greater chance of acceptance from a connection.
 4. Set a GOAL of 5 new connections EVERY DAY.  I send about 25 invitations a
    week.  Initially I was getting about a 65% acceptance, but now I am at
    almost 100%.  The KEY is QUALITY!  Also, when you get a invite, DON’T accept
    everyone.  Revert back to your criteria and see if they are a good fit.
 5. Groups Tab:  Click on the groups tab and find groups that are related to
    your business or interests.  This is one of the best and most underutilized
    resources.  Once your a member of a group, you can connect with other
    members of the group and they will most likely accept your invite.
 6. Get involved.  Once you join a group, contribute to an interesting
    discussion or start your own.  Don’t spend too much time, but definitely
    contribute something useful.
 7. Once you connect with someone, send a thank you response to the person who
    connected with you.  Here is an example:

Thank you for accepting my connection request. I appreciate the opportunity of
sharing our resources and helping each other and our businesses grow.  I look
forward to years of success ahead.  In Abundance, Rustam.

Your MAIN objective is to START the Race! On your marks, get set and…..GO!

~Rustam

Sep
4

By admin


THE “PERFECT STORM”

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Originally published December 2011.

What I Learned from Surviving the” Perfect Storm”

A number of years ago I took a business trip to Grand Isle, Louisiana which
turned out to be more eventful then I could ever have imagined.  Our company was
performing monitoring surveys of a few of the Barrier Islands just off of the
South end of Louisiana’s coastline.

THE TRIP

We woke up very early and met the local boat operator at Port Fourchon loaded
the boat and were on our way to one of the Barrier Islands.  The trip was about
1 hour and when we arrived, it started raining.  From what I recall, the Barrier
Island was a couple of miles wide and had a breached opening in a section for us
to get into the back of the island where we were doing our monitoring.  As we
entered the back of the island, we setup our gear and met the Air Boat operator
to get into some of the shallow areas.  Towards the end of the day we started to
notice the weather getting worse and the rain harder, so we decided to pack up
and head back to Port Fourchon.  As we were all packed up and getting ready to
leave we noticed the wind pick up and saw a HUGE storm heading our way.

THE PERFECT STORM

As we headed out of the breached opening, the captain started to look concerned
and slowed the boat down.  This was only a 22’ metal boat with at least 6 of us
on-board.  Not a very big boat and completely open with many of us sitting on
coolers.  The problem was that the waves just outside the opening were 6-8 feet
and he didn’t think we could make it out of the opening.  We were all still in a
good mood and laughing and actually joking about the waves and our adventure.  I
remember specifically cheering a few times and saying “bring it on.”  As we hit
the second wave on the way out,the captain turned and looked at me and said
“shut up and sit down,” then he told everyone to put on our life vests.  He next
called the Port and told them to call the coastguard and let them know we were
on our way back and to call for help if we were not in Port in an hour or so.

We all sat down and headed out through the waves.  The waves were so big that
the captain had to basically drive parallel to the waves.  He was a 20+ year
veteran of the seas, but looked very concerned and told us to stay together if
the boat flipped.  At this time, I was planning my own survival tactics if the
boat were to flip.  We eventually made it back to the Port in one piece with all
of us on board.  I still remember that day vividly and have learned a few things
from that trip and my brush with the “Perfect Storm.”

 

LESSONS

Here are a few lessons I learned from that trip that have stayed with me.

1.        Every Day Matters – None of us know if we will be around tomorrow. 
Life is too short not to live every day to the fullest.  Take time during each
day to reflect and appreciate how blessed you are to be alive.

2.       When Not to Joke – Sometimes we make jokes at the wrong times or in the
wrong situations.  Have you ever made a joke that hurt someone?  I know I have,
but I try to remember that Captain turning to me and telling me to zip it,
obviously that was not the right time to poke fun at the situation.

3.       Everyone has a Gift – I truly believe that we made it back to the Port
because we had an incredible Captain.  He was nervous but kept his composure and
focused on getting us all back safely.  Don’t be afraid to follow what you enjoy
doing, it might even save someone’s life one day.

Life is full of adventure and has its up’s and down, but always remember that
you never know what tomorrow will bring.  Here is one of my favorite quotes:

“Live today as if it were your last, but plan on being here for tomorrow”

 

Aug
20

By admin


OVERCOMING PRIDE!

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I am sure we have all been in a situation where we unintentionally did something
to upset someone and couldn’t really understand why they were upset.  This often
happens because everyone reacts differently to situations and at the end of the
day we all have different feelings.  Have you ever upset someone (husband/wife,
friend, boss, client…etc.) and couldn’t understand why they were upset?  What
did you do in this situation?  Did you become defensive and tell the other
person they were wrong being upset?  Did you give the other person the benefit
of the doubt and realize that you may have done something to upset them, even if
it was unintentional.  Pride is one of the toughest things to overcome, but when
you can overcome PRIDE, it often times results in a positive outcome.

The WRONG Restaurant

I had a major test of my pride a few years ago when I had setup a lunch meeting
with a potential client.  I called the client the day before the meeting and we
were all set to meet at an Applebee’s restaurant on Dale Mabry road in Tampa. 
The day of the lunch meeting, I actually left a little early to make sure I was
not going to let my potential client wait.  I arrived at 11:50am and our meeting
was for noon.  I decided to grab a table for us as I waited for the gentleman. 
I then looked at my watch and noticed that it was 10 past noon and I began
wondering what was happening.  I realized I only had his office number, so I
called and spoke with the receptionist and asked for his cell number.  When I
finally got in touch with him, it was about 12:15pm.

As soon as I said hi to him, I noticed an irritated voice on the other line.  He
asked me where I was and then went on to tell me he didn’t have time to waste
and it was very unprofessional of me to be late.  I finally had an opportunity
to speak and told him that I was at the restaurant waiting for him.   I quickly
realized that I was at the wrong restaurant and there was another one down the
street about 20 minutes away.  I then went on to explain that we must have had
some miscommunication, and then the SHOCKER…. he told me not to waste any more
of his time and HUNG UP on me.  I couldn’t believe, he hung up on me.  At this
point, I was pretty upset myself.  I was thinking about calling him back and
letting him have a piece of my mind, but I called him back to explain the
situation and he was still irritated and not being reasonable, so then my “LIGHT
SWITCHED FLIPPED.” I told him he was being unfair and that I wouldn’t want
someone like him as a client and said bye and hung up.  You would think that I
felt great after this, but I was actually furious and also feeling really bad
for what I had said to him.  This was not professional and to an extent I could
understand his frustration.

PRIDE QUESTION:  Would you have called him back again?

Well, after a full 24 hours of being upset, I decided to suck upmy pride and
call him to apologize.  I called the gentleman the next day and told him I was
sorry for wasting his valuable time, and that I would still like to have an
opportunity for us to meet and speak.  He accepted my apology and agreed to meet
again in the future, but that really never panned out.

DID I WIN?

The worst part of this situation was how difficult it was for me to swallow my
pride and call the guy back.  Why is it so hard for us to swallow our pride and
accept ownership for miscommunication and move on?  How did I win in this
situation?  I felt a weight lifted off of my shoulders by apologizing and
clearing things up.  I also did not have to worry about somebody bad mouthing
me.  As we all know, this is a small world and you never want to “burn bridges.”
I did learn a lot from that experience and believe it had a “Moment of Impact”
on me.  Next time you get upset at someone, or don’t understand why you hurt
someone, don’t take it personal.  I believe that is the key to overcoming
pride.  We can only control our beliefs and reasoning, not anyone else’s.  If
you can overcome pride and not take bad situations personal, you will lead a
less stressful and more opportunistic life.

Aug
17

By admin


CAN YOU BE, TOO PASSIONATE?

Category: Posts Leave a Comment



Originally posted December 3, 2011



On the wall in my office I have a framed picture of a beautiful golf course
situated along a serene stretch of sand.  The title and caption says:  “Passion,
There are qualities which one must possess to win… definiteness of purpose,
knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to posses it.”  I picked out
this poster a number of years ago, because I am very passionate about my life
and my ambition to continue to learn and be the best person I can be at home and
at the office.   With that being said, can your passion sometimes be too much? 
Can your passion be overcome by emotion?

Passion vs. Emotion

I remember a time, in one of my previous positions, when I gave a presentation
in front of my associates and received very little feedback.  We were having our
monthly senior managers meeting and I decided to give a 30 minute presentation
titled:  Leadership for Excellence.  Basically, I was presenting a brief
discussion on leadership strategies, promoting systems and business
development.  I was warned by my supervisor that this group may not have been
extremely receptive to the “leadership fluff” from an MBA.

Despite this warning, I whole heatedly believed in what I presented and spent
quite a bit of time and passion preparing and presenting this topic.  During the
presentation, I noticed a few of my associates doodling or just not paying
attention.  I tried very hard not to let my emotional dissatisfaction get in the
way of my message.  At the end of the talk, I was emotionally drained and quite
frankly “irritated.”  I spent hours of research, preparation, and time putting
the presentation together and I felt like it was for nothing.

Somebody was Actually Listening

The interesting thing is that a couple of months later one of the other managers
told me he implemented the KPI (Key Performance Indicators) that I discussed in
my presentation and he was very happy with the results.  Surprisingly, he
thanked me for the information and we went on to have a great discussion about
our teams and ways we were working to improve overall performance.

Stay Passionate, but control your Emotions

I have been fortunate to have a great group of people in my life and they keep
me grounded.  Whenever I feel emotions kicking into something I am doing, I try
to consult with them first about what to do.  For example, my wife always puts
things in perspective for me and keeps me grounded and focused on the big
picture.  She recognizes when emotions are taking over my passion for something,
points it out and offers me a solid support structure.  I am very grateful to
all of my friends and family who have provided me with “vital” support over my
lifetime.

If you are a very passionate person, it’s important to realize that sometimes
your passion can turn into emotion.  If it does, my suggestion is to find a
friend to talk it over with and realize that passion is typically a long term
focus.

As the poster states…. definiteness of purpose, knowledge of what one wants, and
a burning desire to posses it.


Aug
14

By admin


COACHING KIDS AND ADULTS, IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?

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Originally posted on August 12 2010

As some of you know, I am coaching my daughter’s 5 and 6 year old soccer team. 
I along with Coach Micheal decided to coach our girl’s soccer team this season. 
As the season is coming to an end, I can honestly say I have truly enjoyed every
minute with our kids and believe whole heartedly that being a coach or mentor is
one of the most rewarding feelings in life.  The interesting thing is, that
while I was coaching our kids, I reflected on my years of coaching business
owners and found some interesting observations.

Here are some of the similar observations I have about coaching kids and adults.

1.  Those who want to learn……DO!

Every adult and kid who wants to master business or soccer respectively, will
listen more attentively and learn quicker.  Some of the business owners I
coached were anxious to listen andlearn and implement our plans and discussions
into practice.  Similarly, several of our kids listened attentively to our
discussions about the basics of soccer, retained the information and applied it
at our game or the next practice.  Conversely, the business owners who did not
take our meetings seriously, struggled and did not seem interested in what we
were doing.  They were hoping I would come in and do all of the work and they
didn’t really care to improve themselves.  I noticed this with our soccer team
as well.  For example, a few of the kids have learned that when a ball goes out
on the sideline, it means a throw in and they anxiously run to the ball to throw
it in.  Others, I notice are looking around to see what everyone else is doing
or not even paying attention.

2.  Those who work or play because they have to, don’t have FUN!

The business owners I worked with that enjoyed our time together, liked what
they did, the projects we were working on, and had big goals, also had a lot of
FUN.  I remember one of my clients who had an IT business, would always come to
our meetings with great ideas and enthusiasm about his business and the
potential.  He enjoyed learning and had FUN doing it.  The rewards were equally
enjoyable and he saw increases in his revenue and the quality of his clients.

I know these kids are 5 and 6 and just out to have FUN, but it is easy to
envision some of the more attentive and enthusiastic players in years to come. 
I believe we may have a few great future soccer players. I believe there is a
transistion point when a kid decides what they enjoy doing and don’t and then
switch.  Is it possible when you become an adult?  Absolutely, I call this the
SWITCH.

THE SWITCH

I always found it difficult to understand why business owners continue to do
work they do not enjoy.  What struck me as even more strange was that they were
making less money than someone in a corporate environment selling their service
or product.  I understand sometimes life puts you in certain circumstances and
you think you don’t have a choice, but that is absolutely FALSE!  Loans can be
repaid, bankruptcies happen, and as long as you have the necessities you will
survive.  You may not be able to flip a switch and sell yourbusiness and get a
job, but you can plan to make a change.  On average we live 85+ years, which we
all agree flies by, so why be miserable?

THE ARCHITECT and THE SWITCH

I once consulted with an Architect who had his own business and was struggling
to find his niche and make money.  We met a few times and through those
meetings, we decided that we would try a few different strategies to see if we
could increase his revenue and if he could find his niche.  Over a 2 month
period we tried numerous strategies and realized that he really didn’t want to
own a business.  After he made this decision, he asked me to meet with him at
Starbucks.  Surprisingly, he poured out his thanks to me for listening to him
and helping him realize he didn’t enjoy having a business and would look into
other options and make a SWITCH.

COACH RUSTAM’s Playbook:

Here are some of my SWITCHES:

1.       I was once a Pre-Med student at UF and switched to Engineering.

2.      After 8 monthsquit my first nice salary job to get my MBA.

3.      I quit a great position with an Engineering firm to start a consulting
business.

4.      I quit consulting to join a promising business.

 

I am truly blessed with all of my opportunities and challenges and love
coaching.  The interesting thing I realized after coaching my daughter’s team,
is that we have the ability from a very early age to realize weather or not we
will really enjoy something or if we will be good at it.  This ability is
carried with us throughout our whole life, but it becomes more difficult (not
impossible) to act on it.  I truly believe it is important in our lives, to have
mentors, wives, husbands, parents, and friends to coach us to have a healthy,
happy and fun life!

Aug
10

By admin


MOMENTS OF IMPACT!

Category: Posts 1 Comment



Originally posted on July 2010

Have you ever experienced a moment when you were surprised by a person being
extra kind, someone going out of there way, or making an opportunity out of a
nothing?  I am sure we all have experienced moments when we are surprised by a
person’s enthusiasm, dedication, or love for what he or she does.  I like to
call these “Moments of Impact.”  A “Moment of Impact” can come in many forms but
all have a lasting impact on the person and usually a lesson attached.  I have
had many moments of impact over the years and always look for opportunities to
create them for myself, our company and others.


The RECEPTIONIST:
Around 8 years ago, a receptionist had a huge “Moment of Impact” on me.  I was
working at an engineering firm and was calling another engineering firm about a
project we were going to bid on as a joint venture.  It’s amazing how clearly I
remember my surroundings at the time of the call.  I called the Kimley-Horn ( a
1000+ employee) engineering office to speak with a project manager.  The
receptionist picked up the phone and very enthusiastically said hi and asked who
I was and how I was doing.  She went on to make a little small talk about the
weather and then asked me if I enjoyed my job.  That was the “Moment of
Impact.”  Why would she ask me if I enjoyed my job?  Why did she care?  I told
her I enjoyed it very much and that we had a great team.  She was pleased to
hear that and then went on for another few minutes talking about how great her
company was and if I was ever unhappy to call her and she would get me in touch
with the HR department.  WOW, I was completely shocked, but I also knew that the
company had won numerous awards for being a great place to work and consistent
growth.  Isn’t that interesting?


The WRONG #:
One story I love telling, is about one of my largest and best clients when I was
consulting.   I was making follow up calls to contacts who were interested in
coming to one of my seminars.  I remember the phone call vividly.  I was sitting
at my desk looking at a follow up call list and dialed one of the numbers.  A
gentleman answered the phone and I asked to speak with Rob Swindle.  I waited as
there was a pause on the phone and then he said you must have the wrong number. 
This is when I had a “Moment of Impact.”  I had two choices of what I could do:

 1. Say sorry and hang up the phone.
 2. Find out about the person on the other side.

Instead of hanging up the phone, I kindly asked the gentleman if he owned a
business.  He surprisingly said yes.  I went on for a few minutes about what I
did and then I started asking him questions and then just listened about his
business. (Check out my post on the importance of listening).  This wrong number
phone call turned into a face to face meeting and eventually a great client for
me.

Take time to recognize these times in your life when someone does something
unexpected, goes out of there way, or surprises the heck out of you.  Then try
to create these for yourself and others and see the floodgates of opportunities
open up for you, the people around you, and your business.

Aug
9

By admin


LISTEN TO ME, I KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!

Category: Posts Leave a Comment



Originally posted on August 1, 2010

In a sales training course I took, the instructor mentioned that one of the
essential steps to being successful at selling is listening.  She went on to
tell us that in most conversations you have, you should try to speak 20% of the
time and listen the other 80%.  She bluntly said, ask an open ended question
then shut up and listen.  Over the years I have experienced the power of
listening and the fact that people like to be heard.  Solomon covers this one in
the Book of Proverbs by stating, “He who answers a matter before he hears it is
not wise”  (see Proverbs 18:13)  This skill has proved a great deal of worth to
me in business and in life.

In Business…

A couple of years ago I had a meeting with one of my clients who owned a
commercial landscaping business.  As soon as we sat down, I asked him how his
week was going and then just LISTENED.  Our conversation lasted nearly an hour
and half.  During this time, I spoke for a total of probably 10 minutes and
mainly just asked questions.  I was shocked when my client stood up thanked me
for my excellent advice and said he was excited about our discussion and all of
the things he was going to work on to improve his business.  The greatest part
was when he called me a couple of days later to tell me all of things he worked
on and did to improve his business.

In Life….

In my final years in college and soon after, I started to catch myself not
listening, focusing or even paying attention to people when they were talking to
me.  In addition, I often times found myself finishing sentences for people and
then changing the subject.  I realized this when it happened at work once and my
co-worker was not too happy about it.  From that day forward I have made a
conscious effort to listen more and talk less. This is not an easy skill to
master, but it is a very important one.  Make a conscious effort to listen to
your friends, colleagues, wife/husband, and most importantly your kids.

 

Below are some reasons to improve your listening skills:

 

1.     To avoid saying wrong things, being thoughtless

2.     To generate a feeling that you care

3.     To process the conversation and understand the persons thoughts

4.     To make the other person feel important and recognize them

5.     To get the person to listen to you.
Over the years I have had the opportunity to meet and speak with some great
leaders, authors and educators.  One of my more memorable meetings was when I
met John Maxwell.  John Maxwell has written a number of books including: The 21
irrefutable laws of Leadership, Leadership Gold, The 360° Leader to name a few. 
He has trained over 2 million business leaders and sold over 13 million books. 
After a seminar I attended, I waited in line to get his autograph which took
forever.  When I finally met him, his first words were:  Hello, it’s nice to
meet you, now tell me a little about you.  I couldn’t believe that he cared to
listen to me talk about myself.  Find any GREAT leader, mentor, husband, or dad,
and I guarantee you they listen more than they talk.

 

Jun
29

By admin


WHOSE SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?

Category: Posts Leave a Comment





Originally posted on July 2010

IN BUSINESS…


Abraham Lincoln commented that “the best trial lawyers spend 20% of their time
preparing their case and 80% of their time preparing the case of their
opponents.”  In other words, they put themselves in the other lawyer’s shoes to
see what direction the arguments would take.  You can also apply this to your
clients.

 

Put on Your Clients Shoes


When you’re consistently dealing with the same issue or scenario with your
clients, it is important to look at it from their perspective.  Over the years I
have had many clients who have made excuses for not being able to pay an
invoice.  In these instances, I always put myself in their shoes and try to
analyze the situation.  Below is a mental checklist I usually process when I
come across this or any other situation with a client:

 1. Are they telling the truth
 2. Are they in financial trouble
 3. Do they have a valid reason or reasons
 4. Was there  mis-communication
 5. What solution will give me the best possible outcome

Even when you are trying to generate business or secure a client, you should put
on their shoes and truly understand what they need.  In one of my previous blog
posts (Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind) I talked about listening to your client
and offer them the best solution.  This was a great example of how I put myself
in the clients shoes and benefited.

IN LIFE….


Road-Rage


This also happens in life almost every day.  When was the last time you came
across someone with road-rage, a person who cuts you off, a cashier who was
unpleasant or a rude waiter?  In my experience the best outcome to these
instances is to realize it may be the person’s way of escaping a stressful day
or they may have a serious personal issue.  If you always give the other person
the benefit of the doubt, you will create a less stressful situation which
ultimately will give a better outcome.


The Bottle Thrown at My Dad

I remember a specific instance as a kid when we were driving to an electronic
store when my dad saw these 2 kids in the back of a pickup truck.  As we exited
off the highway onto the off ramp, my dad noticed one of the kids (probably 10
year old’s) sticking his thumb in his mouth.  My dad decided to take it upon
himself to gesture to the kid to take his thumb out of his mouth.  Apparently my
dad wanted to make the decision for the parents on how their kid should act. 
The kid did not like this and I believe he stuck his tongue out at us and then
gave us a nice gesture with his finger.  I noticed his dad look over and see
this, then the light turned green.  As we passed the pickup truck I noticed a
highly upset father yelling at my dad and after we passed him he threw a glass
bottle at our car.  I was pretty scared, since I know my dad is not a fighter. 
We ended up driving off, but I was upset at my dad for deciding how the kid
should act.  I told him that he didn’t know the kids situation, and should not
have assumed this was something bad just because he felt it was.  This could
have been an ugly situation, but luckily he only had a bottle and not a gun.

Give your clients and the people you interact with, the benefit of the doubt and
truly understand their perspective and you will almost always achieve the best
possible outcome.

 


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