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08/21/2024
After the Sting, an Opportunity
Source: Bill Farquharson, The Sales Vault, August 19, 2024
Frank Romano once joked that I could make a sales tip out of anything. I had a recent experience that made me remember that challenge…
I was in the backyard, hand-trimming some willow bushes near a fence. Suddenly, my right hand exploded in pain. I had been stung by a hornet.
Naturally, I assumed there was a hive nearby. Getting on my knees and carefully pulling back branches, I looked and looked and looked but could not find anything.
Assuming my attacker was a lone ranger, I continued my trimming.
Have you ever been struck by lightning? Neither have I, but getting stung by a hornet in the neck is probably close to that experience.
Apparently, there was a nest nearby after all.
The act of getting stung. Whether it’s a bee, a wasp, a yellow jacket —customer criticism, losing an account, or experiencing trauma — what comes next is an opportunity to make a change for the better.
In the case of a hornet, the change you make is to stop trimming the willows. In business, you need to step back, widen the lens, and take a bigger look at more than just the immediate problem.
I know it hurts, but you’ve got a real opportunity here.
For example, let’s say you lose a big account. Doing some investigation, you learn the client felt ignored. Other companies were calling on them and asking, “what has your current vendor done for you lately?”
Ouch.
But like that first sting you need to find out if this is a one-off or systematic of a larger problem. Get on your hands and knees. Pull back branches. Look hard. Because as much as a sting on the hand hurts, the sting on the neck is worse.
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