The other day I was in 3 conference calls and missed a 4th due to not being able to stay connected in the conference room for some reason. I also talked with several marketing friends, as well as some possible customers. I was on the phone over 5+ hours.
Let me tell you, that’s a lot of listening…grin.. and some talking I might add. Not to mention a rushed and hectic day when you add in the regular activities as well.
I might add that one of the possble customers I talked with by phone became a buying customer, …hmmm…, maybe this listening stuff works.
That night as I reviewed my day’s activities (yes I do this each evening) I got to thinking about how rushed our daily lives are each day. I mean it seems everyone around us (myself included) is always in a rush. Got to get here, got to go there, got to do this, got to do that.
Geeessssh folks, the only thing we really got to do is pay taxes (and some don’t do that…grin…) and die.
Have you stopped lately and just took some time to reflect on your life and the direction it’s taking?
If not, set aside about an hour of totally uninterrupted time to do so. You might be surprised at what you find. Some of you might not like it either.
I WONDER how many times we truly miss a meaning within a message that we should pick up on, all due to haste and the rush our current society seems to thrive and possibly some day collapse on?
I WONDER how many sales we miss as marketers because we don’t take time to truly see or listen to what the prospect is telling us?
I WONDER how many times parents have missed the true meaning of something their children may have been trying to tell them. But because they were running late for a meeting or work, then they found out the true meaning after the child or teenager run away or even took their own life or overdosed on drugs?
I WONDER how many times people have rushed through life, only to find aging parents whom they have somewhat ignored due to their busy schedules?
I WONDER how many of us look back and say: “I miss you and wish I had spent more time with you before you were gone”?
I WONDER how many “aging parents” have rushed through life and suddenly realize their baby is not a baby but a soldier overseas fighting for their country?
I WONDER how many people are rushing through life doing something they hate, never taking time to evaluate their life and how to change it.
I WONDER how many times we don’t know, because we just don’t take time to ask?
My point is how many times do you find yourself looking or thinking ahead when in a conversation, answering an email, and so forth. Are you truly paying attention to what that person is trying to convey to you, be it by email, by phone or live conversation?
OR are you letting the “rush of life” distract you from truly benefiting from the communication. Is that person telling you how you can improve your product or your newsletter or your marketing approach? Are you getting the message or is it just drifting though that mass we call a brain between our ears?
Think about it, did that person sit down, write out that email message, click “Send” only to have you quickly skim the message without fully comprehending what they are asking or telling you. Better than that, you email them back a reply about a week or so after they emailed you. Even more so, you get so “busy” that you never email a reply.
Geeesshhh, with my memory I will have forgotten what the heck I emailed about in the first place when I emailed them…. yeah I know many ‘so called’ gurus will say, “but, but, Gary, I get so many emails that…”, … oh you poor baby, I bet if they start fogetting to click “BUY HERE” you would email them back quicker!
I bet if they get so busy they stop sending checks and customers your way you would pay more attention. Hmmm, if I was only working 2-3 hours a day making a fortune on the internet (does that sound familiar??) then I would have plenty of time to answer my email…grin…..
Now don’t get me wrong folks, I know it’s hard to try to do what I’m talking about here. I know because I try. And there are a lot of great marketers out there that always respond and will strive to help you anyway they can. Even the best of marketers will miss an email or even have it filtered out.
BUT there are also some companies that will never even reply to your first, second or even third email, (surely after 3 emails they received one??) even though many say “email if you have any questions”. Huh, go figure.
I WONDER how many GURUs are so rushed they forgot where they came from and who really made it possible for them to live the “life style” everybody dreams of.
Notes For Success:
1. LISTEN to your readers, customers and prospects. Interact with them. They can tell you more about what THEY want, and how to improve your newsletter or product than you can ever even begin to.
2. Answer their questions, but at the same time ASK them questions such as what they want and how you can improve your services. Their answers could be that next gold mine product.
3. Keep in mind that person or customer may be next years biggest marketer. What do you think they will remember most when you email or call them? That you took the time to listen and help them, OR you ignored them?
I WONDER how many of you are really reading this?
Gary Knuckles BudgetWare, Inc. Copyright 2003
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