Welcome to Viewpoints. We hope you enjoy this issue.
A Fable…
Once upon a time in a little drop of water, King Amoeba decided he wanted to teach his subjects how to have a better life. So he traveled far and wide throughout the Kingdom of Dropland to tell his people how to be better than they were. But nobody listened.
“Psst,” said his advisor. “First you have to get their attention. Here. Rub on this magic garlic potion and you will get everyone’s attention.”
So the king did as he was told and went out to teach his people how to be better than they were. But nobody listened. They swam away … and held their noses.
“Psst,” said his advisor. “You have to be sure they can hear you. Here. Shout into this megaphone and then everyone will listen.”
So the king did as he was told, and went out to spread his wisdom. But nobody listened. They swam away … and held their noses … and covered their ears.
“Psst,” said his advisor. “The people are too stupid to realize what wisdom you have to offer. You have to make them listen for their own good.”
So the king made everyone gather in the Great Solarium while he told them how to be better than they were. But when the Great Doors were opened, everybody swam away so hard and so fast that before they knew it they had swum right out of Dropland. And henceforth and forevermore they were referred to as Outdroppers.
And the moral of the fable is that … things surrounded by unpleasantness are seldom surrounded by people.
(from Robert Mager, Developing Attitude Toward Learning, 1968)
A lot of people these days are spending huge sums to impress others, to entice you to buy something, to convince you to vote against one candidate and for the other. And a lot of people are getting pretty tired of all the hype. Louder and more obnoxious isn’t the answer. Want to attract the best people, ideas, opportunities to you? It’s amazingly simple. Here’s how:
Deliver More Than You Promise. Not the other way around! News travels fast these days, especially bad news. If you become known as one who consistently delivers more than is expected, the more you’ll notice that you will free yourself to perform even better and astound the people around you.
Do you find yourself fussing over something you said you would do, and now find you don’t have time to get it done? Maybe you’re experiencing what happens to a lot of us these days – you’ve promised more than you can deliver, and it makes you feel – how? Stressed? Untruthful? Unreliable? All of these?
Does it seem to you that you’ve got the cart before the horse here? Why not think of reversing the order of just two words: promise, and deliver, and become known as one who delivers more than you promise? What a great idea!
The late Thomas Leonard included a chapter in his book, The Portable Coach, titled “Promise Little, Deliver Everything.” Well, that’s a tall order, but he makes a good point. Leonard’s view was that if you learn to promise less while you consistently deliver more, you’ll greatly increase how people value you, and in turn will attract others (clients, customers, friends) to you.
How does that work? Well, let’s look at two distinctions Leonard made:
1. Underpromise – or – Overpromise. When you promise to complete a task on Tuesday, but you actually finish on Monday, would your client or customer be disappointed, or pleasantly surprised? What about promising a Monday completion and not finishing until Thursday – would that client be a happy camper? Somehow, I doubt it.
2. Satisfy – or – Exceed Expectations. When you complete a job and the customer is satisfied, that’s good. Imagine the pleasant surprise if you went just a bit beyond “satisfied” and provided something extra at no charge. There’s an old New Orleans term, lagniappe, that describes the “little something extra” or “the sweetener” to the deal. Costs very little – adds a lot of good will.
How does this apply to your life? There are many ways – look at the following examples and see if any sound familiar to you:
1. You call an appliance repair shop and are assured that the service person will be there between 1:00 and 4:00 pm. He arrives at 5:15 and doesn’t have the part needed to fix your appliance. Overpromise and Underdeliver, right? How likely are you to call that shop again?
2. You call the special Customer Service number provided, get mired in their automated phone system, and never get to talk to a real person. Not very satisfying, is it? It’s not even close! Why are the concepts “customer” and “service” foreign to so many businesses these days?
3. You take your car in for service, and it is finished an hour before they told you, the estimate of charges was exactly what they quoted, and they washed the car for free. WOW! There’s a good example of delivering more than what was promised. Wouldn’t you like to take your car there?
4. Joe promised you he will bring a report to the next meeting, but he doesn’t show up and didn’t send a copy of the report with someone else. What did he promise? What did he deliver? Would you ask him to take on another project very soon?
5. Mary promised you she will bring a report to the next meeting. She had the report ready the day before the meeting and came ready with a summary report for the meeting. In what order were her “promise” and “deliver” words? Obviously, she under-promised and over-delivered. See what a difference that makes?
Leonard listed ten ways to deliver more than you promise. I’ve included just the briefest of summaries here. Get a copy of the book and read the full explanation. Apply these principles and practices to your life, and see what a positive difference these can make:
1. Underpromise and Overdeliver. Give your clients and customers what they pay for. And then some.
2. Discover Why You Need to Make Promises at All. Are you always in the promise/deliver stress mode? It’s simple – when you give your word, keep it.
3. Deliver for the Pleasure of It, Not Because You Said You Would. Give something with joy, rather than just doing what’s expected.
4. Delivering Everything is Evolutionary. When you focus on delivering everything, you create more.
5. Deliver What the Customer Expected, But Also Deliver Something Different. Add something that the client is not expecting – add an orange to the order for a dozen apples, for example.
6. Deliver All That Occurs. This is a subtle difference from adding something different or delivering more quality or quantity than expected.
7. By Not Making Promises, You Won’t Be Limited in Your Creativity. Results produced under stress have less chance of being creative.
8. Nature Does Not Promise; Nature Just Does. Perhaps the ultimate creativity occurs when you just do what seems natural to you. Promising may become unnecessary.
9. Just Do What You Can Do; Don’t Say What You Can’t Do. Do what you want to for others without offering to do it first. Don’t ask – just do. No promise, just delivery.
10. Have Such a Reserve That You Naturally Deliver Everything, Without Having to Count or Limit Yourself. Your grace and style become as integral to what you’re delivering as the product or service itself.
(from Thomas Leonard, The Portable Coach. NY: Scribner, 1998)
CAN YOU IMAGINE …
- How it would be to do business with a company that consistently overpromises and underdelivers? (Wouldn’t be too difficult to imagine – we see those every day!)
- How it would be to do business with a company that consistently underpromises and overdelivers? (I look for those types of businesses and services everyday – and they’re rare.
- How it would feel to give a little extra to your clients or customers – something they weren’t expecting at all?
- How it would feel to do something – an errand or small chore, perhaps - for a friend or neighbor who wasn’t expecting it?
- How it would feel to get an unexpected “thank you” note from a friend or neighbor for a small kindness you provided?
Give It a Try! Deliver More Than You Promise! Notice the Difference!
QUIPS & QUOTES:
We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. (Winston Churchill)
The joy that isn’t shared dies young. (Anne Sexton)
We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right. (Nelson Mandela)
“He means well” is useless unless he does well. (Plautus)
NEXT ISSUE: Magnets, Vacuums, and Fresh-Baked Bread. Things that are irresistibly attractive. Being pulled toward something is much more powerful than being pushed and prodded. Magnets pull metal objects to them. A vacuum pulls objects inward. And fresh-baked bread attracts anyone within sniffing distance. Push less and you’ll attract more.
* * * * *
Coaching is inspiring you or your team to produce the results you want.
Coaching helps you develop essential skills for success.
Coaching helps you design environments to help you sustain your successes.
Coaching is your ultimate career enhancement opportunity.
Individuals from all walks of life are turning to coaching as “the next best thing” for their careers and their own personal development.
Infinite Perspectives Coaching can help you
- Improve your confidence and leadership skills
- Discover your conflicting intentions – and eliminate them!
- Develop win-win relationships with your colleagues & clients
- Create clear goals and action steps that get results
- Gain new perspectives, positive energy, and less stress.
Call (303) 972-2581 or email charlie@infiniteperspectives.com to schedule your complimentary consultation.
|
