Our first day in Napa, we checked out the resort grounds and
wandered into the spa. We started
talking with Denise Spanek, a former esthetician who is CEO and founder of Air Repair, a skin care system created to
combat the effects of flying and travel on your skin. I smelled a sales pitch and was ready to feel
uncomfortable and back away. But I
didn’t have to.
Ms. Spanek was an energetic entrepreneur working hard to establish
and differentiate her product in a competitive marketplace. It was fun to hear about her hard work and
subsequent success. But I was especially
impressed with how she interacted with us.
Although we were all actively conversing, each time my
husband or I started to speak, she stopped.
Abruptly. Immediately. Her silence gave us the opportunity to
provide our experience and insight while she listened. It made
us feel like what we thought mattered.
I love to get excited and talk. I show people I’m interested by asking
questions and speaking words. But in
this case, silence was golden. Silence showed
me that Ms.Spanek cared about us. It allowed
my husband and me to justify our need for her product together.
The silence was perfect.
It was respectful. It closed the
sale.
great post, thanks! Interestingly, your point is at least as relevant in our non-business relationships as it is in our business relationships.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting, John! You raise a great point... definitely something worth trying more of in both areas!
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth! I would agree and add that a high-level form of respect is to get quiet and listen. You may learn something new about your client, a peer or maybe even something about yourself in the exchange. This simple behavior of elevating someone else becomes a gift to all parties and makes the world a kinder place to operate and succeed. Namaste.
ReplyDeleteSo true Ann! Very insightful... I love it! Thank you for the comment!
ReplyDelete