Good Monday Morning!
This past weekend has the dubious distinction of being the marker for “first cicada sightings” all over Nashville . . . the BIG swarm is yet to come, but we know that it’s soon and will last @ 5 weeks. We’re THRILLED (Rolls Eyes).
I’ve been chewing on this notion of “Too Busy . . . ” for a few days wondering how to write about a potentially volatile issue in a tactful way.
Here’s where it begins . . . You’re invited to an event/meeting you’re not all that excited about attending but you can’t think of a “valid” reason to decline the invitation. When it comes time for the event, suddenly you’ve found a way to be “Too BUSY” to show up . . . So you either “no-show” or you send a last-minute text, email or voice mail saying just: “Sorry I couldn’t come! I was too busy!”
That instantly communicates a few things . . .
- The event wasn’t a priority or “Too Busy” wouldn’t negate your attendance
- Might be construed as a reflection of your ability to manage your schedule and/or business
- Communicates an inability to say “No!” . . . that you’d rather say “Yes!” even if it means bailing out at the last-minute.
We all do (or have done) this . . . I’m simply inviting folks to think about this.
When it comes to sales, Seth Godin offers this message in his blog post entitled Selling Vs Inviting:
“The salesperson’s job: Help people overcome their fear so they can commit to something they’ll end up glad they invested in.
The goal of a marketer ought to be to make it so easy to be a salesperson, you’re merely an inviter. The new marketing is largely about this–creating a scenario where you don’t even need salespeople. (Until you do.)”
My observation is that Salespeople often create the “Too Busy” scenario from their customers by missing this oh-so-subtle difference between selling and inviting . . . As they push for the “Yes!” from the customer, the customer often will avoid having to say “NO!” by agreeing to a meeting. Those kinds of meetings have a high probability of not happening as the prospect gets “Appointment Remorse” and begins to conjure up a “Too Busy” conspiracy to kill the meeting.
and the cat and mouse game continues . . .
Seth Godin is quick to say that the sales person who relies on SELLING (not inviting) is actually LAZY.
The implication is that the REAL work is in the clarity of the marketing . . . Then comes the invitation . . . and Selling is what happens when someone raises a hand and proclaims herself a prospect.
If you’re in any position of sales (and most of us are in some way), this probably rings true.
If you’re not in sales and want to know how to avoid these uncomfortable scenarios, try try try to remember that “No!” is a complete sentence.
Just sayin’
Hope you have a great week!
b