effective customer communication
Ever wondered where that girl inside you has gone? Remember her – she had energy and motivation and time to spare? She was curious and feisty and always up for learning and adventure.
It might be a while since she’s been around but I promise she’s not gone, she’s just buried under laundry, Team meetings and the responsibility of getting your loved ones through life!
More and more often, I am being asked by trainees “How can I change my stress levels and my mood when I am having a bad day?”
As something I hear frequently, I have a keen interest in learning more about the topic. Especially as our mood can really affect our work and overall health in many ways. From our productivity, motivation and stress levels, it can greatly influence our overall attitude to others. As a result, it can impact our interactions with others.
Naturally I will always answer the question and give some tips. Yet, mindful that other trainees often have good ideas, I decided to put the question to a group on a recent workshop.
One may ask, what do tomatoes and time management have in common? And where is the connection?
Many people will know the Italian word for a tomato is “Pomodoro”. The story goes back to an Italian Writer and Consultant, Francesco Cirillo, designed the notorious “Pomodoro time management technique” back in the late 1980’s.
A university student at the time, Francesco was struggling to concentrate on his work. He was getting easily distracted, his productivity levels were low and he would often procrastinate.
Have you ever heard the story by the Indian Priest and Psychotherapist Anthony Demello about the Industrialist and the Fisherman?
It’s a beautiful, yet thought provoking parable that eloquently describes the importance of having enough – just like it’s title.
I heard the tale many years ago and I have to admit, it’s one of those anecdotes that caught in my throat and stuck with me ever since. The heart of the story centres around teaching us to find a balance between money and life.
When prospecting, many sales people will get the line “we’re happy with our supplier”. It’s commonly said; yet it can still trigger a negative reaction. They see it as huge obstacle to overcome. They dread it, they freeze and sometimes take it personally.
We need to realise we are going to hear it over and over again. More importantly, we should expect it. If we think about it rationally, when we prospect, we are the ones reaching out the customer. Surely, if they were unhappy, they would have contacted us in the first place?