Qasnon : When We Finished Driving Jack Stepped Help ?
So I wanted to buy a car. It was a tough choice but I decided that my next new car would be a Volvo. So I drove down to a local dealer and told him I wanted to take a look at a few Volvos and could he help. "Of course" he replied.
After viewing a few of the cars I decided to test drive one of them. As I drove around the salesman went on about how great this car is and how customers don't complain about the car and how they love their Volvos. I then asked him to be more specific about what customers like about their Volvo. He seemed to hesitate. It quickly became obvious no one had ever asked him to be specific. He said, "Well you know, people like the way it drives and how it looks." He rambled on but never got into specifics.
After a few test drives and more "oohs, ahs" about how great it would be to own a Volvo I thanked him and left without buying a car. I just wasn't sure and wanted to think about some more.
About a week or so later I decided to go back and test-drive some Volvos again. This time I went to a different dealership hoping to get another flavor before making up my mind.
The salesman that greeted me was a polite and unassuming individual. We'll call him Jack. Jack asked me simple questions about what I was looking for in a car. I also told him that I had test driven a few Volvos but was unsure of whether to buy or not.
Jack listened and nodded his head and said, "Alright. Let's begin with the model you like the most." I said, "Sure."
We got into the car and I was ready to start the car when Jack asked me to wait a minute. Jack then went on to explain the features of the car. By the time he was done I understood what every button on the panels, dashboard and doors could do. Then Jack explained how many of these features would make my drive more comfortable. It became quickly apparent that Jack understood how to sell benefits, not features.
When we finally started driving, Jack began to go into the history of the Volvo; origin, model transitions and improvements and on and on. It was like listening to a Volvo documentary...with me in it!
When we finished driving, Jack stepped me around the car to explain some of the hidden safety features. Volvo is known for being one of the safest cars in the world. And after Jack's mini-tour around the vehicle I understood why. Needless to say, within an hour I was sitting down in his office finalizing the paperwork to purchase my first Volvo.
I gleaned a couple lessons from this experience that I want to share with you. First, Jack wasn't a 'slick' salesman. He was an average guy with a very modest demeanor. Most people have it in their heads that to be a great salesperson you have to be a fast and smooth talker. Wrong. Who would you trust more? A fast talking salesperson like the first with slick answers and no depth or someone like Jack who answers all your questions with details and facts?
Second, people don't want to be sold, they want to be convinced. Jack understood that giving me a lot of information would go a long way in helping me decide as to whether I wanted to buy or not. Having enough information allowed me, or better yet, convinced me to make a decision.
I didn't buy from the first dealership because I didn't have enough information to make an informed decision. All I had were the opinions of other people who had driven the car from a salesman I didn't personally know. Testimonials are great, but unless I know the person behind the testimonials it mean very little to me.
More often then not, people reject proposals or making a buying decision because somewhere in the sales process their concerns weren't addressed. They still have lingering doubts about whether it is the right choice for them.
Jack's approach reminded me of an adage I keep in mind when trying to understand the link between motivation and action:
"An uninformed mind is a confused mind. And a confused mind will NEVER make a decision." In a hyper-capitalist society where we are inundated and bombard with new technology and features, our minds often times can't keep up. The job of a salesperson is to explain the new advances, but more importantly how they benefit the buyer. Whether selling or just trying to convince others, what motivates people into action is 1) knowledge and 2) that it is in their best interest.
Think about it for a second. When you know 'how to' do something, you rarely hesitate in getting it done. When you know that it will benefit you personally, you will act!
A final note: If you're in management, keep this is mind when someone doesn't buy into your approach, strategy or way of thinking. Maybe the reason they don't has less to do with your ideas, and more to do with them not having enough information to make an informed decision OR how it will benefit them in the long run.
One of the characteristics that I find very attractive in people is an ability to nurture a sense of "wonder" about life. As fast as things occur today, as quickly as information changes hands we often become numb to the creative possibilities going on around us at any given moment. Wonder is that idea and sensation that a great deal of wisdom and beauty remains hidden behind the experience you are witnessing. It is a philosophy of possibilities that challenges our logic and expands our basic understanding and beliefs. It's the WOW behind the HOW!
Wonder is a fascinating thing to research. We all seem to instinctively know what it is. In the movies they always depict a wondrous moment as being a supernatural experience.
By Hollywood's way of thinking we can only truly experience that sense of awe if something from the great beyond comes down and touches us. I am as big a fan of the great beyond as the next guy, but I am amazed how often the "here and now" can inspire us if we only let it into our life to challenge our current beliefs. That is what the WOW behind the HOW is all about.
So much of what I have researched when it comes to the topic of wonder can be summarized by the idea that someone simply disagreed with a limitation that was imposed upon them. Quite a phenomenal philosophy for living!
In preparing to write this article I studied the Seven Wonders of the World as well as all of the Ancient Wonders of the World. Those topics are certainly marvelous areas to ponder the WOW behind the HOW. However, the more that I study them, I am most amazed by the simple fact that at the core of each of those incredible creations was somebody who simply disagreed with what everybody else considered REALISTIC.
Think about that for a little while.... it seems that at the core of every great achievement is a disagreement of what the visionary believed was possible. When the visionary achieved that goal it literally changed the entire viewpoint of civilization of what is possible.
While civilization was content with the idea of gravity the Wright brothers saw the possibility of flight. In 1844 when everyone focused and thought about communication in terms of audible dialogue, Samuel Morse introduced the telegraph machine, which permitted communication to travel instantly between two distant locations. Later in the 1890's just as civilization was getting accustomed to the idea of the telegraph Edison, Marconi and Tesla all pioneered inventions which allowed the wireless telegraph, the radio to serve and entertain humanity. At the core of each of these remarkable accomplishments was a disagreement with the limiting vision and understanding shared by the status quo. The list can go on and on.....
Most people strive to live their lives demonstrating to others that they know, even if they don't. Most of our educational system is focused on teaching us to reason and to know that we know. However, the artists and adventurers quickly gravitate to the arena "that we know not" and make the process of discovery the canvas of their lives. They disagree. It seems that the artist and adventurer feed off the idea of exploring unknown territory claiming it as the birthplace of all possibility.
In the book "The Art of Dreaming" Don Juan tells Carlos Castaneda, "....most of our energy goes into upholding our importance....If we were capable of losing some of that importance, two extraordinary things would happen to us. One, we would free our energy from trying to maintain the illusory idea of our grandeur; and two, we would provide ourselves with enough energy to....catch a glimpse of the actual grandeur of the universe." This is the creative response to life.
Is there anyone you know that effectively forecasted or predicted the Internet era more than 50 years ago? I have researched the question quite intently and outside of science fiction authors it appears that this amazing thing called cyberspace evolved in spite of our limited understanding of what would be possible if we married a computer and a telephone together. Yet a handful of technologists steadfastly carried this vision of possibilities with them and that persistence enriches our experience so vastly today.
Cool, huh? The very experiences we have online every day would have been considered impossible hallucinations of madmen 30 years ago. What is exciting is pondering the future with a sense of wonder knowing that we ain't seen nothing yet!
If you will look at it creatively, limitation is the birthplace of possibility. You just have to be willing to perceive it that way. What really creates WONDER is the idea that we all see different worlds but some blessed souls are focused on possibilities while the rest are entrapped in self-made limitations.
Last week I had one of those wondrous moments pertaining to my Internet business. However, it is the type of event that I could quickly allow myself to become numb to. Let me explain. While traveling in Florida, I had written an article on my computer notebook and using my wireless connection submitted it for syndication to a website in England. The article was picked up by an entrepreneur from Thailand who published it in her ezine in the Philippines. People on the other side of the world were receiving my ideas and viewpoint within 12 hours from the time it left my mind! That's the WOW behind the HOW! Upon first glance you might think I am mentioning this to edify my ego. Quite the contrary. This simple event which takes place thousands of times every single day has changed the way of what I think is possible regarding communication. For me the Internet has changed the definitions of time and space and really brought to life the energy that we are all truly connected. The Internet has challenged my idea of limitation. It is truly wondrous! When I break down this simple event into its individual components it challenges me to ponder the possibilities and recognize how much potential lies within all of us.
I love the experience of having something in an event "push the envelope" and challenge my logic. It elevates me by creatively transforming my limitations into possibilities.
I've learned that when wonder looks inward it becomes logic. When wonder looks outward it becomes possibility. When wonder looks upward it contributes to a better understanding of all that we consider real.
Technology and Art seem to be the tools that challenge the "status quo" and force us to redefine ourselves based upon the mere reflection of what they perceive is possible.
Listen to a Louis Armstrong or Miles Davis solo. Do a complex search on Google. Look at a Picasso. It's the WOW after the HOW! All of these adventurers and their contributions pushed the envelope a little farther along in making us all see what is possible when we rid our world of comfortable limitations.
Possibility or limitation. The choice is always yours! Every thought that you think today will give birth to worlds of possibilities. Every word that you murmur will unleash the power of pure potential. Every action you take will remind us all that limitation is a choice.
Or not. The Buddha taught that in our lives we can't help but make the invisible visible. Our exterior world is a perfect reflection of the invisible world of our thoughts, ideas, beliefs and considerations. Everything we do in life harmonizes with the invisible symphony of possibility. If you are not getting the results you want be the change you wish to see in the world. When you get clear on the invisible you can create the impossible. To paraphrase Einstein, "The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking we used when we created them."
My advice to you is simple....realize that you are making the invisible visible with every passing second. That's the WOW behind the HOW and it all starts with a disagreement of what others might consider REALISTIC!
After viewing a few of the cars I decided to test drive one of them. As I drove around the salesman went on about how great this car is and how customers don't complain about the car and how they love their Volvos. I then asked him to be more specific about what customers like about their Volvo. He seemed to hesitate. It quickly became obvious no one had ever asked him to be specific. He said, "Well you know, people like the way it drives and how it looks." He rambled on but never got into specifics.
After a few test drives and more "oohs, ahs" about how great it would be to own a Volvo I thanked him and left without buying a car. I just wasn't sure and wanted to think about some more.
About a week or so later I decided to go back and test-drive some Volvos again. This time I went to a different dealership hoping to get another flavor before making up my mind.
The salesman that greeted me was a polite and unassuming individual. We'll call him Jack. Jack asked me simple questions about what I was looking for in a car. I also told him that I had test driven a few Volvos but was unsure of whether to buy or not.
Jack listened and nodded his head and said, "Alright. Let's begin with the model you like the most." I said, "Sure."
We got into the car and I was ready to start the car when Jack asked me to wait a minute. Jack then went on to explain the features of the car. By the time he was done I understood what every button on the panels, dashboard and doors could do. Then Jack explained how many of these features would make my drive more comfortable. It became quickly apparent that Jack understood how to sell benefits, not features.
When we finally started driving, Jack began to go into the history of the Volvo; origin, model transitions and improvements and on and on. It was like listening to a Volvo documentary...with me in it!
When we finished driving, Jack stepped me around the car to explain some of the hidden safety features. Volvo is known for being one of the safest cars in the world. And after Jack's mini-tour around the vehicle I understood why. Needless to say, within an hour I was sitting down in his office finalizing the paperwork to purchase my first Volvo.
I gleaned a couple lessons from this experience that I want to share with you. First, Jack wasn't a 'slick' salesman. He was an average guy with a very modest demeanor. Most people have it in their heads that to be a great salesperson you have to be a fast and smooth talker. Wrong. Who would you trust more? A fast talking salesperson like the first with slick answers and no depth or someone like Jack who answers all your questions with details and facts?
Second, people don't want to be sold, they want to be convinced. Jack understood that giving me a lot of information would go a long way in helping me decide as to whether I wanted to buy or not. Having enough information allowed me, or better yet, convinced me to make a decision.
I didn't buy from the first dealership because I didn't have enough information to make an informed decision. All I had were the opinions of other people who had driven the car from a salesman I didn't personally know. Testimonials are great, but unless I know the person behind the testimonials it mean very little to me.
More often then not, people reject proposals or making a buying decision because somewhere in the sales process their concerns weren't addressed. They still have lingering doubts about whether it is the right choice for them.
Jack's approach reminded me of an adage I keep in mind when trying to understand the link between motivation and action:
"An uninformed mind is a confused mind. And a confused mind will NEVER make a decision." In a hyper-capitalist society where we are inundated and bombard with new technology and features, our minds often times can't keep up. The job of a salesperson is to explain the new advances, but more importantly how they benefit the buyer. Whether selling or just trying to convince others, what motivates people into action is 1) knowledge and 2) that it is in their best interest.
Think about it for a second. When you know 'how to' do something, you rarely hesitate in getting it done. When you know that it will benefit you personally, you will act!
A final note: If you're in management, keep this is mind when someone doesn't buy into your approach, strategy or way of thinking. Maybe the reason they don't has less to do with your ideas, and more to do with them not having enough information to make an informed decision OR how it will benefit them in the long run.
One of the characteristics that I find very attractive in people is an ability to nurture a sense of "wonder" about life. As fast as things occur today, as quickly as information changes hands we often become numb to the creative possibilities going on around us at any given moment. Wonder is that idea and sensation that a great deal of wisdom and beauty remains hidden behind the experience you are witnessing. It is a philosophy of possibilities that challenges our logic and expands our basic understanding and beliefs. It's the WOW behind the HOW!
Wonder is a fascinating thing to research. We all seem to instinctively know what it is. In the movies they always depict a wondrous moment as being a supernatural experience.
By Hollywood's way of thinking we can only truly experience that sense of awe if something from the great beyond comes down and touches us. I am as big a fan of the great beyond as the next guy, but I am amazed how often the "here and now" can inspire us if we only let it into our life to challenge our current beliefs. That is what the WOW behind the HOW is all about.
So much of what I have researched when it comes to the topic of wonder can be summarized by the idea that someone simply disagreed with a limitation that was imposed upon them. Quite a phenomenal philosophy for living!
In preparing to write this article I studied the Seven Wonders of the World as well as all of the Ancient Wonders of the World. Those topics are certainly marvelous areas to ponder the WOW behind the HOW. However, the more that I study them, I am most amazed by the simple fact that at the core of each of those incredible creations was somebody who simply disagreed with what everybody else considered REALISTIC.
Think about that for a little while.... it seems that at the core of every great achievement is a disagreement of what the visionary believed was possible. When the visionary achieved that goal it literally changed the entire viewpoint of civilization of what is possible.
While civilization was content with the idea of gravity the Wright brothers saw the possibility of flight. In 1844 when everyone focused and thought about communication in terms of audible dialogue, Samuel Morse introduced the telegraph machine, which permitted communication to travel instantly between two distant locations. Later in the 1890's just as civilization was getting accustomed to the idea of the telegraph Edison, Marconi and Tesla all pioneered inventions which allowed the wireless telegraph, the radio to serve and entertain humanity. At the core of each of these remarkable accomplishments was a disagreement with the limiting vision and understanding shared by the status quo. The list can go on and on.....
Most people strive to live their lives demonstrating to others that they know, even if they don't. Most of our educational system is focused on teaching us to reason and to know that we know. However, the artists and adventurers quickly gravitate to the arena "that we know not" and make the process of discovery the canvas of their lives. They disagree. It seems that the artist and adventurer feed off the idea of exploring unknown territory claiming it as the birthplace of all possibility.
In the book "The Art of Dreaming" Don Juan tells Carlos Castaneda, "....most of our energy goes into upholding our importance....If we were capable of losing some of that importance, two extraordinary things would happen to us. One, we would free our energy from trying to maintain the illusory idea of our grandeur; and two, we would provide ourselves with enough energy to....catch a glimpse of the actual grandeur of the universe." This is the creative response to life.
Is there anyone you know that effectively forecasted or predicted the Internet era more than 50 years ago? I have researched the question quite intently and outside of science fiction authors it appears that this amazing thing called cyberspace evolved in spite of our limited understanding of what would be possible if we married a computer and a telephone together. Yet a handful of technologists steadfastly carried this vision of possibilities with them and that persistence enriches our experience so vastly today.
Cool, huh? The very experiences we have online every day would have been considered impossible hallucinations of madmen 30 years ago. What is exciting is pondering the future with a sense of wonder knowing that we ain't seen nothing yet!
If you will look at it creatively, limitation is the birthplace of possibility. You just have to be willing to perceive it that way. What really creates WONDER is the idea that we all see different worlds but some blessed souls are focused on possibilities while the rest are entrapped in self-made limitations.
Last week I had one of those wondrous moments pertaining to my Internet business. However, it is the type of event that I could quickly allow myself to become numb to. Let me explain. While traveling in Florida, I had written an article on my computer notebook and using my wireless connection submitted it for syndication to a website in England. The article was picked up by an entrepreneur from Thailand who published it in her ezine in the Philippines. People on the other side of the world were receiving my ideas and viewpoint within 12 hours from the time it left my mind! That's the WOW behind the HOW! Upon first glance you might think I am mentioning this to edify my ego. Quite the contrary. This simple event which takes place thousands of times every single day has changed the way of what I think is possible regarding communication. For me the Internet has changed the definitions of time and space and really brought to life the energy that we are all truly connected. The Internet has challenged my idea of limitation. It is truly wondrous! When I break down this simple event into its individual components it challenges me to ponder the possibilities and recognize how much potential lies within all of us.
I love the experience of having something in an event "push the envelope" and challenge my logic. It elevates me by creatively transforming my limitations into possibilities.
I've learned that when wonder looks inward it becomes logic. When wonder looks outward it becomes possibility. When wonder looks upward it contributes to a better understanding of all that we consider real.
Technology and Art seem to be the tools that challenge the "status quo" and force us to redefine ourselves based upon the mere reflection of what they perceive is possible.
Listen to a Louis Armstrong or Miles Davis solo. Do a complex search on Google. Look at a Picasso. It's the WOW after the HOW! All of these adventurers and their contributions pushed the envelope a little farther along in making us all see what is possible when we rid our world of comfortable limitations.
Possibility or limitation. The choice is always yours! Every thought that you think today will give birth to worlds of possibilities. Every word that you murmur will unleash the power of pure potential. Every action you take will remind us all that limitation is a choice.
Or not. The Buddha taught that in our lives we can't help but make the invisible visible. Our exterior world is a perfect reflection of the invisible world of our thoughts, ideas, beliefs and considerations. Everything we do in life harmonizes with the invisible symphony of possibility. If you are not getting the results you want be the change you wish to see in the world. When you get clear on the invisible you can create the impossible. To paraphrase Einstein, "The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking we used when we created them."
My advice to you is simple....realize that you are making the invisible visible with every passing second. That's the WOW behind the HOW and it all starts with a disagreement of what others might consider REALISTIC!
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