Shawn Schuh: Profit Producing People Skills

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My friend Rinda, she bought me candlesticks as a gift; beautiful candlesticks and I wanted to send her a note. Note #1 as all of us do as business people: Dear Rinda, Thank you for the candlesticks. Every time I use them I will….what?... think of you. Thanks again. They’re beautiful. Love, Shawna. Rinda gets that note. She opens it up. She says oh, a thank you note from Shawna. She should she teaches etiquette. The pressure on me is immense. She reads it, folds it and does what to it? Throws it away, all right. Most of us throw the thank you notes away, right? In the back of her mind though, she knows what? I’m a professional. I’m a good girl and that’s what we do it for mostly.

Let’s say though that I stop and I go I want a long term successful relationship with this person. Now I am going to do this different. Here’s the new note. Dear Rinda, You have exquisite taste. Those candlesticks are amazing. You spoil me. Now this time, what’s Rinda going to do? "Honey, come see the not Shawna sent." Right. Exquisite taste. Is she gonna keep it, show it, put it up? And here’s the thing, is she gonna buy me good gifts in the future?

Now that’s not why I am doing it. I want to honor her but it all wins. Am I making sense? Here’s the thing. I taught this technique and I can tell you we can go into at least half an hour where we write them and we look at them and we figure it out how we’re doing it. There’s a lot to this technique but the philosophy that I want you to get is this, when you send a note because it’s an obligation, you are weakening the note. It’s not a good blue shirt. But when you send it because you want to build a long term successful relationship because that is your goal, you will do much better. You are going to hate me next time you go to make a note. But when you look at it and say how do I want the recipient to feel? I wanted her to feel valued, you’ll get it.

How many of you think your callers do not know what voice mail is? Anybody at all? Why are we still putting the same exact instructions on? Why? Because we don’t know what else to put on. Here’s what I believe. I believe if I were to go to your website, if I were to get your brochure or if I were to get your business card or talk to you in person, here’s what you would say to me. You would say that what you are going to do is serve me better than anyone else. You would tell me that you are going to use creativity. You would tell me that you are going to bend over backwards. You would tell me all the wonderful things about your business. Is that what your voicemail is saying? Or is your voice mail saying I am the same as everyone? I am mundane and I am boring? Here’s what many people will put on their voice mail messages. Hi. You’ve reached the office of Shawna Schuh and I am sorry that I missed your call. Now, here’s the truth in life. There are many things that I am sorry for. Not taking your call isn’t one of them. Here’s what I think when I get I am sorry, #1 I hear in the back of my mind, hi, you’ve reached Shawna Schuh and sorry I missed your call but get used to it. I am hardly ever here. You’re going to be sorry to do business with me. Why? Why let me ask you would you ever apologize for something you cannot help? And you’re not sorry anyway. So now I think you’re insincere. Yes or no. Take it off your voice mail.