Here’s a quick story about “asking.” A very good friend, William, is seriously contemplating a summer trip to Europe. There are so many good reasons to go. Unfortunately, there is one really bad reason not to go that to him, always outweighed the good.
William is six foot five inches tall. Unless he sits in an exit row, flying is VERY unpleasant for him. He’d rather stay home. Yes, he would rather stay home.
Over the course of two days, we talked about how great the trip would be. No matter the discussion, William talked about the small seats and his dread of flying.
Thinking I would win him over, I guided the conversation to the positive each time. No luck.
Around 10 pm on the second day of what seemed like a negotiation, I suggested he call the airline directly, asking for an exit row seat. “Just call and explain your situation to the agent,” I suggested. He balked! He balked every time I suggested this. William’s response was always a variation of, “Exit rows are impossible to get. I’ve tried.”
Then I asked, “Have you called before?” Long pause. “No.”
“Asking” is all that I suggest.
After about two weeks, I wore him down! He agreed to call. About two days later, William called me ever so excited. He is off to Europe! After just a few minutes of talking with the airline agent and asking about the exit row seat, he was able to secure one.
My father taught me early in my life about the power of asking. Without asking, nothing happens. It’s one lesson that has stayed with me since childhood. In fact, I wrote about my father’s advice in my article, “Life Lessons – Everything I Learned about Sales I Learned from My Parents.”
[Note, this is an example of a Today Story.]FURTHER READING
- Do What Robert Would Do – A Personal Customer Service Story About FedEx
- What Happened To The Good Old Days Of Excellent Customer Service? And The Power Of A Referral?
- 3 Communication Strategies To Attract And Keep Great Customers
- Survey Shows It Pays To Take Your Customer To Lunch
Photography Source: Wikimedia
