Getting Out of the Way
It was a talk with a field consultant I coach which bought to mind something I had learned early on about the helping professions. My client was discussing with me how he had closed down an interview with a prospect after concluding they were not financially able to take advantage of his services. I was not amazed that he would do this. I too had made this decision for prospects in the past. It was only later on that I discovered how I had let my perceptions override what I was there to do - provide those people I service "full" information regardless of how I thought they were situationally. It was a lesson that is now well learned yet highly paid for through experience.
I could see he was learning the lesson too. As we discussed his presentation, I noticed a pattern to the end of many that concluded with no further information supplied. That's when we uncovered the fact that he was concluding the prospect's situation and summarily pulling back enough to make a swift but caring exit. I asked him what was behind this decision.
He said his reasoning was that the prospect was obviously unable to take advantage of his services, so he stopped the information flow at that moment. He decided to not give his prospect further information that allowed for a decision to made in an informed manner. There was no reason to continue since there was no probability in his mind that it could proceed. What he didn't realize was very critical to all involved.
That critical piece was the following: At the moment he thought the prospect couldn't take advantage of his services, he made a decision for them. He didn't allow the prospect to hear all the remaining options. In essence, he took the decision to continue away from the prospect. He didn't go further and share all the options available since he perceived any option they might make would cause some degree of hardship.
It's a really interesting test of a professional's character and purpose when situations like these arise that seem antagonistic to our client's best interest. Often we are called upon by a higher purpose to decline giving our services because of the perceived financial struggle of our clients. Other times, we may perceive the time as not right for providing services. During those moments, the very essence of each professional is tested, whether we want to admit it or not.
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Do you find this concept "provoking?" Care to read more? Want to take action that will "provoke your success?" This and fifty-seven more chapters designed to provoke your success can be found here.
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Coach John S. Nagy is CEO and Lead Business Coach for Coaching for Success. Inc., a Business Coaching Service specifically designed for top level decision makers dedicated to peak performance in all facets of their activities. He's hired to focus them continuously in activities that bring higher returns on their resource use. His programs are for the seriously committed. This means having his clients work "ON" their businesses, not just "IN" it. He's a published author and a multi-degree professional with a nationwide client base. Coach Nagy can be reached through his E-mail address at his website at http://www.coach.net and by calling 813-949-0718.
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Copyright © 1999-2007 John S. Nagy
