Focusing on the Task at Hand
By Bill Sheridan on May 12, 2007 in Other Voices
My late-brother, Mike, was a self-employed accountant from Clear Lake, Iowa. He built his practice by making cold calls on businesses located in about ten counties and getting referrals from satisfied clients. He developed a route in which he would pick up the books early in the month from clients spread over the central portion of the state and then deliver the finished product on the same route two weeks later.
I liked it because it meant that he would frequently stop in and meet me for lunch in Des Moines which was in the middle of one of his territories. During one such visit I noticed that he was not wearing a watch and asked him the reason.
"I learned a good but painful lesson," he explained, "when I was talking to one of my best clients. In the middle of our conversation he asked me if I had something more important to do than deal with his issues."
"Of course not, why do you ask?"
"Because," he replied, "you’ve looked at your watch five times in the last five-minutes."
Taken aback, Mike apologized for his thoughtless action and promised that it would never happen again. Fortunately, he was able to save the relationship and made the radical decision to never to wear a wristwatch again. A dramatic gesture, indeed, but one that worked for him.
How about you as a small-business owner? WHAT or WHO is more important than the person you have on the phone at the moment? I guarantee that your prospect or customer can sense it when you’re distracted. If you’re on the phone talking to that prospect, he or she feels disrespected when hearing you tap out a message to someone else on your computer. Multi-tasking of that sort is for amateurs.
You probably don’t need to throw your wrist watch away, but all of us (including this writer) can and should do better at concentrating on the person or task in front of us. My brother learned it the hard way. You and I can benefit from his experience.
By the way, the next time I saw Mike I asked him why he quit wearing his toupee—but that’s a story for another day!
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John R. Ingrisano | May 13, 2007 | Reply
Bill, a wonderful reminder. Your powerful story made me think of a similar problem: salespeople who work like crazy to bring in new customers, but then neglect them shamefully once they are “on the books.”
Not only is it bad for the relationship, but these salespeople forget that the best business is repeat business from existing customers.
Now, about that toupe!
Work hard. Have fun. Make money. — JRIngrisano (The Freestyle Entrepreneur)
Jeffrey Loyd | May 22, 2007 | Reply
That’s a great lesson, one that I need to hear over and over. I know that I’ve been guilty of not paying close attention to my clients when I should be.
By the way, I grew up in Des Moines, IA. Now I live in New York City.
Bill Sheridan | May 22, 2007 | Reply
Jeffrey: We so much appreciate you visiting the site and your comments! Especially nice for me to hear from a transplanted Des Moines native. Hope you’re a smashing success in the big apple.