Jackson is my extremely active and excitable six year old son and I have the privilege of coaching his flag football team. During practice last night (after which I usually need to go home and have a stiff drink) I realized that these amazing and wonderful boys were a lot like customers in more ways than I could have imagined.
The boys know exactly what they want and do not care what you want. They want immediate rewards through playing and joking with the other boys. Their reward is instant gratification -- right now is what matters. They are not worried about the game Friday night or in improving their skills for some future team they may play on. It’s all about right now.
My agenda is not their agenda. As the coach I take the long view. I want to help them establish discipline, skill development, teamwork, and learning to enjoy the process of working hard and becoming successful.
It is very hard to get the boys to listen. Yelling at them not only does not work but annoys them and causes them to tune me out. It is hard for them to concentrate and to hear what you are saying amid all of the distractions around them.
The boys struggle with seeing the big picture and understanding their place on the field. They are in their own little world until something jolts them into consciousness of the greater game around them.
The boys have a hard time realizing the value coaches bring to the team. Why would they listen to me when they can have fun with their buddies? They also have a hard time seeing how they bring value to the team and how if they all work together they can accomplish a much larger goal.
Eventually these wonderful boys will mature and understand long term thinking, goal oriented action, discipline, teamwork, and self esteem rooted in accomplishment. My job is to help them a little bit along that road while having a lot of fun.
Your customers are proceeding along various paths – are you helping them at each stage and bringing the expertise to move their team forward?
Topics: Sales
