In Game 5 of this season, LeBron tore the sleeves off of his jersey while on the court at Madison Square Garden.
He knew what he needed to do to be successful. Kevin Love rolled up the sleeve of the jersey on his shooting arm. Perhaps the sleeves didn’t bother other players or they just tried to live with the annoyance. The bottom line is that you have to know what you and/or your company need in order to be successful.
Recently we decided we could not live with our kitchen light fixture. We had “lived” with it for more years than we should have. I wanted to replace it, but that meant getting an electrician, someone to re-plaster the ceiling, and we had to wait until we were re-doing the wallpaper because the wallpaper would be collateral damage.
I called the two lighting stores in my area. I asked in plain English, “Can someone come to my house?” The light fixture in question was odd and I knew that even a picture with my cell phone would not truly reflect how hideous this fixture was and what an assault to the senses.
I was told by both of the stores, “NO”.
They did not send people to homes. Eventually I made my way to one of the lighting locations. I showed the lighting expert my challenge, and added that there were other fixtures that needed to be replaced. He offered to come to my home.
How odd I thought. Great on one hand for me and on the other hand, great for him. But odd. If he volunteered to come to my home, why was I told no when I asked?
He came to the house, where he was introduced to four other opportunities for him to provide new lighting. Opportunities that would not have been there for him if he had stayed in the store. I could no longer hold my curiosity or my tongue. ‘Why”, I asked, “was I told no one could come to my home?”
The answer confounds me. Management wants their lighting experts in the store, not in people’s homes. So they would rather they hang out waiting for someone to walk in that might really buy a fixture, than go to a home where there is a higher degree of interest?
I don’t know about you, but I believe in being in target rich environments.
If I was a lighting expert inside someone’s home, I imagine I could find all kinds of fixtures that could be updated. If I wait at the store, I can only help someone if they bring me the specific need.
I often say I look at things upside down from the rest of the world. If that was my store I would want my people to get into people’s homes as much as possible. Wardrobe experts want to get into your closet. The more they see, the more they can help.
When LeBron tore those sleeves off of his jersey, he knew what he needed to be successful. And his shooting average went up. Do you really know what you need to be as effective as possible?
Is it to figuratively wait for clients to come to you or is it to in some way go to their homes?
Read more posts by Leslie Ungar here. Leslie blogs for JenningsWire Online Magazine.
The online feature magazine, JenningsWire.com, is created by National PR Firm, Annie Jennings PR that specializes in providing book promotion services to self-published and traditionally published authors. Annie Jennings PR books authors, speakers and experts on major high impact radio talk interview shows, on local, regionally syndicated and national TV shows and on influential online media outlets and in prestigious print magazines and newspapers across the country.
