Category: Sales

As a business owner or sales person welcoming a new customer into a business, you have two choices – you can ask them questions, or you can genuinely care about helping them.

This morning, while I was stretching after my workout, I witnessed a cringe-worthy example of all questions and no care. A new prospect walked into my gym to join. The girl behind the desk had clearly never met this man before.

In the most uninterested tone I have ever heard, she asked the gentleman, “How did you hear about us?”. “What is the reason you are joining today?” and then “Can you fill this out.”

She answered his questions about the cancellation policy. And then she said “oh by the way my name is Jenna.” (And she did this while staring down at a the desk while he was staring at the form he was filling in).

She never came out from behind the desk. She never shook the man’s hand and welcomed him. She never asked his name. She never cared about anything he said. She never once genuinely cared about helping him in any way.

Once his form was complete, she handed him his access card and told him it would be active within half an hour.

He left.

She never said goodbye. She never thanked him for becoming a member.

Business is about relationships. It is about helping people and solving their problems. If you’re not in business to help people, then you’re in the wrong game. If you’re in any type of customer service roll and you’re not genuinely interested in serving the customer, then please get out and go do something else.

Today’s post is for all the small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs….

So you run a small business. What exactly does being in business mean? What is it that you do? Here is one definition: being in business is the act of trading goods or services with customers, for money

Here is my definition – business is an exchange of value.

Now the whole money thing is interesting. Are your thoughts around being in business anchored in the ideal of money? Are you constantly in fear of not enough money coming in or too much money going out? I know I have been. It’s only natural. Most likely you are in business to make a living. I think it’s probably safe to say most people in business are pretty focused on money. Would it be safe to say then that most people in business would add money somewhere into the definition of business?

Let me ask you this question – if business is all about money, how was business conducted before money was invented? Hmmmmm………

Through history, the art of business was about trade, not money. Once upon a time, there was no such thing as money. People traded goods, food, livestock, grain, fur, cowry shells, beads, weapons, even other people in the act of doing business with another person. The act of business was about trading goods or services of equal value.

Business was about value, not money.

Then along came precious metals such as gold and silver which were highly sought after and became valuable commodities for trade. Coins began being produced and used for trade before paper money, plastic money and now in the 21st century, virtual money in the cloud.

So is business really about money or is it about value? What do you think?