The audience gave a never-ending standing ovation. The performance of the young dancer has been breath-taking. After the performance a journalist interviewed her and she surprisingly started to thank “the doctor who looked at me when I was 7”…
It was February 20th, 1946 and Gillian Lynne, one of the most rewarded dancers of the 21st century, had her first major role in “Sleeping Beauty”.
As a child Gillian was unfocused: she couldn’t sit quietly and she was considered a disturbance at school. Her Mom worried about her being so absent-minded and feared she would never be able “to learn a real job”. So Gilian’s mom decided to consult Dr. Edwards. They entered the practice together and after some tests Dr. Edwards asked the Mom to leave the examination room with him. He left Gillian alone and turned on the radio. Dr. Edwards reassured the Mom: “All is fine! She is a healthy, smart and yes, very lively, child”. The Mom replied: “I agree, but what will she become? She can’t even sit quietly 1 minute!”. They decided to observe the child for a while. Gillian started dancing at the music on the radio… then the doctor entered the room and asked: “Gillian, what do you like to do?” Gillian replied: “I like to dance”. The doctor turned to the Mom and said: “We have the answer, she will be a dancer!”…
Recently I was with a sales rep who shared with me the outcomes of a market research: marketing found out customers do doubt about the efficacy of the drug but loved the simplicity of its application (a pre-fill syringe). We were in the call when the doctor stated: “In my experience all products are similar, so I choose the simplest solution! I’m too busy”. What did the rep do? She detailed during 20 minutes all efficacy data… Walking out of the call she had the feeling of a job well done. I timidly asked: “is your company working on listening skills?”. She replied: “which skills?”
The customer is your best ally in the sales process, how do you assure he/she got heard?