After writing my Customer Vision Statement, I gave thought to why the process was so difficult for me.
My hang up is that I want to be all things to all people.
I arrogantly believe that I’m good enough to persuade anyone and turn them around. Or that everyone could benefit from what I have to offer. I desire to change everybody and think that I could enhance anyone’s lives.
The thought of telling someone “this might not be for you” if a hard one for me to consider. Maybe this stems from my fear of rejection or my desire to be accepted, belong or make a valuable contribution to people’s lives.
My attitude is to generate lots of activity, be busy to look like a hard worker to feel good about myself as a valuable employee or team member.
Trying to be all Things to Everyone is Inefficient
I learned this lesson the hard way at my first job in the metals industry as a sales guy for a bronze company. My training consisted of receiving an Illinois manufacturers directory, a box of business cards, a telephone and a directive: “go get them!” I preceded to call every machine shop or manufacturing company in Chicago, the surrounding suburbs and the rest of the state.
I learned, not quickly enough:
- that not everyone uses bronze
- talking to those that don’t, is a waste of time
- I don’t need to take it personally
At one particular brutal meeting, I drove a couple of hours to sit with a person who had brought material from us a few years ago. We sat in a tiny windowless office as he smoked continuously, lighting a new one from the old one. I tried to find out why he stopped buying from us and what we could do to win his business back. I came to find out that the customer he did the work for was now out of business. The work had dried up, and he had moved on to other projects.
The meeting seemed to go on forever, and all I could do was think about quitting my second-hand smoking habit and pondering the dry cleaner bill he had inflicted on me.
Over time, I was able to establish a few criteria of what a good customer would look like. By staying in this framework, I was able to produce a lot more in less time.
Who is Seacliffs for?
If I had to pick, it would be sales professionals, entrepreneurs, business leaders, ministry leaders:
That is action-oriented and not afraid of working on themselves. They can produce results however they are motivated to move to the next level of income, responsibility, or work/life balance & efficiency.
Also, I’m a Christian, and my love for God and His ways touches every part of my life. I don’t attempt to change anyone’s religious beliefs. I only ask that we be respectful of each other beliefs. For us to work well together, you don’t have to be a Christian, but you need to be open to spiritual things.
I want to leave out anyone that doesn’t want to learn, grow or change. Someone that may be satisfied with who there are and where they are in life. People that don’t want to invest in their growth, either financially or by putting in the work to change.
People that are arrogant and full of themselves are also excluded, and so are people who come across as if they have it all figured out.
To narrow it down further:
Salespeople and influencers that want to work on their inner world, for greater emotional and relational proficiency to generate greater results.