Shining the Spotlight on Hidden Agendas

I’ve said it before, I’m a sucker for those love reality shows; the Bachelor and the Bachelorette have my undivided attention.  Why?

It is fun television. The most dramatic rose ceremony evermay be a little hokie but it is what it sets out to be. 25 people looking for love on national television and one single dude or dudette weighing and measuring their options, whittling down the competition until the last person is standing.

However, recently there have been incidents where the contestants have had hidden agendas.  Loved ones keeping the home fires burning while Rated R or Rozlan seek fame and fortune rather than love.

Here’s what I have to say:  Your hidden agendas aren’t so hidden.  You just aren’t that great of an actor.

The same is true with our customers. If we make recommendations because the margins are better not because it is the right thing for the cusotmer – they will catch on. They will realize that we are SELLING them rather than making recommendations. They will see through our thinly veiled agenda to the truth:

We are in it for ourselves – not to build a relationship with a potential customer for life.

We may think we are being clever, like Justin/Rated R hobbling up the mountain road to see Ali and declare his love, but we see the “cat ate the mouse” grin that means something different.  Your lips say yes, yes, yes but your actions say gimme, gimme, gimme.

This happened just recently.  My mom and I were shopping at a craft store and the employee was helping another customer select a frame for her finished needlework. The customer wasn’t sure which frame was the best and asked my Mom’s opinion. Mom immediately rejected two frame samples the employee had put out.  The customer said “yes, I wasn’t so sure I liked those either.”

The employee’s answer was classic:  “Oh I agree but my boss told me to push those two styles because they are priced well.”

Probably they were discontinued or had a nice profit margin. The employee didn’t realize the impact of her words but the customer and my Mom sure did. 

Do you have a hidden agenda with your customers? Do you press hidden sales agendas on your employees? You may want to rethink that strategy.

A customer who believes we are SELLING will find someone else willing to match the right product to their specific needs.