This week we’re happy to bring you a guest article by Stacey Alcorn (http://www.staceyalcorn.com/). Please drop us a line and let us know what you think!
This weekend I went out for dessert with my family. My two year old daughter, Oshyn, ordered a hot fudge sundae and as you can imagine, she was pretty antsy after eating it. She didn’t want to sit in her seat, but rather wanted to run around, or simply leave the restaurant.
When the waiter came with our bill, Oshyn noticed the pen and paper encased in the bill binder. She grabbed the pen and started drawing. When the waiter noticed that we couldn’t sign the credit card slip because our two year old had confiscated the pen, he gave us a second pen.
“I’m going to let you keep that,” said the waiter to Oshyn, referring to the pen.
To which I replied on her behalf: “Thank you!”
Later on as I was reflecting on the evening, it occurred to me that the waiter had done something extraordinary. He imparted value on the pen by saying, “I’m going to let you keep that.” I acknowledge the value by thanking him. It was nothing more than a plain old Bic pen. It was an almost worthless item until the waiter imparted the value.
As I discussed this with my partner, Jay, we realized that this technique could be used in so many scenarios. If you have prepared a market analysis for a seller, instead of just giving it to the potential client, why not impart some value? Say: “I’m going to let you keep this.” By doing so, you’ll likely get a “thank you” as an acknowledgment of the value you’ve offered. This could be done with a sales quote that you prepare, marketing materials, or absolutely anything, including a plain old pen.
You can do what most people do and just hand it over with no acknowledgment of its worth, or you can impart value on the item you have given by simply saying, “I’m going to let you keep that.” Go ahead, try it out, see what happens, and let us know your results.
