By Michael Walsh
Have you ever been in a gymnasium full of young kids who are awaiting an appearance by Santa Claus at Christmas time? I have, and it is quite an experience! The energy in the room is just electric. There is a buzz in the air. You can just feel the anticipation . . . . . . . then, someone hears some bells from outside the door. They seem to be getting louder, and a very deep and jolly voice starts chanting “Ho Ho Ho!”
Like many of us, I have been witness to a number of these events over the years. There were two specific incidents, however, that really stuck out in my mind. One was tragic and the other, masterful.
Oops!
In the unfortunate circumstance, the Santa had arrived with much fanfare only to trip outside the gym door. His bag of candy canes filled the floor in the hallway. A few of the kids at seeing this, quickly scrambled out the door to grab the candy. Soon, all of the children had scurried out and had filled their fists with the good stuff.
After that, the Santa had very little appeal to the children. They had gotten what they discovered he was to provide that Saturday morning, so their interest in Jolly old St. Nick evaporated just like that.
Mastery in Action
At another such event, I was fortunate enough to witness a clearly experienced fellow. Not only did he manage to get through the doors of the gym unscathed, but he really put on a show for the kids. He would look into his bag, and then back at a little boy. Then back into his bag his eyes would gaze, and then once again to the anxious child. Then slowly, he would reach his hand into his bundle, and after shuffling things around in there for what appeared to be an excruciating length of time, he would pull out a piece of . . . . .candy! His eyes would open wide with excitement as he handed the treat to the little tot, whose own excitement was just about to explode.
Then on to the next child he would go, repeating the whole escapade to the immense delight of all. I have to say, I was never so impressed at how well a Santa could generate so much excitement, and genuine happiness and satisfaction from a whole room full of children with little pieces of candy!
How does this apply to sales and customer acquisition?
I have seen over and over again, situations where people will “spill their candy in the hallway”. They go on and on about their stuff and deliver all the good stuff prematurely, robbing their customers the opportunity to build a relationship sufficient to do business. Too much too soon is not necessarily a good thing.
Our next entry will include a stress reduction tool that may be very useful to you at this time of year. Happy holidays!
