I have been going back and forth, exchanging emails with a potential seminar sponsor a world away.
And while it's very possible that we may never do business, I won't give in to that initial perception.
If I've learned anything in a few decades of professional speaking, management consulting and publishing, it's this:
"There is a way to make every deal!"
Don't get me wrong. If someone approaches me to do a program 12,000 miles away, and expects me to charge only for the single hour or day that the speech consumes, then I'll have to decline.
But I won't really say "no."
I might say, "I'd love to do this program and help you out, but I'm going to need more billable time once I arrive, to justify the four days that will be consumed in traveling to and from. So, if you can keep me busy with paid engagements for a number of days, let's see what we can put together!"
An outright declination leaves them only with a problem: Where are they going to find a capable presenter?
But my response offers a solution. It entices my counterpart to think, "How could we do that?"
In other words, it generates a win-win situation, instead of lose-lose.
This has worked for me, and it has made my hosts very happy.
So, try this out!
Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.
For information about coaching, consulting, training, books, videos and audios, please go to: http://www.customersatisfaction.com
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