The Graces of Looking at Faces

From today’s reading…

Ahh, the good ol’ days.

Men and women looking one another in the eye, standing face to face, saying what they mean, meaning what they say.

All conflict, be it in the home or between nations, arises from miscommunication. Yet we do not take the time nor do we put in any effort to learn how to communicate well. We just want to be known as being right, even if we’re wrong.

Case in point: I read this morning an influential couple in Dallas attacked their wedding photographer (a Facebook friend of mine) online with the intention of ruining her 13-year business because they didn’t want to pay for their album cover photo, which they agreed to do in the contract they signed when hiring the photographer.

Her business was ruined and she was forced to sue for libel and won a $1.08 million verdict.

The kicker is Andrea, the photographer, was going to absorb the cost of the photo to appease the clients but they had already gone online spewing lies and hate.

If they had bitten their tongue and agreed to meet face-to-face, they would’ve saved years of effort and a million dollars.

Do you want peace or do you want to be right?Do you want the truth or do you want your circle of influence to think you’re correct?Do you want to win at all costs? Sales people with low emotional intelligence win arguments with know-it-all prospects every single day and lose the sale without even realizing it.

Husbands win arguments with their wives daily and sleep on the couch nightly, thereby ensuring both lose.

And this Dallas couple just realized that the customer is not always right.

Give people the benefit of the doubt.

When we see our brother, our sister, our neighbor, our customer, our vendor doing wrong we’re not supposed to talk about them behind their back.We’re supposed to be adults, meet with them, and attempt to resolve it in person.

Only after every rational, reasonable attempt fails are we to escalate it.

So before you turn to Yelp or your Facebook account, put on your big girl / big boy pants and do what the Lord and Moses did.

It may not be easy at first, but it’ll be a whole lot easier than the alternative…and it could save you $1.08 million + court fees + legal fees.

If you need help in Sales Training and Business Coaching, Contact me now for consultation.

Stay the course.Keep the faith.Endure.