I recently finished Patrick Lencioni's book, Getting Naked. Before you get too excited, the title is provocative but the book is not about what you might think. Everyone keeps their clothes on throughout the entire book.
The gist of the book is that the most effective way for a professional service provider to interact with prospective clients and current clients is to become vulnerable… "to embrace levels of humility, selflessness and transparency for the good of the client."
What struck me about this core message is the similarity between what Lencioni is advocating and what I have been teaching for years now. I call it SERVANT "Selling". There is no question, Lencioni's title has sold more books.
Whether you call it "getting naked" or "SERVANT Selling" there is unbelievable power in this approach. For one thing, it is a more natural way for most of us to interact with a prospective client than feeling compelled to go into "sales mode". This approach gives you permission to just serve, to be yourself, to be helpful. Don't worry so much about whether you get a new client. Focus on positively impacting this human being sitting in front of you. When you put aside the desire to sell somebody something, you are free to just serve.
Another powerful element of this philosophy of doing business is attentiveness. Attentiveness can be defined as "showing the worth of another person by giving my undivided concentration." When your approach to another human being is to humble yourself and to serve by listening intently, there is incredible power in this. On more than one occasion, when I have gotten this right (which isn't all the time), I have actually had people tell me that I am incredibly validating. When I asked what they meant by this statement, the response was essentially, "You ask great questions. You listen intently and you stayed focused on me and my business. Do you realize how validating that is?"
What a privilege to have that kind of impact on another human being. I think Patrick Lencioni would agree with the philosophy behind the title of my book: Stop Selling…Start Serving. If you prefer to think of it as "getting naked", I'm cool with that. However, you frame it, I encourage you to approach your next conversation with a commitment to serve, not to be served. To listen; not to sell. You'll be glad you did and so will your client.
Blessings,
Jack Frisby
