Being All Things To All People
May 11th, 2017 // 10:26 am @ Scott Manning
This week, I’d like to remind you about a saying that I know you’ve heard:
“You can please all of the people some of the time and you can please some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.”
And, it’s wrong, because you can’t even please all of the people some of the time, not a chance. The bigger issue though, that will corrupt your business, practice, enterprise, success mindset and focus is trying to please people – period.
Listen up, you’ll never hear anyone tell you straight about this whole “people pleasing” thing, at least usually they all tell you what they think will be popular. I’ll tell you what’s true. As long as you are living your life around trying to please people you will be desperately unhappy, frustrated and lost in a maze of confusion around what your real purpose is.
I have long ago recommended the book, The Four Agreements – that I stand behind as the most influential book I’ve ever read. That explains why this doesn’t work…so I’m not going to here. I am going to say that the problem with people pleasing is that what pleases them doesn’t usually and won’t always satisfy what you are trying to achieve, what your life, practice, business is about, etc.
Now, family, spouse, children, etc you can be the judge there, but even still, if you are the leader then you should know what’s best, and what pleases them isn’t always…obviously.
I am a big “relationship” person who believes this is the most valuable thing in life, with customers, with family, with those people you serve. However, it is not what makes you. You have to make yourself. You have to stand for something, as the old song goes, or fall for anything (otherwise known as being a servant to everyone but yourself).
The marketing lesson here is simple: ALL PEOPLE and ALL CUSTOMERS, PATIENTS, CLIENTS and ALL RELATIONSHIPS and ALL OPPORTUNITIES in your life are not created equal, cannot and should not be pleased, pursued or made happy – not a chance.
I believe in high quality relationships and the first and most important thing about that is you have to give value to those relationships. Show me a business that doesn’t weigh their attention, investment and even experience in a way that assesses patients, clients, customers value to them and I will show you a business that is not very profitable.
This doesn’t mean you don’t do well by all people you choose to serve and all inside of your PRIVATE business. It does mean that you are making a decision who you let in.
That is why, in business and in your personal life, you must establish a focus, a priority, a hierarchy of people and the relationships you choose and then do right by them. They should always be made up of what best serves your own personal agenda of success.
That’s like pretending that your business can actually provide a great patient, customer, client experience and service WITHOUT being profitable – not possible. Profit always controls quality and your ability to reinvest. Think about it – even with your team the more money you have in free cash-flow the more you can invest in great people – poor profit equals poor everything else.
You have to put your agenda, your well-being, your business and the goal and objective of that business first. If you provide value your customers are happy, if you give sufficient customer service they are happy, but you can never forget the purpose of your business – to make a profit, to fuel your wealth and personal ambitions.
Mr. Wonderful on the Shark Tank (Kevin O’Leary) is always right when he says its all about the money – in business it is about relationships, but you keep score with the money.
Remember this, I tell my amazing Doctors and Team Members every day – you can’t deposit google reviews… they are great to have but the key is those people you make happy were so excited, such believers, that you compelled them to buy. Happy patients, customers, clients who don’t invest, well then you missed the point.
Remember, you’ll never please all the people, will only please some of the people, so pick carefully which “some” those are and make sure that you are the top on the list.
And remember that a business NOT-in-business serves no people and is worthless to you, those you care about and the customers you had or are yet to get.
Don’t be a people pleaser; be a focused-on-what-drives-you-to-your-committed-goals pleaser and how everyone lines up to reap the benefits and thank you for your success and efforts. Then do everything possible to set up your marketing, sales and education systems to attract, replicate and multiply more of these people.
Category : Blog
