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Tuesday, April 15, 2008

False Clairvoyance

Ford Harding, in his latest blog entry, points out how people often make faulty assumptions based on limited experience. He calls this False Clairvoyance. So, for example, you set out to follow the advice during hard times to reconnect with former clients, with the hope of gaining new business. You call two or three people, and feel a 'brush off' or simply no business results.

Should you stop just because you didn't succeed right away? Of course not. While I am not advocating blind cold calling or playing the 'numbers game' without a sense of relationship, the odds are you will succeed if you persist, and make a few more calls. Or, if everyone in your organization makes a few calls, somewhere, somehow, some new business will arise which certainly wouldn't occur if you didn't make the effort.

The inverse principal also applies. Say you purchase a lottery ticket or win a casino jackpot on your first visit. If you really think you are something special and can defy the odds, go ahead, but I'd take my money and run (never to return, except for 'throw-your-money-away entertainment' -- probably not the wisest expense in hard times!)

My review of Harding's latest book has just been published in The SMPS Marketer. If you would like me to send you a copy, email me at buckshon@constructionnrgroup.com.

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