Have you ever had a negative life experience that later proved to be a divine intervention? I had such an experience (that actually created a chapter in my book) and it was a moment that I will never forget. It was around 3:30 on a Wednesday afternoon that I noticed a missed call from my son Austen that went to my voice mail. I quickly dialed and the following brief message was left in a voice of anguish. All that he said was, “Dad, I am hurt badly and I need to go to the hospital.”
Time stood still for just a moment as horrible thoughts began to race through my mind. I feared the worst when I called him back and he did not answer. Luckily he called me right back and explained that he been dunking a basketball on a chain link net at school and it caught his nose on the way down and it ripped through his nostril. And so the process began.
As we met with the doctor it became evident that there would need to be a few stitches to remedy the situation. Afterwards, I began to think about the process and it fit perfectly with the chapter I was writing on becoming unified. The first part of the process was assessing the situation and planning a course of action, which we covered in last month’s article. Now is the time for the process of stitching together the two divided and making them one again. There are three things that are key to making the process of stitching together successful and that is what we will discuss today.
The first part of the process of stitching was the numbing process. In order to be able to stitch Austen up the doctor had to numb the area on which she was working. Could you imagine what would happen if she tried to stitch up my 6’ 4” son without numbing the area first?
So how does this relate to our reconnection process within the store? You must first numb your situation with kindness, understanding and a genuine apology before you dig in deep and touch the sensitive issues. The problem is that many people dive right in and begin stitching only to meet stiff resistance and the situation escalates to where the process is often stopped before it really begins.
Once this is done the stitching process may begin. So what will we use to stitch our situation together that will hold strong and begin the healing process? The answer is very simple. It is truth that you must use to weave through your situation as it pulls you tighter together. Be honest with your situation and work together to find a final solution. What you will find is that this process will flow easily once the area has been numbed properly.
However, there is one important thing to keep in mind and that is that it will not look pretty at first. When Austen was finished with his stitching, his nose looked like Frankenstein. It actually looked worse than before the stitching but it was necessary to fix the problem.
When we were finished the doctor gave us careful instructions on what to do, and what not to do, to make the healing process successful. In following these simple instructions we were both amazed a week later when the stitches were removed and you could hardly tell that there was ever a wound there. Just a tiny scar was left as a reminder of the incident.
So make sure that you care for your situation properly as the healing process begins. Watch out for things like pride, selfishness and fear that can easily unravel your healing process. Care for one another and show genuine interest in making your situation better and stronger. Before you know it you will be amazed how quickly your store can heal. A new found season of success and freedom awaits you as you move forward together as a unified team.
In closing I encourage you to examine these truths in greater detail and use them as a guide in your process of creating a unified store. Once the healing process is over you will find the strength and resolve of old that will make you an unstoppable force. Together you can then focus on the real enemies within your store and create a positive store environment where you will be beacons of light to those who enter your store.
Next month we move forward together as a unified team and begin to take back our store and its environment.
Brian Barfield offers fresh insight in sales training and teaching people how to reconnect with one another. His first book “Modern Day Selling” is a detailed road map designed to help sales associates find true and lasting success by reconnecting with their customers – now available on many websites in paperback and e-book. “The Modern Day Store” will be available 2-22-2013 and is available for pre-order on Amazon and many other websites. For more information on speaking or training seminars he can be reached at brian@moderndayselling.com
