Valuable lessons from a 3 year old….
My younger son has gone to the same babysitter for a year. As my business has gotten more successful, he started going more often, until now he goes 4 days a week. He started at 2 days a week. His current babysitter provided excellent care and he liked going there, stayed active, etc., but she has a strict 2-hour nap rule, no exceptions, and it wasn’t working out for us. He was getting too much sleep during the day and was staying up late and waking up way early. It was time to move on.
I found a great “new” babysitter in the mom of one of my older son’s preschool friends and she agreed to watch him for the summer. I was stressed at the adjustment he’d have to make for the three months before he goes to preschool in September. I was telling him all the fun stuff his new babysitter has for kids to do there–an inflatable pool, a playset, lots of toys, etc. When I told him he was going to start going to a new sitter, I thought he would cry and complain and be really upset but instead, do you know what his response was, “Does she have a sandbox?” Not, I’m going to miss my current sitter, not, no I won’t go there, but does she have a sandbox?
That was a reality check for me. I was interpreting the set of events through my own eyes. If I were him, I’d be upset. He just cares that there are kids to play with, someone to hug him and teach him and cool things to play with.
Second example: yesterday I was at The Bon Ton looking for a pink hat for The Red Hat Society Pink because I’ll be 35 next month and have another 15 years until I earn the priveledge of being able to wear a red hat. One of my new clients is the diva of a local chapter and she invited me. So, of course I didn’t find a pink hat I loved, but I did buy some shorts for my older son and a couple odds and ends for the kids. When I was checking out, I was asked if I would be paying for the items with their store charge (No.) Then, the inevitable, “do you have a store charge?” (Yes). Then, “it’s really easier if you pay with the store charge.” I had to bite my tongue not to say “easier for whom?” It annoyed me. She doesn’t know if I’m trying to rack up airline miles or other rewards on my Visa, if it has a lower interest rate or a more convenient billing cycle, instead, she was only looking at the situation from her perspective. That’s a good way to drive a psychological wedge between you and your customers.
We all have unique attitudes, viewpoints, and experiences that frame our responses. To truly be a good VA, I need to understand my client’s needs. Being a solutions provider is more than just transcribing a tape, doing data entry, or writing a press release–it’s understanding my clients business and looking for solutions to make that client happier, more efficient and more profitable.
Learn from other people. We don’t know everything. After all, it never occurred to me to ask whether or not Drew’s new sitter had a sandbox. Find out what is important to your clients and customers and serve them well.