Tweet

Walk a mile in my shoes

Guest post by: Sue Barrett

Article Overview: ‘Walk a mile in my shoes’ is a song written by Joe South and made famous by Elvis Presley. The song is very much about challenging closed mindedness, respecting and honouring differences, and learning how to get along with each other. However, I propose that it also has a lot to say to sales and marketing people. For instance, the first verse sets it up well: If I could be you and you could be me for just one hour If we could find a way to get inside each other’s mind If you could see you through my eyes instead of your ego I believe you’d be surprised to see that you’d been blind Many a customer’s ire has been roused when a sales person shows up and fails to find out what a customer’s priorities are. Instead, launching into a self absorbed diatribe of product information and self aggrandisement.

Walk a mile in my shoes

‘Walk a mile in my shoes’ is a song written by Joe South and made famous by Elvis Presley. The song is very much about challenging closed mindedness, respecting and honouring differences, and learning how to get along with each other. However, I propose that it also has a lot to say to sales and marketing people. For instance, the first verse sets it up well:

If I could be you and you could be me for just one hour

If we could find a way to get inside each other’s mind

If you could see you through my eyes instead of your ego

I believe you’d be surprised to see that you’d been blind

Many a customer’s ire has been roused when a sales person shows up and fails to find out what a customer’s priorities are. Instead, launching into a self absorbed diatribe of product information and self aggrandisement leaving the customer completely out of the picture.

Another stanza points out some of the major issues with being internally focused, refusing to acknowledge and see others as they are.

Well, your whole world you see around you is just a reflection

And the law of common says you’re gonna reap just what you sow

This stanza reminds me of my common catch cry ‘who’s your brochure written for anyway?’ Many companies still fail to produce sales and marketing materials that their customers and prospects can relate to, instead producing material that is too internally focused.

Being “other” aware, tuning into what another person needs, likes or wants is vital to a successful sales career. And it’s more than just asking a series of pre formed questions, writing down information and regurgitating it back without empathy or genuine understanding.

As Geshe Michael Roach, the author of The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Strategies for Managing Your Business and Your Life points out, the current western way of thinking, especially business and corporate incentives, has been very centred around what’s in it for the individual – ‘how am I going to benefit from this?’, ‘what will I get if I do this?’ and ‘how much will I make if I get this client on board, or deal over the line?’

Geshe Michael asks “When did you hear or read about two sales executives or two corporate executives splitting their bonuses because they did a good job together? This individual focus causes us to concentrate on ourselves, at the expense of paying attention to others.”

‘I’ has been the centre of our business models for a very long time, however I am proposing that in order to be a highly evolved sales person we need to shift to a ‘we’ focus. From ‘I’ to ‘we’ means including the ‘other’ in our thoughts, intentions and actions, and being able to see the world from another’s perspective even if we do not like or hold the same views or values ourselves.

Geshe Michael states “People have an instinct when they know you do not care that much about what they like or need and they have an instinct for the opposite as well.”

This statement begs some questions:

* How well do I really understand another person and see the world from their perspective?

* How well am I able to determine another person’s level of understanding about complex areas such as work, business, life, values, culture, etc.?

* How quickly am I able to become aware of how another person thinks or feels?

The practice of exchanging ourselves with others takes us out of our exclusive focus on ourselves and starts us off on the process of being sensitive to others. It has a profound effect on work flow, performance and, most importantly, sustainable relationships.

There is a Buddhist practice called the Jampa Method which is outlined in more detail in The Diamond Cutter. It involves exchanging yourself for another – what you do is to pretend to put your mind in their body and then open your eyes and look at you from their perspective. You get to see or hear what it is that they (you in their body) would like from you (you). This step is called switching bodies. It is a little deeper and more difficult than just watching the people around you to see what they like or dislike.

When I practice this I ask myself “What does the other person need or want me to say and give to them?” It creates a much deeper level of listening than I have ever experienced before and I find that I can really tune into the other person with greater clarity and connect with them on a deeper level. It may seem a bit artificial at first but anything new does. I am work in progress as this method requires conscious effort and focused attention, however it can become second nature after regular practice and can make a profound difference to all relationships, personal and professional.

Therefore as I am writing this piece I am thinking about how I, the author, can stand in your shoes. I am imagining myself as someone reading this thinking – “What about my customers, when are they going to stand in my shoes?”

It is a common response we hear from many sales people that they would just like their customer to know how they feel too. This response highlights the importance of how we choose our actions and emotions rather than simply responding to those of others and that someone has to start the process first.

The choice is yours:

1. Do you choose Inaction? (which means you wait for your customers to make the first move) OR

2. Do you choose Action? (where you take the lead)

So in the spirit of ‘walking a mile in each others’ shoes’ maybe we could all as customers and sales people, or simply as human beings try this approach and see what happens.

Walk a mile in my shoes, walk a mile in my shoes

Yeah, before you abuse, criticize and accuse

Walk a mile in my shoes

Thank you very much!

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Related Articles
  Golden Tennis Shoes
  Car Insurance - Pay-Per-Mile Coverage
  In His Own Footsteps: The Early Years of Philip Knight
  How To Create Brain Sparks
  Beat the Path for Your Customers
  Philip Knight Quotes
  Holiday Party Survival Tips
  The Managers Most Useful Tool
  Musings from the Marathon (and How it Can Help Your Business)
  Take a good look at yourself... and grow your business.
  Winning the Success Race
  Lessons From A Marathon Runner
  Finish Strong
  Some Tax Tips Every Employee Needs To Know About.
  It’s All In The Walk!
  Timely Tips on Image and Impression Management
  Descriptive Stories Sell on More than One Level
  Mickey Mouse and Work Boots - Memories of My Father
  No Shoes - No Wi-Fi – No Cell service
  The L.I.F.E. Approach to Positive Humor

Article Tags: elvis presley, joe south, priorities, sales and marketing, sales person, self aggrandisement



Related Forum Posts
Re: Go the extra mile - It's never crowded. - So the good question here will be... How do you go to extra mile? Anyone has insight to share? For me... going extra mile is doing the things so easy for others to do, but people rarely do. That's going extra mile. How about you?
Re: Going Back to Work after After Having Kids - Hi Shri, I totally agree. Until you have walked a mile in the other persons shoes....people should keep their mouths shut. I have family and friends who have been desperate to have children and yet they are snubbed by others because they 'appear' to be living the good rich life. I'm glad the world is changing and that we now have more opportunity than ever - but breaking down the old mentality (especially of other women) I think will be the hardest of all. J they say we judge others by their actions, and ourselves by our intentions.....hmm sounds a bit backwards to me
Re: What would you like to see be invented? - ah shoes....yes - more comfortable shoes in a range of sizes and heel heights. I would also like an industrial size leaf blower that I can lift and carry around without needing a chiropractor. Also, a mobile manicurists!
Millionaires and their wives - [quote:33vtplt5]One makes his wife wear the same shoes until the soles need to be replaced and then they buy new shoes at KMart[/quote:33vtplt5] And the wife puts up with this?? Just curious - did they inherit family money or did they earn the millions themselves? I think people that had to earn the money themselves are a bit more frugal than those that grew up with it... but I could be wrong. It'd be interesting to find out!
Re: Go the extra mile - It's never crowded. - It actually applies in all walks of life. The person who goes the extra mile will stand out head and shoulders above everyone else. MichelleJ


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How To Be A Management Legend

Are You Listening?

The Basics Of A Home Based Internet Business

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.