Business Zen: Being quick to judge may close doors

Russell Bell

I WAS always taught by my elders and betters never to "judge a book by its cover". This was a concept I struggled with, because I had a mission while at Whanganui High School to get through my teenage schooling without reading books. After all, and I guess it was the early days of developing my "Lean" skills, if you can tell the same story quickly in a comic or video, why burn a whole lot of time reading the original?

That approach saw me through high school English, much to the chagrin of my teachers (one even gave me a "pep" talk before the Bursary English exam: "Russell, I do not believe that you will pass Bursary English") -- although I managed to get one of the highest marks in the region.

The study of English at school is all to do with interpretation and the judgments that we make after taking in a story. Much like judging books by their cover, we have the same mechanism when it comes to people, and I want to highlight the power in making these judgments and how they can affect your business.

As a 20-something, I was single and working for a good wage.

Often, I found myself engaging in retail therapy, most often for electronic goods or products associated with keeping my car on the road.

More often than not, I would be ignored by shop assistants who appeared to zero in on other, older customers with what I can only assume was a perception that "the greyer the hair the bigger the sale".

My fashion sense in the 1990s could have had something to do with it -- but the shops that paid me the time of day got my business and repeat business from that point on.

I guess the point I am making is that every person who you come into contact with should be treated the same because you never know how meeting their needs could benefit you and your business. There are many stories of how long-lasting and beneficial relationships are started, many of which might not have occurred had one of the parties made a judgment call based on how the other person presented him or herself.

In New Plymouth, I met someone who runs a high-tech business serving the oil industry -- that was not apparent until it came up in conversation. The country's richest man also started out as a panel beater and tow truck driver!

So, the way to ensure you get it right when it comes to potential business is to treat every encounter equally and avoid making judgments until you have all the information.

Who knows? Your next encounter may be the start of a beautiful business friendship!

Balance Consulting is a local consulting business, we offer marketing and customer service advice which has helped our clients improve their bottom line. Please call Russell on 021-244-2421.