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Are You Fishing or Are You Hunting?

Do you hunt or do you fish? Fishing for opportunities to create value may no longer be enough. Take charge of looking for ways that your company can be outstanding.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. I popped an audiotape with the speech I was practicing into my walkman and set out for a walk along the water. The ocean sparkled and it was a dazzling bright day. While I was walking I happened upon a man I'd seen many times before on the beach, usually fishing. I hadn't seen him in a long while and so I stopped to chat. We spent time catching up on the little we knew about each other and as I went to walk on he decided to walk with me and "keep his eyes out for fish."

I asked what he meant. He explained that the polarization in his sunglasses allowed him to see pretty clearly into the water and that in fact, he could see the fish. He told me that he didn't stand still and wait for the fish to come to him, he went out looking for the fish. He said boldly, "I hunt, I don't fish."

We're walking along, talking, and in mid-sentence whips around toward the water and crouches down, looks this way and than that. He found one! He focused all his energy totally on that fish. Looking at his body language one would think he was listening to the fish. There he was walking along there in the water tracking that fish, not missing a movement.

When he felt the time right, he threw the line right to him. The fish bit, was caught, but wasn't giving up easily. I watched as he went through an elaborate dance with the fish, giving in, holding his ground, giving in and finally, at just the right moment, bringing that fish right into shore.

He caught a big beautiful 33-inch fish (measured with his feet.) he was grinning from ear to ear. And then he carefully removed the hook from the fish, and walked it back into the ocean. The fish was out of season, and it had to go free. It was a thrilling moment.

So, you might be wondering, what does this fish story have to do with customer care? It didn't take long for me to make the connection. Do we hunt down opportunities to provide value for our customers or do we wait for them to take the bait on the hook we have dangling?

Do we clearly focus our sights on creating value for customers and others? Do we move along side the customer as they are moving, listening and watching? Do we dance with the relationship, understanding instinctively what will happen next? And occasionally, depending on the circumstances, do we know when it's time to throw one back? Not every customer is the right customer. You need a strategy for attracting those customers that "fit."

Do you hunt or do you fish?

Fishing for opportunities to create value may no longer be enough. Take charge of looking for ways that your company can be outstanding. Get focused and present with your customers and get the whole team on the same page. Listen carefully to all the undercurrents in your business, look for patterns, and search for opportunities.

Until next time, keep caring!

JoAnna

JoAnna Brandi is Publisher of the Customer Care Coach® a weekly training program on mastering "The Art and Science of Exquisite Customer Care." She is the author of books such as "Winning at Customer Retention - 101 Ways to Keep 'em Happy, Keep 'em Loyal, and Keep 'em Coming Back" and "Building Customer Loyalty - 21 Essential Elements in ACTION."

A Speaker and consultant, she is publisher of the bi-weekly Customer Care Tips Bulletin. To receive her free bi-weekly tips bulletin, sign up at www.returnonhappiness.com. You can also reach JoAnna at 561-279-0027 or e-mail joanna@customercarecoach.com.