Time is too Precious to waste in Arguing- Contd.

Businesses have learned that it pays to operate by the slogan, “The customer is always right”. Businesses have learned the high cost of not doing what people reasonably ask. So you can be sure that most businesses will respond favorably to what you ask. In fact, almost all people will do what you reasonably ask, for the very practical reason that it probably will be easier to do what you ask, than to risk the time consuming explanations, discussions, and possible arguments which might result from refusing your reasonable, logical and courteous request. Also, agreeably doing what you ask will win your goodwill which is preferable to incurring your ill will by refusing what you pleasantly and expectantly ask. You psychologically underscore the advantage of doing and the disadvantage of not doing what you request when you ask firmly with implied persistence. Remember, implied persistence must be friendly, courteous, reasonable and persuasive without offensive pressure and without threatening argument.

Time is too Precious to waste in Arguing

The usual business policy now is if, what a customer or a prospect is reasonable and if the cost of doing it does not greatly exceed the cost of arguing about why the business may not do it, and then do it pleasantly and agreeably. Do it promptly. Do not waste time in arguing. This policy began many years ago, when the intelligent businesses started using the now famous slogan, “The customer is always right”. Their sales sky rocketed, so did their profits. So now almost all businesses have adopted the policy, even though they may no longer visibly display the slogan. Arguing costs too much. Arguing with customers and prospects not only wastes costly employee and company time, but it loses sales and it incurs ill will. So every cost-conscious, public-relations-minded business acts on the proven principle that it is less costly, as well as good business, to agree with its customers and prospects and promptly comply with their reasonable requests.

A note on Asking Firmly

Let us put some more emphasis on the point of Asking Firmly. The needed skill is to ask firmly with the implication of continuing persistence but to do it courteously, reasonably, persuasively, pleasantly, without any offensive pressure and without threatening argument. Develop the skill of implying persistence without pressure. When you master that skill, you will make it easier for others to do what you want, than not to do it. And your success is thereby assured. This applies to your dealings with everybody; individuals, groups, businesses. The most successful businesses have learned that it simply requires too much valuable time to argue with a customer or a prospect. At today’s high wage-rates, executive and employee time probably will cost much more than whatever could be gained or saved by arguing. The most expensive element in business is time. Time is too precious and costly to waste in arguing.

Some principles of Asking

As discussed in the preceding posts, not everyone is going to oblige for what you ask. However to make your asking a success, some of these following principles may be applied.

• Ask Courteously: Let the asking be in a courteous manner, not merely by using courteous words as “please”, but ask in an extremely courteous manner
  

• Ask Expectantly: Ask expectantly in the voice and attitude that of course the other person will gladly do what you courteously and expectantly ask
  

• Ask Reasonably: This applies to what you ask and how you ask
  

• Ask Firmly: This is the most difficult technique of asking successfully because you must give the firm impression that what you ask is also reasonable, logical and just that you shall pleasantly persist until you get it.

Obviously people are not going to do unreasonable things just because you ask them to do. If you go about, asking unreasonable things, you will reap a harvest of undesirable consequences. Not only must what you ask be reasonable, but it must sound reasonable. The more reasonable your request is and also sounds reasonable, the more readily it will be granted.

Society cannot run smoothly without the habit of Asking

As discussed in the previous post, all people have been taught, trained, and conditioned to do what they are asked. This habit of doing, what is asked is a form of “learned response” which is begun in early childhood and continues throughout life. Without it, civilization could not function smoothly and the result would be chaos, total conflict and the ultimate destruction of organized society. Asking is psychological push button. You push the psychological button of asking and others respond by doing what you ask. Of course, all persons you ask are not going to give you everything you ask for, or do every thing you ask them to do, the first time you ask them. The asking technique is based on the Law of Averages. This Law of Averages in asking ensures your success, not your success in getting a favorable response every time you ask, but your ultimate success.

Give importance to your peer by Asking

When you ask people to do something or to give you some information you need, they will have a strong tendency to do what you ask because, by doing so, it demonstrates their importance. It makes them feel superior to you and gives them that warm inner glow of having been helpful. At the same time you too, have gained. You got what you asked for. And, you also have the inner satisfaction of having helped someone else feel important and helpful. On the negative side, the other person would lose his sense of importance by refusing to do what you asked because it might indicate his inability to do so. Or it would be rude, discourteous and probably antagonizing for the other person to respond unfavorably by declining what you asked if your request were logical, courteous, friendly and appropriate. Most people would not want to put themselves in that unpleasant position.

An Extended Note on Asking

Frequently, we willingly do what is asked just as a matter, of course without giving it a serious thought. Even if we do stop and seriously think about whether we should do what is asked of us, the forces of a lifetime of teaching, training and conditioning bear heavily upon our decision, urging us to comply. To refuse to do what is asked of us is like trying to swim against the tide. It is unnatural, difficult and often dangerous. You can be sure that the person you ask to do something for you or to give you information already has had a lifetime of teaching, training and conditioning which will strongly favor his or her doing it. So Ask. And there are other powerful forces ready to help you get what you want by asking. Psychologists say that the one factor which motivates people to act more than any other is their desire to be important. This desire will greatly improve the relationship between people and would enable to get a lot more cooperation and avoid a lot of unnecessary friction.