I casually met a person who turned into a client. She was interested in my work and the services I offer. This encounter reminded me of my core philosophy from coaching school: “Never miss an opportunity to coach.” So that’s how I live and work. Creating opportunities, not simply having casual encounters.

You have a choice:

Will you casually listen and tell someone what they want to hear and send them on their way? The result: They walk away unchanged. You remain a stranger. The moment passes, and both of you continue searching for someone who truly understands and gives them answers.

Or…

Will you take this new encounter (a chance opportunity) and build a new and potentially valuable, caring relationship? Will you thrill someone, give them more than they expected, so they know you are the one to work with? Nobody else will do. The result: They feel seen, heard, and valued. You become the person they remember, recommend, and return to. Trust is built. Lives are changed.

Why not consistently work to see what another person needs and wants?

Follow up. Surprise them with relevant information and materials, stories of your work, testimonials, and keep asking empowering questions filled with thought-provoking suggestions.

Really care! Be curious. Be more than helpful.

Connect your needs and wants and offerings to their needs and wants and offerings, no matter how different from you they may seem.

A real example: A person may be asking me about life coaching, and I discover that they’ve been forced to retire and are distressed. Hanging in uncertainty and fear. Critically examining their skills and life experience to see how valuable they really are, and are unclear of their next steps. Give them the help they need and see what happens. It’s a better choice than coolness and minimal empathy.

The truth is this: every person we meet is a human opportunity to care about and to have goodwill for – sincerely listening, hearing, and seeing who they are. It’s something we all can do, if we want to.

How much do we each desperately yearn to be understood, even for a few casual moments of profound connection?

That’s the opportunity waiting in every encounter.

Thanks – Michael (he, him)

Please share this Daily with others.
This also matters – The Skill of Customer Service.

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