(LU PHILLIPS is an expert in Global Business Development. Among his recent accomplishments is leading his firm’s relationship with Boeing from the initial project to “2010 Supplier of the Year”. The focus of his work with ALS is causing breakthroughs in sales performance through a shift to a model he calls “The Total Client Value Proposition”. Lu resides near Seattle.)
I flew into St. Louis Tuesday night for my big customer meeting Wednesday morning. The day started great: breakfast in the hotel, friendly staff, and the front desk printed me MapQuest directions to my meeting. Unsure of my route, I left around 30 minutes early, which should have had me in the lobby about 10-15 minutes ahead of schedule. So far, so good.
Following my printed directions, I took a right at an intersection off the main road. Instead of getting more industrial to match my expectations of the client’s location, it became very rural remarkably quickly. The two-lane road had nearly no traffic, wooded landscape everywhere, potholes and sections of graveled roadway. Ok, I was lost. I drove a little further to find a good place to turn around, a wide intersection–perfect!
About 10 seconds later, I was meeting Sgt. Clark. Apparently, I had run a stop sign AND made an “improper U–turn in middle of major intersection.” So I went to work using my persuasion skills, “But I’m a visitor here and just got lost on my way to a meeting…” This officer was not interested in my world at all, and I would not be talking my way out of either citation. In fact, it was clear he intended to throw the book at me so the only thing to do was switch strategies and simply shut my mouth. It was revenue time for the metropolis of Kinloch, MO.
Noticing all the frustrations, complaints, and justifications swirling in my head, I finally realized that he had me pulled over long enough to make me late to my meeting. In that moment, I recognized this was just the thing I needed as a set up to win.
I called my meeting host to tell him one of Missouri’s finest has unavoidably detained me. Without another word from me, my host instantly related to my predicament. He even guessed my physical location because of Kinloch’s reputation for having a particular affinity for traffic citation revenue. Once I finally arrived at the building and met my host, we laughed and chatted about Missouri’s traffic law all the way to the meeting room. When I entered the room, I was mildly famous among several additional client participants for starting our meeting late. More importantly, my new relationship with all of them was more related than at the start of any other meeting in my career!
Freely sharing my experience allowed me simply to eliminate wrestling my own disappointment for causing a late start. From the first moment, I was actually free and clear to be in the meeting instead of fighting my circumstances. I listened; people were heard. I was creative and interesting; so were they. My hosts even chose to let the meeting run long and agreed to actions they never anticipated. This was an excellent business result by any standard.
Upon reaching my hotel after the meeting, I kept this theme running strong. I sent emails to the County Executive and Chief of Police to let them know the experience of one of their visitors. I spent time visiting the Kinloch Police Department and City Hall. As a citizen, I decided to get to know the municipal leaders in this area as well. I was now on my way to becoming a local instead of a visitor. My circumstances never changed–I did.
The next time you are feeling small, bullied or alone in your business… expecting to meet a new client and needing a spectacular win… or looking for a reason to connect with friends, family and colleagues from coast-to-coast in a fresh, brand new way I would recommend a visit to Kinloch, MO. You will receive a cheap lesson in professional transformation, courtesy of St. (not Sgt.) Clark himself. Go ahead and claim the $110 as a business expense too.