 Blink-Trusting
Yourself to Make Decisions
Subject: Blink, Selling, Decision Making
 Malcolm
Gladwell, author of the Tipping Point wrote a book called Blink, The Power of
Thinking Without Thinking.
The premise of Gladwell’s book
is that sometimes we know more than we think we know and that our snap
judgments are more than just lucky guesses. In his book he introduces a term
called, “Thin-Slicing”. Thin-Slicing is the ability to grasp a
situation or problem in the ‘blink’ of an eye without having to analyze it in
detail.
Another term for this might
be instinct. But Gladwell goes further and tries to understand the source our
instincts or our subconscious ability to make decisions.
In his book he describes a
salesman by the name of Bob Golomb who works at a car dealership and is one of
their top performers. As you get to know Bob, you realize he takes nothing
for granted when a potential customer comes through the door.
A good salesman learns to
gather information quickly on a client by watching and more importantly
listening. During this process the salesperson has to learn to stop listening
to what his preconceived notions may be in order to assess the situation
accurately.
“You cannot prejudge people
in this business. Prejudging is the kiss of death. You have to give
everyone your best shot. A green salesperson looks at a customer and says,
‘This person looks like he can’t afford a car’, which is the worst thing you
can do, because sometimes the most unlikely person is flush,…”
As salespeople we are under
tremendous pressure to move through our ‘pipeline’ quickly. I know many
salesman who won’t call a company under the guise, “Aw, they’re not going to
buy anything.” They prejudge an account.
And what happens? You got
it. A few months later we find out that the same customer put in a tall
order. By that time it is too late. The competition is in and it will take a
lot of work to win the account away.
Another aspect of
‘thin-slicing’ is the ability to edit or process relevant information
quickly. We’ve all have been a victim or a perpetrator of paralysis by
analysis; where we over-analyze the simplest decision to death. Gladwell
attempts to embolden us with confidence by citing examples of how too much
information about a situation can lead to indecision. Sometimes the best
decisions are made quickly and effortlessly.
When I first became a
vice-president of sales in a large corporation, my boss shared a pearl of
wisdom I will never forget. He said, “Victor you don’t need 3-6 months to
know what you want to do. You’ll know what needs to be done in the first 30
days…if that. So why wait months when you know what needs to be done?”
I heeded that advice and with
great success. Even when my decisions weren’t the best, which was the more
exception than the rule, I simply made another decision to rectify the first.
Deep down inside I knew what had to be done and I just went about the business
of doing it.
Blink dispels the notion that
making decisions and making them quickly doesn’t necessarily equate to
immaturity or lack of experience. As salespeople, we are constantly having to
make snap judgments and adapt to a given situation.
Trust your ability to judge.
But in doing so, try to be consciously aware of your biases, predispositions
and how they can taint a decision.
Victor
Please feel free to forward this article to a
friend or colleague.
Victor
Gonzalez, one of America's top business motivational speaker and author of “The LOGIC of
Success”. For more info go to: www.thelogicofsuccess.com
or by email
victor@thelogicofsuccess.com
Copyright © 2005 by Victor
Gonzalez All rights reserved. This article MAY be
reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, as long as the author’s name, website and email address are
included as part of the article’s body. All inquiries, including
information on electronic licensing, should be directed to Victor Gonzalez,
victor@thelogicofsuccess.com
www.thelogicofsuccess.com
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