Call Their Bluff

A hotel employee who was otherwise meeting job expectations began repeatedly arriving late for work. It became enough of a problem that the supervisor called the employee aside to discuss the behavior and point out the consequences: Current negative consequences for the hotel’s business. Potential highly negative consequences for the employee if the tardiness continued.
     The employee’s reply? “My alarm clock broke, and I’ve not gotten a new one yet.”
     The supervisor’s response? He appropriated a clock radio from Housekeeping and presented it to the employee with the words, “Now you’ve no reason to be late. I expect you to arrive at work on time every day.”
     And the employee did.
     At least for a while.
     When I’ve told that true story lately to retailers, they initially look as if they don’t believe changing the behavior could be that easy. Then after a few moments, they come up with an explanation for why it worked so well. Before reading on, please look away and decide how you would explain it.
     Okay, here are the three explanations I’m hearing:

• The employee very much wanted to meet job expectations, but had to choose between buying food for his family and buying an alarm clock. The gift of the alarm clock removed all barriers to promptness.
• The gift of the alarm clock embarrassed the employee into changing his habits, perhaps because the employee had lied when saying he didn’t have an alarm clock.
• The gift of the alarm clock showed the employee that the supervisor was committed to helping the employee succeed, and this motivated the employee to better meet performance expectations.

     Each of these three might be viewed as calling the employee’s bluff—challenging the employee to prove what he’s saying is true. It’s a technique useful with both staff and shoppers. When the browser keeps threatening to leave if you don’t come up with a better price, you might say, “If you’re not able to afford this item, I’ve another option at the price point you’re looking for now.”
     Call the bluff using respect, concern, and empathy. Never obviously shame the person. The tone is of business reality, not a moral lesson. What you’ve spotted as bluff might actually be an insurmountable barrier for the person or the group. People will be less dissatisfied and less likely to blame the retailer for a problem when they’ve been treated with care.

For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers

Click below for more:
Negotiate Through Shopper Rituals
Solicit Information from New Employees
Emphasize Empathy in Providing Services

My thanks to Josh Cole, Care Coordination Supervisor at Access to Healthcare Network in Reno, Nevada for allowing me to tell you this story from his personal experience.