| Here's the
situation: you're poised on the brink of a business relationship;
it might be with a prospective client or maybe it's a partnering
deal. It could be you're selling a product that will require
intensive servicing or it might be a job interview where you
are either doing the hiring or looking to be hired. You are
a little anxious because you have learned how the human factor
can sweeten or sour a business relationship, and before you
get too far down the path, you want to know if this relationship
will be fruitful or one of those destructive ones that make
you want to crawl inside your duvet cover in the mornings
and not come to work at all.
Here are a few early warning signals
about a prospective business relationship.
1. LISTEN
TO WHAT THE PERSON SAYS ABOUT HIMSELF.
If the person you're talking with goes out of his way to tell
you exactly what kind of a guy he is, cock an ear and listen
sharply. Chances are he is subconsciously giving you a clue
about exactly the sort of guy he isn't. What he is
saying is: "This is who I'd like to be."
Consider the campaign promises of
politicians. Richard Nixon's rallying cry was "Trust
me! I am not a crook." and Bill Clinton preached endlessly
of "ethics and family values."
Then be guided by the words of David
Ogilvy: "When a company boasts about its integrity, or
a women about her virtue, avoid the former and cultivate the
latter."
2. DISCOVER
WHAT HE SAYS ABOUT HIS PAST EXPERIENCE WITH OTHERS IN YOUR
LINE OF WORK.
If the subject doesn't come up naturally in conversation,
bring it up yourself. Ask point-blank.
"What happened when you worked
with the AceyDeucy Company?"
"You've worked with advertising
agencies before, where do you think their weaknesses most
often lie?"
"I understand  the
person who held this position last year didn't work out. Would
you mind telling me what happened?"
Then listen very carefully to the
answers.
"The guy at AceyDeucy was a crook."
Translation: here is a guy
who may be projecting his "crookedness" onto others;
he isn't trusting, therefore he may not be trustworthy."
"The last agency couldn't write
copy. I had to write it all by myself."
Translation: here is a potential
"controller"; some who, for any of a number of reasons,
can't loosen the grasp on the pencil. A relationship where
this is a factor can be very frustrating indeed for both parties.
"Not one of the last three people
who held this position could get anything done in a timely
fashion."
Translation: how strange
that three people were so similarly afflicted. Coincidence?
Or perception or sabotage on the part of the boss.
3. DEVELOP
A TEST QUESTION
Marketing expert Kristen Zhivago, who claims she will not
work with jerks, developed a jerk test. When it comes clear
that her outfit is about to be hired and a relationship is
about to commence, Zhivago says, "We have only one rule:
we don't work with jerks."
The reactions to this question tells
her everything she needs to know. Jerks, evidently, fold their
arms and glare. Non-jerks usually laugh.
Kristen Zhivago just smiles when she
is on the receiving end of a glare. She'd rather lose the
business then work with a jerk.
Apparently she sleeps well at night
too. No duvet hiding for her.
Your jerk meter might be more subtle.
Or perhaps you do not have the luxury to walk away from a
relationship that looks like it's going to be ulcerative.
But whether or not you are in a position
to flee before you get in too deep, it is good know just what
sort of a person you are dealing with. Do a little research.
Find out. |
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