Page 142 - ConvinceThemFlip

convince them in 90 seconds or less
A big idea springs from discovering the true nature of
your business. One of the ways I help companies do this
is by eliciting criteria from the individuals in charge, one
by one and one-on-one. That’s really just a fancy way of
saying we find out what’s important to them—not the
obvious stuff, like rewarding the shareholder or offering
top-notch customer service or even providing clean toi-
lets. What we have to get at is the company’s rock-bottom
values and beliefs.
To start this process with the restaurant franchise, I
asked each of the company’s officers, “What’s important
to you about a restaurant?” (The starting question always
addresses the most basic aspect of the business.) They
started listing things, and I
scribbled everything down
on a chalkboard. Every
time it got quiet, I’d just
ask, “What else?” until they
finally said, “That’s it.” The
only thing I did that was special was use my voice, body
language, and word choice to indicate that I was engaged,
excited, and curious about where we were going to end
up. Here’s the abbreviated version:
Me: “What’s important to you about a restaurant?”
Him: “Great food, good value, superb service, friendly
staff . . .”
A company’s big idea
should pertain to each
and every one of its
employees.
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