“Well, my stalker found me again.” I knew Lizzie’s introductory statement would be the #1 StoryFinder line-of-the-week as the rideshare client got in the backseat of my car for her short ride from one Waffle House to another.
“Well, I need to hear all the details,” I said enthusiastically with a kind smile. You see, I didn’t know if she was being serious or if her impactful opening statement was a sarcastic moment. This is the odd combination of empathy and levity I find myself balancing with rideshare clients.
She couldn’t give me the details as she held the phone to her ear and said, “The last purchase was for $5 at a liquor store. Then someone stole my card.” I deduced she was talking to her bank about closing the debit card.
Sidebar: Overhearing a one-sided conversation with the customer service representative is a bonding moment where humans instantly feel a connection with the fellow human encountering that experience. In those moments, we are all equal.
The short ride was dominated by the words between her and the bank. “You never told me the stalker details,” I said as she started to exit the car. “Next time,” was her reply as she closed the door.
Podcasters: Hook ’em
Radio hosts and performers are taught the power of the hook. Get the listener’s attention early. The audience has options, especially in the car where the driver’s finger can move to another station/channel if they aren’t feeling this break.
Podcasters need to improve the hook. The 90 seconds of casual talk and insider information don’t work unless you’re a celebrity with an audience who doesn’t care what you say–they just want to hear you because they’re a fan.
Lizzie hooked me instantly. There wasn’t a payoff, but that’s another blog. Hook ‘em.
Emotional Rejection
“I forgot my teeth.” It’s another good hook, but his statement led to a conversation about tough decisions. Mike delivered the need-for-dentures line when we were half a mile from his house. I quickly turned around, and we had a good laugh at 6:15 a.m.
His breathing was labored when he got back in the car, and I asked him if he was okay. “Yeah, just congestive heart failure,” was Mike’s response. He told me about his year of ailments and self-discovery.
When I learned he didn’t have medical insurance, I assumed he was a part-time worker or self-employed. Neither. He worked full-time, six days a week, for a small operator who didn’t offer insurance. The next logical question was whether he could get insured through the open market.
Following the storyline, I learned his payment wasn’t excessive. Why wasn’t he taking care of his obvious and critical healthcare needs? I asked him point-blank as we were arriving at his job site. “I just don’t want to,” was his point-blank response.
As I drove away, I quickly processed a life-and-business application based on this conversation with my 7-minute friend. What do we intellectually accept, but emotionally reject? If we were creating a spreadsheet of responses, the personal column would fill up quickly. However, what smart leadership decisions are we kicking down the road because we don’t want to face the emotional impact?
“The Angel Food smoothie!”
“How many smoothies did you make today?” Jamie didn’t know the answer to my question when I picked her up after a shift at Smoothie King. She didn’t know how many smoothies they made in a typical day or how many bowls they sold. My questions weren’t working, and I needed a connection.
“Well, what’s the number one seller?” She quickly knew the answer. “The Angel Food smoothie!” I learned about the ingredients, and it led to nine minutes of us discussing smoothie ingredients and our personal favorite combinations.
Jamie knew her smoothies, but she didn’t know the salable details of her product. I suggested she ask her boss to provide a one-sheet weekly product update for the crew. “What’s working? What do we need to push?” “What’s a fun fact to share with customers?”
However, I suggested, the real value will be an improvement in Jamie’s verbal knowledge of the product. The customer reacts to confident engagement.
Do our teams know the ingredients of our products? The knowledge supports the most important reaction from the team: an emotional connection to the product and brand.
Find a story this week. You don’t have to be a rideshare driver. Simply observe life and invest yourself in the other person.
Ron Harrell
As the Principal StoryFinder at Harrell Media Group, I offer Brand, Leadership, and Talent development to groups who want to grow beyond the obvious. I’m available for public speaking and workshop engagements.
Contact me for a free No Copy & Paste review.
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