RJ was kind enough to host an introductory sit down in his
conference room. We had agreed that when he moved to his new location that we
would begin a lead generating and nurturing campaign for his operation.

He was introducing me to the senior staff of a group he
thought I might be able to help as well as building his relationship with them.

Don, the CEO, and I started comparing notes and found that
we had similar views about running companies and the power of words backed by
singular actions.

We bounced from hand-written thank you notes to what is
stated in what I call “magic words.”

“Magic words?” asked Don.

“There are words that work like magic in interpersonal relationships,”
I said. “The best example I can give is as promised. When you tell someone that
you will take some action, do so and then advise them you have, simply starting
with the words as promised will tell them a lot about you. It says you do what you
say you will and you can be trusted to do so.”

Don chuckled and said, “Funny thing about that word promise. It is powerful… more powerful than one of the most used words in business.”

He had my attention so I used another of my magic words, “Oh?”

“Yes,” he continued. “As a young CEO I was having difficulty
getting my staff to hit the goals we had all agreed to. One day in a meeting I
was so frustrated I made them each personally promise to hit their targets.
Long story short, to this day I exact promises instead of goals. It
works.

When you and a colleague deliver on a promise there are three
winners: Your colleague, you, and most importantly, the customer.

A promise is personal. You can’t shine it on. It won’t go
away. A promise trumps a goal every time.”

I promised Don I would tell everyone I know.

This is a
start.

Jerry Fletcher is a man of his word. Learn more at www.JerryFletcher.com

Like stories with a point? Review the videos at his
professional speaker web site  www.NetworkingNinja.com