feelings. All spouses and secretaries have influence. Deal accordingly.
How to Get What You Wantby Timing!
When Alexander Graham Bell invented the phone, he and his comrades
had no use for such trite phrases as Hi, how ya doin? Bell and his boys
never just started spouting their ideas into their listeners ears. The first
words out of their mouths in those times were Can you talk? Bell and his
buddies were, of course, refering to technical capabilities.
Little did they know, more than a hundred years later, big winners
would use a form of that same greeting. Today, of course, Can you talk?
means Is it convenient to talk? Before launcing into conversation, they
always ask Is this a good time to chat? Did I catch you at a good time? Do
you have a minute to dicuss the widget account?
All folks have a Big Ben in their brain that determines how receptive
they are going to be to you and your ideas. When you mess with their
internal cuckoo clock, they wont listen to you. No matter how interesting
your information, or how pleasant your call, bad timing means bad results
for you.
Its not your fault. Whenever you call someone at home, you never know
whether she was sleeping or whether theres a fire raing in the kitchen stove.
Whenever you call someone at work, you
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never know whether hes got two hours to get a report in or whether the
big boss is not-so-patiently sitting on his desk.
Whenever you place a call, alwaysnot occasionally, not frquentlyalways
ask about your timing. Make it a habit. Make it a rule. Make it a self-
punishable crime if the first words out of your mouth dont concern the
convenience of your timing:
Hi, Joe, is this a good time to talk? Hello, Susan. Have you got a
minute? Hi, Carl, did I catch you good or did I catch you bad? Sam, do you
have a second for me to tell you about what
happened at the game last Saturday? There are many ways to say it, but
it all boils down to Is this
a good time to talk? My friend Barry, a broadcaster, accomplishes more
in a day
than most people do in a week. He came up with a clever coversational
device that ensures hell never shatter anyones emtional sundial. He calls it
What Color Is Your Time? Barry introduces the device by telling people hes
ooja
(Ooja)
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