“Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone?”

Joni Mitchell is right…

Too many times we only know about an opportunity after it happens.

A window opens and lets in a breeze of opportunities… And then it closes again.

It’s that period of time in which suitable action can achieve success.

But how can we identify this moment and do something in real time?

Maybe we never totally can, but here are three things we can do:

Seek first to understand.

Things are not always what they seem. But they can seem like they are when we become familiar with our surroundings and what we are seeing. This is especially true when it come to your foot traffic data.

We see it every day. A long-time customer decides to level up, reaches out to our team and improves their business.

All it usually takes is a step back to see things from a different point of view.

Know when to connect.

It is only once we have someone’s attention that we can effectively connect with them to deliver our message about how we can help them get what they are searching for…

…not by persuasion but through inspiration…

..through meaningful engagement at the peak of their attention, like when someone walks into your store for the first time, ready to buy.

Treat others the way you want to be treated. Better yet, treat others the way THEY want to be treated.

This is about empathy and respect.

There is tremendous power in unconditional respect. It opens the window for dignity and fairness, especially when someone does not expect it from you. The window of opportunity opens every time someone walks into your store and closes when they leave without connecting to a salesperson.

The key is to see when it happens and be ready to take action when it does.

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