My daughter asked me for a ‘Scruff a luv’ for Christmas.
I said no. I have no idea what it is or what it does, so why would I agree to get something that I know nothing about?
Anyway, I’m a push over for my kids so I went ahead and looked it up. It’s actually kind of cute–it is a little mystery ball of fluff and you “rescue” it (you know, by buying it at Target) and then wash it, comb it and the little fluffball you rescued is revealed. Is it a puppy? a kitty? a bunny? You won’t know unless you rescue it and nurse it to health. If you know me then you also know I’m a sucker for animals. Back in the day I even had to delete my Facebook account for a while because every time I saw a shelter on my feed I was trying to convince my husband to adopt more animals into our already full household of two dogs, three cats, and two babies…
OK! So now you know my hot button and now I know what the Scruff-a-luv is. And I agree with my little woman–yes it is freaking adorable. I like the idea and how it aligns with my feelings about animals. Lucky for the little lady, I came to that realization by myself and she didn’t need to pull her lawyer tactics out in order to get a little Scruff-a-luv under the tree. And let’s be real–in my head I already named it Scruffy.
How out of luck would my little kiddo be if I wasn’t such a sucker to do the research for her? It wouldn’t be a terrible set back, but she would be a little disappointed if Scruffy didn’t show up on Christmas. She would think about it every time the commercial came on. Maybe her friends would get them and bring them into school for show-and-tell. All these constant reminders of her little rescue pet that could have been, but never was.
Have you ever made a suggestion to a client, or asked for feedback from your spouse, and you feel like it fell on deaf ears? Like you could have solved “whatever-the-problem-was” if they just did what you said?
I like to break this down into: Awareness, Alignment, then Agreement.
It’s a little like asking for a Scruff-a-luv, right? Once I was aware, learned that is was cute, and then imagined Christmas with little Scruffy under the tree it became a no-brainer.
So– re-frame your solution. Allow your client to become aware. Align them with how your solution will be a benefit. Then ask for agreement.
Awareness: cute little stuffed animal my daughter wants for Christmas
Alignment: Fits my values
Agreement: Heck yes.
“Mom, check out this little guy–he’s called a Scruff-a-luv. Isn’t he so cute?? You rescue him, and take care of him, brush him, and cuddle him. Just like with our dogs! Can I have this for Christmas?”
“Oh my goodness, yes. Let’s name him Scruffy.”
Quigley Management Consulting LLC (c) 2018
Erica Q's Blog 