The Hawk and the Fish: A Business Parable
The other day I was sitting on my porch reading the paper when all of a sudden, a fish fell right out of the sky and into my lawn. Confused, I looked around, convinced I was witnessing some elaborate prank.
But there it was. A live fish. In my yard. How did it get there? I wondered.
The mystery was solved seconds later when a hawk swooped down to reclaim its dinner (most likely its stolen dinner from a nearby fishing boat) This caught the attention of my dog, who leaped off the porch and charged the bird of prey.
Half amused and half alarmed, I watched the hawk and the dog circle and claw, bark and jump, each trying to intimidate the other off. All the while the fish just lay there. Forgotten.
That’s when it hit me. Maybe this whole bizarre thing was really a parable in disguise.
Some businesses work so hard to beat out the competition, they forget all about their fish the customer.
Eventually the dog tired out and the hawk gave up. If that fish had legs it could have walked itself right back to where it came from. And as I scooped the fish up into the newspaper and into the trash, I couldn’t help but relate it back to winning and losing in business.
It’s not always the lowest price or most aggressive sales pitch that makes the sale. In the end, the number one focus should be the fish, the customer.
(Not that any fish wants to be eaten, but work with me here.)
And when a client feels listened to and cared for, guess what? They’ll stick around. And they’ll tell their friends. Because that’s a story worth sharing.
Ready to connect with customers in a fresh way? We can help.
