Have You Addressed The Big Elephant In The Room?

When was the last time you truly listened to a captain's welcome announcement on a plane?

Last week, flying from New York to Florida, Captain Ian Wallace of @United Airlines came out of the cockpit before the doors closed. He grabbed the intercom and filled the aisle with his hulking presence. Looking directly at us, he welcomed us to his flight in his booming voice. He had our full attention.

Then, he dared to go where many don't go—he addressed the elephant in the room. With more humor than I can convey now, he said, “Listen, we’ve all heard about the increased incidence of rude behavior in the air. We're not going to have this on our flight. So, if anybody feels that there might be a little chance that they may succumb to rude behavior, please let us know now, and we'll make alternative arrangements for you.”

Ladies and gentlemen, everyone on that plane gave him a rousing ovation. Why? Because he tackled the issue everyone was already thinking about—and did it with humor. He disarmed us, made us all feel safe and secure, and reassured us that someone was in charge.

Now, think about a salesperson who promised delivery to a customer. His vendor screws up, he can't deliver on time. Does the salesperson make that dreaded phone call right away or wait, hoping for a miracle? Most wait, because they are afraid of that call. But what they’re really doing is robbing the customer of time to make alternative arrangements.

The more you address the big elephant in the room, the more your customers will trust you, listen to you, and feel safe doing business with you.

Oh, and you might be asking yourself, Is this an act? Well, later in that flight, the flight attendant handed me one of Captain Wallace's business cards. On it was a personal note thanking me for my loyalty. A smile came across my face as I read it. This wasn’t the first time he’d done that. Captain Wallace gave me another thank-you card a few years ago. Class acts tend to repeat themselves.

#CaptainWallace #United #AddressBigElephantInRoom #VelocityMindset #mindset #sales #leadership #speaker #SalesSpeaker #LeadershipSpeaker #MotivationalSpeaker #TransformationalSpeaker #KeynoteSpeaker #PublicSpeaker