Tissue Paper

"Let's engage in a role-playing exercise. Imagine I'm the customer, and you're attempting to sell me, for instance, this tissue box." The CEO handed me a tissue paper box. During a failed interview, I gleaned a crucial lesson as I explained before – focusing on desires rather than unwarted. However, this wasn't the sole takeaway from that encounter.

With an MBA and extensive experience in a leading metal producer as a marketing and customer quality lead, I seemed an ideal candidate for the position. However, the hiring manager surprised me with insightful questions.

Holding a tissue box, I contemplated the vast contrast between selling a tissue box and metric tons of metals. Striving to align my mindset with the role of a sales and marketing manager for a metal fabrication company, I detailed the attributes of a quality tissue brand, attempting to persuade him to make a purchase. Despite my efforts, he proved a challenging customer, listing numerous excuses not to buy the product. Reflecting on this after the interview, I recalled a vital lesson from my marketing courses. This lesson extends beyond marketing and applies to various situations, both professional and personal:

"Regardless of your role, always prioritize your audience by asking pertinent questions about their actual needs, actively listening, and then crafting the best solutions. Be prepared to introduce them to your competitors if you can't immediately meet their needs."

This constitutes my second lesson from that enigmatic encounter. Please review the Image of this post. What is the overlapped area, and how can we enhance ourselves by focusing on these concepts? I would appreciate your insights.