Welcome to the Week… A Girl Walks into a Bar...

I recently attended a digital marketing seminar where the presenter shared two stories involving a brewery.?

The first story goes like this:

• A girl walks into a brewery and has a great experience.
• She enjoys a couple of beers and chats with the bartender, who is pouring frosty cold homemade brew into a chilled frozen glass.
• The girl says to the bartender, “You have such a great brewery here, friendly people working, great drinks, comfortable places to hang out, awesome music, and a ton of natural light.”
• The bartender, who is also the manager, responds, “That is so nice of you to say, thank you. I really appreciate it. By any chance, would you mind helping us out by writing a review? It would really help our growing brewery.”
• The customer replies, “I would be happy to, no problem.”

Now, change up the story:

• A girl walks into a brewery and has a great experience.
• She enjoys a couple of beers and chats with the bartender, who is pouring frosty cold homemade brew into a chilled frozen glass.
• The girl says to the bartender, “You have such a great brewery here, friendly people working, great drinks, comfortable places to hang out, awesome music, and a ton of natural light.”
• The bartender, who is also the manager, responds, “That is so nice of you to say, thank you. By any chance, could I pay you $1 for every customer you tell about our brewery?”
• The customer replies, “Sorry (but thinking f off) my time is worth more than that!”

What’s the difference between the two? Why is the second one so negative? In the first, the bartender wasn’t offering any monetary incentive, while in the second, he did.

The difference is massive and comes down to two words: Trust & Appreciation. Trust and Appreciation are two of the most important ingredients in any relationship.

In the first story, the bartender built a connection with the girl and developed trust by asking for a review and deepening it with gratitude.

In the second story, the bartender, without knowing it, turned a glimmer of trust into a transaction. When people want to help, they help. But when people ask for help and turn it into a transaction, people often recoil.

When people ask for help, as long as trust is established, it is the least transactional type of relationship. Trust is built on a genuine connection, and when gratitude and appreciation are infused into it, the bond deepens.

As you approach this week, where in your world can you deepen trust and appreciation?? With your team, your customers, your family? The opportunities are boundless.?

We are all going to need help in life at some point, and when you do, ask for it genuinely. You will find that in this world with a community of nearly 8 billion community members, the best thing we can do is help one another and not make it so transactional.

Go Feed Your Journey,

David