Surrendering

We can’t possibly be knowledgeable about everything we buy.  On many levels, surrendering our control to experts is really what we desire.  I’ll give you an example.

I truly enjoy surrendering to a great waiter in a great restaurant.  A couple of years ago, my wife and I went to dinner with another couple in Dallas, and this dinner was actually our first time to meet the other couple in person.  Since then, we’ve all become good friends.

The experience began in very normal fashion, with cocktails.  As I perused the sushi menu, I quickly realized I had little to no knowledge about the items, their names, arrangements, etc.  I felt overwhelmed and anxious.  I had no idea what to order or what was good. 

The waitress came over, and after noticing our angst, immediately offered a different dining experience.  In lieu of the menu, she began to ask the table questions.  Questions about our preferences.  Did we like salty more than sweet.  Did we prefer raw over cooked.  Did we prefer certain textures.  Did we have any food allergies.  Thorough, but not annoying.  After a quick assessment, she proceeded to tell us what we should order, and in fact, said that she would begin ordering courses for us until we told her to stop.  Her expertise was apparent, and we all felt comfortable letting her tell us what to order.  We trusted her.

What happened over the next hour or so made a real impression on me.  Cool tastings of ocean trout, bigeye tuna, hot tastings of chicken in coconut milk, wagyu beef, and grilled sea bass.  The flavors and textures were amazing.  The way the dinner flowed, dish by dish, was flawless. 

By dessert, we were completely in her hands, and we had the perfect ending to one of the best meals I’ve had to this day.  Yes, my wife and I agree, it is still one of the best dinners we’ve ever had.  The thing is, we would not have gotten the same experience if the waitress had failed at gaining our trust and we had ordered on our own.  How was she able to gain our trust in such a short amount of time? 

1. She was obviously more knowledgeable on the subject matter than we were
2. She was confident
3. She was a good listener
4. She educated us

…..and most importantly

• She assessed OUR likes, OUR desires, OUR preferences instead of telling us about what she liked and what she preferred. 

In other words, she consciously made it her mission to put US first.  This is one of the reasons I remember this dinner so well.  It reminded me just how happy we can be when we surrender to experts and trust them to provide for us what we need and want.

In business, may we always strive to be this kind of expert for our prospects.

Here is the wonderful menu from the restaurant in Dallas.  If you are ever there, surrender to their expertise.  You won’t be disappointed.