Occasionally, if you’re lucky, you’ll meet someone who embodies the art of persuasion. Someone who can take a sure-fire disaster and convert it into a winning outcome.
My friend Jim is such a person, and I’d like to share his story.
Jim is the chair of the Corporate Fundraising Committee for the Toronto Summer Music Festival and Academy, a relatively-new festival which brings world-renowned classical music performers and up-and-coming (but remarkably accomplished) students to Toronto in the summer for concerts and master classes.
A few months ago he had the unenviable task of telling one of the long-standing hotel partners that, for various reasons, the Festival was moving its business to another hotel (and, at a few thousand dollars, this was not an insignificant loss.)
As you can imagine, the person to whom Jim broke the news – someone with whom Jim had developed a personal relationship over the 4 preceding years of the Festival – took it hard. He was hurt. He said to Jim, “You’re welcome to stay and finish your breakfast, but if you’ll excuse me I’m going to return to my office as we have nothing left to talk about.”
What would you do if faced with such an uncomfortable situation? I would have probably apologized profusely and meekly, letting him go back to his office upset while staring glumly at my orange slices.
But not Jim.
Instead, he asked, “Why can’t we still stay and have breakfast together?”
The hotel guy answered bitterly, “What is there to talk about?”
Would you still persist?
Jim did. He suggested they talk about common interests: the hotel guy’s recent travels, their mutual love of music.
After some initial stiffness, Jim continued on as his normal self, and before you knew it they were smiling and friendly again. They shook hands, and a few weeks later Jim sent a follow up note on the Festival’s official letterhead once again apologizing for the termination of the business relationship.
Amazing, eh?
But it doesn’t end there.
A couple months later the hotel guy invites Jim’s jazz trio to play at a function the hotel is hosting for their top corporate clients.
Yes, that’s right.
Jim turned a disastrous situation into a job opportunity.
Are there lessons to be learned from Jim? Perhaps:
- Don’t throw in the towel without trying to salvage a situation.
- Show someone that you care about them personally. Business is business, but that doesn’t mean personal relationships have to suffer.
- If someone is upset, don’t necessarily take it personally. Try to find common ground.
- Work through the discomfort and be yourself.
Anyone else had a similar experience? What do you think are the learnings?
For more information, read Jim’s full story.
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