The Booger
Before I became an entrepreneur, I worked for others. One of those jobs was at an auto dealership where my role as a service adviser had me dealing directly with the public. On one particularly busy morning, two hours into my shift, a customer mentioned I had something on my nose. I immediately wiped my nose and found the biggest, ugliest, most colorful booger hanging off the back of my hand. I was horrifically embarrassed with the thought of the last two hours worth of customers, s
tayed silent about my ugly booger hanging from the side of my nose. Embarrassed? Yes. Thankful for the alert? Absolutely.
For the previous two hours of non-stop interactions with dozens of customers, nobody had said a word about the booger. Only when this one brave soul mentioned my plight was I able to deal with an issue that I was completely unaware of. I appreciated his courage to speak up and say something uncomfortable; in so doing, he gave me the ability to correct my “problem.”
While I would never devote a blog to the topic of embarrassing bodily excretions, such as snot, I am using this “booger moment” for the sake of an analogy. (I also figured I’d get your attention with the word “booger”!) The fact is, we all have had (and will have again) booger moments. They may have been the result of something improper we said or wrote; something we ate; something we wore; a gesture we made; or something we invented. These booger moments are a bigger problem when we aren’t aware of the issue.
To be apprised of our boogers, even by a complete stranger, is something I believe we should appreciate. Don’t let your initial embarrassment bring on a defensive reaction in which you try to ridicule the person who brought the boogers presence to your attention.
You will probably have to fish for a tactful way of telling someone about their “booger,” but I think you’ll find most folks will actually be thankful. I know I always am.
A recent example of this was when a woman I didn’t know but with whom I’d struck up a conversation while we waited in line, mentioned that the label was protruding from the back of my sweater. She fixed it, mentioning that it was a pet peeve of hers. “I do this to anyone and everyone when I notice the clothing tag is sticking out,” she said. It was a small thing, but she fixed a problem for me and the result was that I looked better. I appreciated her candor.
Businesses have boogers and often aren’t even aware of them. Therefore, appreciate when a customer points out your business boogers. Say “thank you!” And then pay close attention to the matter. You may learn volumes, from which your business will benefit.
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Godspeed!
Your fellow-dreamer and doer,
Bruce D. Clark
If I can do it, anyone can!