Fire phasers! That’s the command that Captain Kirk would often give to his crew to thwart the latest threat to the Enterprise. As a business owner, much like the dear captain, sitting at the big desk is often like being at the helm of a star ship. Hundreds of requests daily pour in through emails, telephone, and in-person pop up meetings. These requests include: employee raises, charity donations, advertising opportunities, budget changes, inventory blow outs, etc etc. And what is the usual answer? NO, NO, NO!
Don’t be the next no! Get them out of their command post, away from the phaser trigger, and far from their crew that will dispatch you. If you can, meet with business owners outside of work, say a charity or a sporting event. A round of golf can get you plenty of face time and opportunity to talk. If they are on “the bridge”, they are often in battle mode.
Captain chair is a power position
If you can’t get them out of their office, then ask for a tour of their facility. Business owners are proud of their business and asking for their story and tour can really help you get to know them better. If all else fails, try to move to a conference room so they are not distracted by their computer and assistants.
Andy Cagnetta owns and operates Transworld Business Advisors www.tworld.com. He joined the company as a sales associate and later purchased it. Transworld is an international franchise business and franchise brokerage, with thousands of businesses for sale and franchisees in the United States and Internationally.