All of the Triad area of North Carolina was abuzz with the news that the casting crew of Deal or No Deal was coming into town on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at a local mall. Never answering the "call" before, my husband, Paul, and I decided it would be a fun experience. And who knows...we might even make it onto the show.
I am a big planner, so the Friday before the big day, I had our two small lawn chairs in the car, a bag filled with water and other necessities, and knew exactly what I was wearing on "the big day". As video email communications is my business, I naturally had the video camera packed as well. I envisioned a fun day of shooting some footage of the other "hopefuls", sitting in our little chairs, reading, and have a fun time of it. The forms we needed to fill out were filled out and ready. Of course, I put a lot of thought into the questions and only redid the form four times. Nevertheless, the forms were ready for our big chance at stardom....and dare I say...a million dollars.
We were up at 5:00 am and off to join the much braver, tougher, and younger souls, who had chosen to weather the elements (cold and yuckky) and had spent the entire night in the mall parking lot or by the doors for the chance to be one of the first groups allowed inside. We were off and excited...and then it happened...the first few drops of cold rain. Yes, we were surprised because the weather forecasters had predicted only a 20% chance of rain for Saturday. They must have meant a 20% chance that they would get it right.
By the time we made it to the mall, the rain was a steady downpour and it was cold. Nevertheless, we walked the mile-and-a-half to the end of the line, greeted the others in line in instant camaraderie, and began what would become our four hour wait in line. The weather was cold, windy, and rainy. Nevertheless, I saw no one leave the line. Probably because everyone was completely numb after the first hour. I also decided against my original plan of taking some fun video shoots of the crowd as was clear that no one was really having fun.
Four hours later we were inside the mall and just minutes away for our "casting call". The last four hours were forgotten and replaced with the excitement at a chance to play for the big money. Ok, that and having all my friends, clients, relatives...the world..see me on TV.
Finally, I found myself in front of the interviewer and ready for anything he asked. Or so I thought.
While waiting outside, we were told by those who had made it to the interview and were on their way home to thaw out that we should just be ourselves, do NOT mention Howie, or talk about the show, or talk about why we wanted to be on the show, etc. I heeded the advice and practiced over and over what I would say when interviewed. I was ready....or so I thought.
I had exactly 20 seconds to answer his question (he had a stopwatch). I saw his lips moving, and then pause, and I was "off to the races". I told him all about the time back in the late 70's that I dressed up as a farmer planting seeds, complete with bibb-overalls, gingham red and white shirt, straw hat, pumpkin seeds, and a toy hoe, and knocked on doors in an effort to promote my new real estate business, in an effort to express my creativity and fun personality, which would be a perfect fit for Deal or No Deal.
The problem was that it had nothing to do with the question that he asked me. He had asked me why I wanted to be on the show and what it would mean to me. This of course explained the blank stare on his face as I finished. My 20 seconds of fame turned out to be four hours and 20 seconds in vain. Any why? Because I was so busy thinking about how to answer the question I thought he would ask rather than listening to him and what he was really asking.
And this brings me to the part about blowing a business appointment. The experience with Deal or No Deal mirrors past unsuccessful business appointments that I have in the past. In both situations, I did my due diligence, I crossed all my t(s) and dotted my i(s), I had thoroughly went over the subject material several times, and weathered whatever "storms" to get to where I was going. And then I forgot to do the most important thing. I forgot to listen....really listen to what my prospective customer was saying. Consequently, I did not answer questions appropriately, and did not serve my prospective customer in the manner he deserved. Ultimately, I did not get the business from the customer.
So, while I did not make it to the show, and have no chance of winning $1M, The lesson I have learned about listening and understanding before answering questions, will certainly get me a little closer to earning that $1M.
Debbie Barth's professional background has mostly been in the administrative field. Debbie had the experienced living in Helsingborg Sweden for five years. She taught American English at Fokuniversitetet, Helsingborg, an extension of Lund University.
Upon coming to the United States, she was employed by a large company in Georgia as a project analyst, responsible for software conversions with major banking institutes. She is currently an executive assistant for the CEO of an insurance company in Greensboro, North Carolina.
She is the founder of NC Women's Network, and Network Shopping, as well as a publisher in Quikonnex. She is a member of Women's E-Commerce Association, International (WECAI).
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