Who said this…..”Extraordinary, my dear Holmes!”?
Yes, Dr.Watson, Sherlock Holmes’ faithful companion.
Holmes was one of the most famous “observers” in history. His observation of seemingly trivial things enabled him to solve vexing mysteries.
Harvey Mackay points out that one of the qualities of successful people is keen observation of things about them. Unfortunately, many of us go thru life with our eyes half closed.
Your developed eyes enable you to be the experts you are in your field. Dr. Lenny Rosenblum, a great chiropractor can observe the way you are standing and know how it effects your back, your pain and even your organs. Jordan Metzger and our other great lawyers can observe pages of letters and words and pick out damaging clauses in a contract. Each of us have vision in our fields but we can also sharpen our skills in observing marketing opportunities for ourselves, our NYC Group-mates and other referral partners. Listen to the “needs” that people express, the descriptions of their goals…..and the things they need to get there. Fill those voids or refer them to those people who can.
You all know what you do and what you see. What are you not seeing? The clues are there, if we truly look.
Look for the missing clues that will identify new audiences for your work and new methods to reach those audiences. Develop new products, playing on your strengths.
A charcoal briquette company bought a fire wood company because one was a summer business and the other for winter, and they can alternate the use of the same shelf space.
Mackay says, good observers filter out preconceptions and prejudices so that they see things as they are, not just as they want them to be.
And his moral is “If what you see is what you get, make sure you are looking closely”.