When win-learn occurs, I am simply communicating enough to see my clients perspective. The difficulty is that this communication has to be two way. People love to assume. It's easy and less costly. Assumptions kill because they are based on our perspective - OUR history, OUR resources, OUR pain, OUR, OUR, OURS, not thiers.
I'm talking to my sales rep and he's trying to sell me xyz product. As I talk to him a little further, I will ask him, why XYZ. I eventually find out that XYX gives kickback on the last quarter of the year. Knowing that, could I order an extra case of XYZ if he would give me a slight discount on my next shipment of ABC cleaner? Knowing this little bit about his sales cycle is important to him and I and eventually brings me into a win-learn situation.
I suffered a win-win loss several years ago. My competition took them because I failed to win-learn. I was delivering service just fine. I even surveyed my client a couple of years ago and he said, I was fine. Months dragged on since I heard from them. At the end of the second month, I paid a visit. I was told that they would not be needing my services any longer because another provider offered them a package deal that was very attractive for alot more money. When I look back I saw some signs that told me I was missing the mark. They wanted to spend money in one direction, and I was providing services in another. They didn't know how to express thier dissatisfaction, but eventually it resulted in a change. If I would have, could have OH, I should have... If I would have learned in the midst of my winning I would have known that I was running in a direction opposite the one they wanted to go!
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