Last Monday I was driving out of Sydney headed to my home in the rural NSW countryside.
The drive is interesting, in that it is 130 kilometres of travel, with only five or six kilometres of traffic lights at the very beginning. After that it is all motorway and country roads.
Anyway, on this Monday, my entry chute onto a busy road in the early part of my journey brought me to a choice of two lanes.
In the right lane there was a line of five or six cars.
In the left lane which was shorter, there was only one vehicle, a large truck with a tipper.
It was obvious that all those drivers who chose to join the line on the right did not want to get stuck behind the tipper truck when the light turned green.
Interestingly, there was a small storage truck towards the front of the line in the right lane. It was smaller than the tipper truck.
Because of the length of the right lane line of cars, I chose to join the left side lane, right up behind the tipper truck.
What happened next?
The traffic lights changed to green, and the tipper truck took off.
It was obvious, from the motion of the tipper truck, that the tipper was actually empty, and the truck was not carrying a load.
The tipper actually accelerated away from the traffic lights much faster than the smaller storage truck in the adjacent right hand lane.
It was blatantly apparent to me that the storage truck was fully laden with a heavy cargo, causing it to accelerate very slowly.
More interesting was the fact that the tipper truck on the left actually outpaced a sedan that was in the right lane in front of the storage truck.
As the tipper truck passed the sedan in the right lane, I was able to change lanes from behind the tipper truck, into the right lane, and accelerate past the tipper.
Who would have known?
To the naked eye, and to the educated learner, the tipper truck looked like the vehicle NOT TO line up behind.
And the naked eyes, and the human minds of those who were choosing lanes, made the assessment that tipper truck would be laden rather than empty.
The lesson?
Things are not always as they seem.
In your dental practice, have you ever made the incorrect assessment that a poorly dressed patient may not be in a position to afford your treatment, and yet they actually were able to?
It is wise and prudent to NOT make rash assessments before you have gathered all of the relevant information.
In the case of the tipper truck, that may have been difficult to do [i.e. gather all of the information that the truck was unladen].
Many people jump to premature and incorrect conclusions and live to regret their hasty decisions.
Sometimes in business, it is better to hold the thought, rather than blurt out your first thought.
A good friend of mind called this the “second thought” process.
The “second thought” process is a very prudent skill to possess.
It is not one that comes naturally, but when learned, it is indeed a powerful asset to have in your armamentarium.
You must master the “second thought” process.
It will ensure your survival during these very competitive times.
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Don’t miss this once in a life-time opportunity to see and hear Linda speak first hand…
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Have you read my book , How To Build The Dental Practice of Your Dreams [Without Killing Yourself!] In Less Than Sixty Days.
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The Ultimate Patient Experience is a simple to build complete Customer Service system in itself that I developed that allowed me to create an extraordinary dental office in an ordinary Sydney suburb. If you’d like to know more, ask me about my free special report.
Email me at david@theupe.com
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