Please Tell Me If I Stink

My Simple Method For Improving In Business And In Life

Please tell me if I stink!

Yes, you read that right. Yes, I want you to tell me if I stink. In fact, I need you to tell me if I stink. Let me explain.

When I was a little boy, there was a sister who attended our church. All things considered, this sister appeared to be a pretty nice person. She was very thoughtful and really cared about other people.

There was just one problem. Whenever she came around, this sister brought a terrible odor with her. In other words, she smelled really bad. ☹

Instead of saying something to her, most people simply avoided her altogether; or they just went away whenever she came around. This sad cycle continued, until one day, my mother, who was never one to mince words, asked this sister to meet her in the ladies’ room.

As I understand it, my mother first explained to the sister that she needed to talk to her about something because she truly cared about her. Then, she talked to her about the problem.

Now, you might think that this sister would be embarrassed or get upset with my mother. However, her reaction was quite the opposite. The sister actually thanked my mother for bringing it to her attention. She even said that she wished that someone had said something sooner. Then, most importantly, she did something about it.

Almost overnight, the sister stopped smelling bad. In those days, children didn’t get into “grown folks’ business”, so I don’t know what she did or how she did it. I just know that the terrible odor went away. Thank God!

After that, people started hanging out with the sister. They allowed her to get much closer to them. They were much more friendly to her. They spent much more time around her. They got to know her much better. They started building relationships with her. In other words, things worked out a lot better for everyone involved.

Yes, things got a lot better in a hurry. However, in order for that to happen, someone (in this case, my mother) had to say something; or the sister may never have known that she smelled bad.

And that’s just the way it is in business — and in life. Many times, without even knowing it, we are doing something, saying something or offering something that plain, old, stinks. Sometimes, it’s downright offensive — but no one tells us.

People just stay away from us. They don’t “hang out” with us. Prospects stay away from us. Customers stay away from us. Would-be friends and associates stay away from us.

And we never have a clue why it is happening; or sometimes, even that it is happening at all. As a result, we don’t solve the problem. We just keep on going as is.

Somewhere along the way, whether it’s in your business or your personal life, it helps to have at least one person (hopefully more) who cares enough to say something to you.

And it helps if you care enough to listen (without getting offended or defensive) and take action to get better.

In other words, sometimes, you need to drop your pride and clean up your act, so you don’t stink! No, check that. We need to drop our pride and clean up our acts so we don’t stink.

I say “we” because this includes all of us. No one gets a pass. No one. And the truth is, no one who truly cares about the people that they serve in business (or hang out with in their personal life) would want a pass.

Truly mature, responsible, caring, sharing individuals all want to know if and when they stink. Why? As the old saying goes, “Knowing is half the battle.”

Once you know that you “stink”, you can go about the all-important business of “getting fresh and clean”. Once you are fresh, clean and smelling sweet, so to speak, prospects, customers, friends and others will be much more likely to “hang out” with you.

They will give you more chances to get close to them, build a rapport with them and earn their trust. As for prospects and customers, they will also give you more chances to help them (and earn their business).

Let me say this again, to make sure it sinks in. This does not apply to business situations only. It works like a charm in just about every area of life.

Since no one really likes to hear that they “stink”, let me say it another way. This simple method for improvement in business and in life, is getting and using feedback.

We simply need to find out from those that we deal with what we need to improve upon. Then, we need to go about making the necessary improvements.

Once people care, and I mean truly care enough to tell you when you need to improve upon things, and once you truly care enough to use that information in order to improve, you will open up many more doors and find many opportunities for others and for yourself.

It really is a thing of beauty — and that doesn’t stink.

There. You see? Having someone tell you that you stink doesn’t have to be all bad. True, it might sting a little, at first. But after that small bit of “pain”, everyone involved can reap some beautiful rewards.

By the way, you should always keep in mind that anyone who tells you that you “stink” just so they can be mean and nasty to you doesn’t deserve your time, your energy or your attention.

My advice? Do what I do. Ignore those people. Unfortunately, for whatever reason(s), they are miserable. I don’t and won’t allow them to transfer their misery to me — and neither should you.

Instead, you should focus on the constructive criticism and feedback that you get from people who really care about helping you improve. Believe me, you will quickly figure out who truly cares and who does not. Then you can use what you learn to benefit others and yourself.

Now you understand some of the reasons why I’m asking you to tell me if I stink. It helps my prospects. It helps my customers. It helps me, both professionally and personally. Why? Because it helps me to grow and improve.

So, before I go, I’ll ask one more time. Please tell me if I stink — because I really need to know. You can reach me at [email protected]

Oh and please, don’t just tell me that I stink. Tell my why I stink. That way, I’ll know why, what, when and where I need to clean up. Cool? Cool.

Of course, you can tell me if I smell good, too. I promise, I won’t get upset. 😊