“Is Joan nervous?”

I was sitting at the far end of a restaurant table, gathered with six friends for a bite to eat prior to a community chorus concert. Tim, sitting at the opposite end of the table, is partnered with Joan, one of the dozen altos in the chorus.

“She was practicing at the house through the afternoon today,” he said.

“How was that?” I asked.

“If you only hear the alto part, it’s hard to recognize the song.”

Food and drink arrived and the conversation shifted to topics of gardening (not much going on here in New England at this point), snowstorms, and the like.

The concert was terrific. Surprisingly good. The community chorus includes both normal people and former touring professionals. Supported by a four-piece band that didn’t overwhelm them, the chorus offered solid renditions of music ranging from Bob Dylan to The Beatles to Tom Petty to Queen.

After the show, chorus members with families and friends gathered for a reception.

When Joan joined us with hugs all around, she asked, “What did you think of the show?”

Tim responded, “It was great. You know…. when you were practicing just your part, I didn’t know about the other parts and I didn’t recognize some of the songs.”

She looked a bit deflated and I thought to myself: How many times have we heard clients say, “I didn’t know you did that” just after they’ve bought from someone else something we could have provided… because they didn’t know, right? The didn’t know about the “other parts” we could provide.

“Yeah, but once I heard everyone,” he countered, “I could hear where your part fit. You were wonderful. The chorus was wonderful!”

And, if you only hear the alto part, it’s hard to recognize the song.

Nick Miller and Clarity train banks and bankers to attract and develop deeper relationships with small businesses. Many more Sales Thoughts like this and a host of other articles and resources at https://clarityadvantage.com/knowledge-center/ .