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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for February 24, 2010
“Close the Loop”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
“Did you call her?”
“No, but the books are being sent to her.”
“Well call her!”
“Okay!”
That was my e-mail conversation with my daughter yesterday. A woman called me to order books from our ministry, and I turned it over to my daughter who takes care of such things. I told her to find out about the books, and to call the woman and let her know.
My daughter was very diligent and quick about getting the books sent to her, and after all, that’s what the woman wanted, right? She wanted the books, and she’s going to get the books.
But I wanted one more thing. I wanted my daughter to “close the loop.”
What does that mean, close the loop?
It means to close the information loop. See, my daughter and I both knew that the woman was going to get the books, but the woman didn’t know. Yes, she was going to get the books, but she also needed to know she was going to get the books. Otherwise she is left hanging, wondering what happened, wondering if she needs to call back. So to make her as comfortable as possible, we close the loop by contacting her and telling her exactly what is going on.
This is a wise business principle, but it works in all relationships, at home, at church, wherever.
When I send my wife a simple text message, she will text back, “Okay.” That closes the loop.
Yesterday I called a man’s cell phone and left him a message. It did not require a call back, but he called back anyway, just to let me know that he got the message. See how that closes the loop? Now I don’t have to wonder if he got the message.
Stuart Levine wrote a book called “Cut to the Chase: and 99 Other Rules to Liberate Yourself and Gain Back the Gift of Time.” And one of his 100 rules is Close the Loop.
When we don’t close the loop, people are left hanging. Levine says it’s not only distracting, but it subtly erodes relationships. But when we consistently close the loop, we build a reputation as a dependable professional.
Yesterday my oldest daughter was scheduled to pick up her new mattress at a department store. I said I would help, and told her to find out the hours for pickup. She called the store twice, left messages, and never heard back.
Now remember, she already paid for the mattress, and yesterday was the day they told her to come pick it up.
She finally called a third time and talked to a real human being who told her, “Oh, there is no one working the dock today, and you can’t pick up anything without a dock worker.”
Not only were we left hanging, but we had scheduled our day around this department store, only to find out we couldn’t pick up the mattress at all on the very day they chose. That is a severe example of not closing the loop.
“How did we ever win the war?” That’s what one old man used to say every time something like this happened. He was a veteran himself, and whenever he ran into unprofessional conduct he would say the same thing, “How did we ever win the war?” referring to World War II.
To close the loop means to keep the information flowing, keep people informed. That includes things like progress reports. Let people know where you are in the process.
If you say, “Hey, I’ll get with you this week about that,” and now it’s Wednesday, contact them and let them know you still plan to get with them. Otherwise they are left wondering, “Gee, is he going to get with me or not?”
This is an odd time we live in, because it’s never been so easy to contact people, and yet people are left hanging all the time.
Imagine dropping your car off to get new tires at the super department store. Then you wonder around the store, do some shopping, then come back when your tires are supposed to be done. Oh, guess what? They didn’t do anything because they didn’t have that exact tire in stock.
What? I was in your store. You asked for my cell number. You could have used the store intercom. For that matter you could have walked down the aisle and found me. But instead you just waited?
Again, another severe case of not closing the loop – of keeping information to yourself which leaves other people hanging.
Even something as simple as thank you notes closes the loop. People should never have to wonder, “Gee, did they get the gift I sent?”
We have cell phones and text messaging, e-mail and Facebook. It’s never been easier to contact people, and it’s important that we do.
Jesus told us to love our neighbor, and closing the loop does this. It relieves people of anxiety and concern, doubt and confusion. It moves them out of the fog of the unknown and into the light of being fully informed.
It’s professional, it’s good business, and it’s just the plain old good Christian thing to do.
So think how you can apply this principle to your life today, this very easy and effective principle of simply closing the loop.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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