I’m Gonna MAKE You Like Me

Today I went to a client’s house to drop off some documents. She is older (80 years old) and didn’t want her documents sent in the mail, and since our courier doesn’t go that far into the ‘burbs of Charlotte, I told Mr. BIL that I’d just go by and drop them off.

This client doesn’t like me much. She has been standoffish since the day I started working here. Almost to the point where she refuses to even talk to me on the phone when she calls. She BARELY smiled at me when she came in last week to update her estate planning documents.

So it was with trepidation that I headed over to her house around noon today.

Her house is GORGEOUS. It looks old, but I found out it’s only 20 years old. But when you drive up, it has the FEEL of a Georgian home and I honestly thought the house was 100 years old. I rang the doorbell and the woman’s daughter answered the door. She explained that her mother was upstairs and led me to an upper room where the client was waiting.

Her sitting room was delightful – 12 foot high ceilings (on the second floor!), sumptuous velvet curtains against butter yellow walls with a white chair rail circling the room. Tasteful antique furniture sprinkled the large room and deep, rich, red tones could be found in the patterns and rugs. Just a lovely, calming room.

I ended up sitting with the client for over 30 minutes talking about life, her daughter, her estranged son, her grandchild. We talked about the importance of family, and about Mr. BIL and what a good man he is. We talked about her latest injury (she fell a few days ago and spent most of Monday in doctors’ offices around town). At the end of the 30 minutes I told her I needed to head back to the office. She asked me to stay with her while she put the documents away, which she did in her bedroom (another beautifully decorated room). At that point I asked her how old the house was and was surprised when she said it was 20 years old. I told her she had impeccable taste and that she could come decorate my house anytime she wanted.

That’s what clinched it. The client LOVES ME NOW. As we shook hands she patted it gently and said, “Come back anytime – it was a pleasure talking with you.”

I’m IN!!! *lol* Hopefully this will mean she’ll actually call me by name instead of “Is this Mr. BIL’s secretary?”. And answer “I’m doing fine,” when I ask her how she is doing when she calls. And smile an honest smile when she visits the office. OH JOY!!!