I came across this phenomenal article posted on Twitter by Patrick “Biz Coach” Daugherty that speaks to how I feel business should be run! I usually paraphrase my thoughts, but I want you to receive this message just as is. Enjoy and leave your thoughts in the comment section below!
In this day and age there is more of a dog-eat-dog mentality than ever when it comes to succeeding in business. From the financial markets to online marketing and even internet based network marketing; everyone is looking to take what they feel they deserve or looking for the new magic software that will give them the edge.
I am of the opinion however, that the obsession for “what will give you a leg up” is diminishing the perceived value of what really is the delineating factor in your business and that which determines your success or failure… That is; who you are inside and what you internally have to offer to make the world a better place for your target market.
Tim Sanders asks; are you wondering what the next killer app will be? Do you want to know how you can maintain and add to your value during these rapidly changing times? Are you wondering how the word love can even be used in the context of business?
Instead of wondering, you can learn out how to become a nice, smart person who uses love to succeed in business and in life. How do you do that? By sharing your intangibles. By that Tim means sharing:
1. Your knowledge
2. Your network
3. Your compassion
What happens when you do all this?
* You become a rich valuable source of information to all around you.
* You are seen as a person with valuable insight.
* You are perceived as generous to a fault, producing surprise and delight.
* You double your business intelligence in one year.
* You triple your network of personal relationships in two years.
* You quadruple the number of colleagues in your life who love you like family.
In short, you become one of those amazing, outstanding people to whom everyone turns, who leads rather than follows, who never runs out of ideas, contacts, or friendship. Here’s the real scoop: Nice guys don’t finish last. They rule!
Let me share a great excerpt from the book by Tim Sanders
What is love in business? Love is a matter of sharing your knowledge, your network of relationships, and your compassion – or any combination of the three. I have learned this lesson many times in life. Here’s a great example:
After missing my flight to San Jose, I realized my shoes were scuffed and needed a shine. So I wandered over to the shoe shine stand, where a young lady named Rosetta greeted me and got right to work. While polishing, she asked if I was a businessman, to which I proudly said, “Yes!” She then shared with me her desire to run a business of her own some day.
She explained that she was a single parent of three kids and she wanted to control her destiny as well as their future. She complained that business owners make all the money, and that she had more to offer than just a shine on shoes.
I immediately stopped reading the paper. I related to her aspirations. I looked in her right in the eyes and saw ambition, dignity, and fire. Thinking about the knowledge I could share with her, I suggested she read Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
I thought this book would give her a good perspective on people and business. I told her about Entrepreneur magazine, and all of the business opportunities in each issue. I also talked to her about her current business; running the household and running that stand.
“You have your own profit and loss statement, your own staff, and your own mission (to raise your kids). Basically, you’re You Inc.!” She understood my point, smiled, and talked to me about how she makes decisions regarding spending money on education versus entertainment, and she talked about the investment value of renting versus owning her home.
We agreed that everyone except total recluses conduct business, which means that everyone is a businessperson. The only difference is that the owner of the stand, for example, has a different set of problems–payroll, taxes, insurance, rent – than someone like Rosetta. So maybe, just maybe, she should study business first, and take the plunge with eyes wide open. I could tell she was enthused and I felt great taking a few minutes to talk with her, about her.
The day before I’d left on this trip my publisher sent me a hundred promotional flyers for my book to hand out whenever possible. As Rosetta finished my shoes, I had a brainstorm: I’ll hire her to pass out some of these flyers to her customers!
The flyers had the book cover, my picture, and a description of the book as well as my concept of love in business. So I gave Rosetta a big tip and asked if she’d help pass out these flyers, explaining to her that her stand was a powerful place to market a business book, and that she came in contract with powerful business people.
Rosetta was delighted. “I’ll do you better, ” she said. “I know all the stores managers in the airport as well as other shoe shine stand operators. I’ll give them some too. So please, may I have the entire stack?”
An hour later, running to my gate, I passed Rosetta’s stand where I saw her giving a flyer to one of her clients and talking up the book. She looked happier, she looked more fulfilled; her eyes were on fire!
The following week, I was running through DFW once more and noticed one of my flyers taped to a shoe shine stand – not Rosetta’s. When I ducked into a newsstand to get a copy of the Wall Street Journal, the cashier smiled at me and after some fumbling under the counter, produced another copy of the flyer. Actually, it was a copy of a copy – Rosetta was adding value and spreading the word. Good people were working hard for me, people whom I’ve never even met. The cashier wished me luck and told me that she couldn’t wait to display and sell the book.
All in all, I’ve learned that EVERYONE is powerful, EVERYONE has a story to tell, and EVERYONE is a business person. By sharing knowledge and compassion with Rosetta, I achieved word of mouth marketing in one of the most important nodes of the business world-an international airport.
I learned through notions like Seth Godin’s “Unleashing the Idea-virus” that people who travel can be very powerful sneezers, influencers, and gospel spreaders. I received an incredible return on investment for my time, compassion, and payment to Rosetta.
Don’t let your next Rosetta slip by. She may be the bright spot in your day-your number one teammate in the business of life………
After reading the above excerpt, I strongly encourage you to check out the NY Times Best seller “Love Is The Killer App” along with Tim’s new book “Today You Are Rich” about harnessing the power of total confidence and how your perspective plays a huge part in determining who is successful. I’m getting nothing from this, I just love them both.
Patrick “Biz Coach” Daugherty
http://thebizcoachblog.com/2405/the-business-principle-of-succeeding-by-consistently-giving-the-value-of-love
