Use This Incredible Secret
Like a person needs to breathe, a business will not survive without positive cash flow. Cash flows from providing services and products others need, or think they want. The secret lies in learning what people want and then helping them get to where they would like to be. It's about giving; attention, counsel, education, empathy, services and products that others value. The word 'sell' comes from the Old English word, 'sellan', which means 'to give'. The incredible secret is it's possible to thrive and create a great life by living with generosity. It turns out that being a giving person is not just an agreeable idea, it's also quite practical. Giving creates a swelling tide that raises all ships. Use this approach and not only your business, but your life will be successful rich and joyful.
Good Business and a Good Life are about Giving
Regardless who you are, or your product or service, people will be interested (or not) because of how you make them feel. They want to be uplifted, encouraged, and changed in some way. This is a genuinely sound principle that applies everywhere in life; in your friendships, in your marriage, in your business, anywhere. True worth is determined by how much more you give than receive. According to 'The Magnificent Obsession' (a 1929 Lloyd C. Douglas) the practice of doing good deeds secretly reaps a spiritual power that allows you to reach your goals. Its plot is based on the Gospel of Matthew (Chapter 6:1-4): 'Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them, otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. That thy alms may be in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.'
Tools You Might Use
1. Create Value: Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment. Providing context demonstrates it. It's not semantics. Value is the relative worth to the user or beholder when compared to cost. You create value with excellence, consistency, attention, empathy and appreciation. How much more you provide than you are paid translates into excellence. Recognize price and value are not necessarily the same thing. By applying excellence to all areas of your trade and investing in everything you do you'll create a habit of excellence. It's a process of adding value to another life. A process of helping people get what they need and want. As Zig Ziglar said, "You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want."
2. Giving Giving actually works. The more you give, the more you have. Classic business works on the effort by keeping score. But there's more to business than debits and credits. Human relationships. Managing a relationship with a scorecard doesn't work. Relationships are the fabric of all business. In the economics of human interaction, spending does not deplete, it multiplies. What grows when you give it away? The more knowledge you give, the more you have. The same with appreciation, acknowledgement, wisdom, attention. The more you give away, the more you will have.
3. Money is the result. Good service leads to profits. Money is the echo. It's the thunder to value's lightning. Create value and money follows. Does your business make money? That's a bad first question. The first question should be, does it create value? There is a fundamental misunderstanding between self interest and altruism. Can you be acting for another's benefit and your own at the same time? That's a false dilemma. Not only are self-interest and altruism not in conflict, but they are two sides of the same coin. A true giver sees no conflict. It's a partnership of adding value for others, constantly and consistently.
4. Understand the Paradox: None of us are saints. Self interest is hard wired. People sometimes misunderstand this idea and see it as 'giving to get'. The point is to put others interests first as a stepping stone to serving your own interest. Knowing you are able to serve without an emotional attachment to the return. Very profitable things will begin to happen. You'll be amazed.
5. A Skill to Use - Focus, especially when times are tough. You are not at the mercy of forces beyond your control. By creating value for others you will make yourself so valuable that demand for you and your business will rise even when demand everywhere else is falling. It's a pragmatic principle, a determinant of your success. You cannot control what others do, but you do control what you do. You have a choice. The condition of your market is largely up to you. It's a state of mind. And, attitudes are contagious.
6. Influence. There is another law which can raise the first to a higher order or magnitude. Your income will be determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them. Touch lives! Want great people skills? Than be a person. Influence is determined by how abundantly you place others interests first. Genuine influence flows from your reputation. When Archimedes, the brilliant architect of ancient Greece, discovered the principle of leverage, he declared, 'Give me a place to stand, and I can move the world.' It's Steven Covey's 8th Habit. Reputation, moral authority. Put others interests first.
7. Authenticity: How do you become 'authentic'? The truth is being authentic is not something you become; it's something you already are. Simply embrace who you are. Closely related to authenticity is 'integrity.' The word integrity comes from the Latin in (not) and 'tangere' (to touch), meaning untouched or pristine, something in its original condition. It means being whole, and being whole means your words and actions are not separate things. It means saying what you do and doing what you say.
People will conduct business with, and refer business to those who have demonstrated their value. Build networks. Touch people's lives. Be 'authentic.' Stay open to new ideas. You'll never know where your greatest customer will come from.
Another secret? It's better that you work eighty hours a week at something you love than forty hours a week at something you hate. Passion is what matters most. You must love what you do in life. Your impact on others is in your hands. Wherever you are, you are in the right place to begin.
Some say the future cannot be predicted. Others say the only way to predict the future is to create it!
About Our Law Firm
We provide peace of mind by creating and managing structures that allow you to grow and protect your business, legacy, and personal wealth. "Where you'll be tomorrow, depends on what you do today."
Lechner Law Office, P.C.
Law and Professional Center
Orland Hills, Illinois 60487-4623
Paul Lechner Esq., CPA
Office: 708.460.6686
The Lechner Group, Ltd.
Business Advisory Services
The Lechner Group, Ltd. is a public accounting and business consulting firm focused on business counsel, transactional diligence, and tax advisory services. We add value to your business strategies by providing a combination of financial, audit, and tax expertise. Combined with legal services (which are provided separately by the Lechner Law Office, P.C.) we offer privately held business owners an attractive package of comprehensive services.
Find out more by calling Paul Lechner at 708.460.6686.
