More Success With Less
Several years ago I read a great book by Jay Abraham called “Getting everything you can from all you’ve got”. It is a good reminder to us all that we have endless resource around us that we can use but so often we fail to realise its hidden value.
Earlier this year, Les, my business partner and I relocated our office to the new futuristic B:Hive, an innovative flexible 5 story office complex at Smales Farm in Takapuna, Auckland. In summary the B:Hive is a very cleverly designed, shared serviced office space with maximum technology and flexibility, located in a beautifully landscaped park. A park that nurtures a sophisticated business community. A year on, the B:Hive continues to evolve from the collective aspirations and efforts of its occupants. After attending a recent B:Hive sponsored interview of Kevin Roberts and Craig Heatly and on listening to another tenant’s breakfast presentation, I remembered Jay’s advice. He promoted the value of looking for ways to trade time, knowledge and products with non-competing businesses to help each other succeed. He also advocated add on sales offers of other people’s products and services to your current customer base. A timely reminder that as business coaches, we should always look for opportunities to provide the complete answer to our clients and in doing so to cross-promote the relevant services of others. Another way to collaborate with a neighboring business is by sharing a common piece of equipment. Anything that creates a win for all parties will create a community with the impetus to help each other, which will in turn lead to shared success.
Over the last 40 years we have become impatient, expecting immediate results from our actions, often thinking that we can simply buy the answer we need. We say we are too busy to invest in our community and in everyone’s collaborative success, when this is exactly what we need to do. It is so easy to walk past the answers that are readily available, that can be easily implemented and instead be seduced by something that appears sexier, shinier, cleverer and instant. Changing this mindset may involve helping those around you before they can help you. It might start with investing 10 minutes a day to meet and learn what your customers, suppliers or neighbours do. You might decide to do this by inviting a handful of people at a time for coffee, or initiate an impromptu catchup walking from the car park. Don’t overthink it, just decide to take action and “Do It”. Whatever you do will be making a difference and as a consequence of that investment of caring, your deed will in time, often when you least expect it,
be reciprocated.
The following are three further ideas that you could implement, to contribute to your community, to be more successful – without spending any money:
Join a group
Better still join several; they are everywhere from Linkedin, Facebook, Neighbourly and Meetup (meetup.com). These could be joined as ways of broadening your worldview, involving yourself in areas that you are interested in, or currently working. Equally, they could represent customer types that could benefit from your product and service. My only advice to you would be to be clear as to what you want to achieve before you join a group, as they are as diverse as they are different. You need to join the right group to get the right results. You can go and visit multiple B&I type business networking groups, one or two times each without joining and they are all over town. Always look for ways to help people rather than selling to them, the outcomes will be vastly different.
Improve your understanding and ability to ask for what you want
This may sound ridiculously obvious but ensure you take the time to identify exactly what you do, what type of business you want and what you don’t want. Not only will this improve your own clarity it will make it easier for you to attract the right new customers. Practice by filming yourself answering these two questions: what do you do? What help do you need?
Task someone to convert any left over products and materials, knowledge products (i.e ebook, white papers), bi-products or under used labour into lead generation giveaways
This will encourage initial contact and engagement. Left over food and excess labour can be part of a community initiative i.e food dropped off at the overnight shelter. Such initiatives may be small but collectively they improve the culture of your organisation, which will improve staff moral, the vibe in the workplace and the way your business engages with people that are or have the potential to become customers.