Why ‘Always Be Giving’ is a Must for Every Business
Napoleon Hill once proclaimed in one of his famed lectures, “I don’t know of any one quality or trait that can get a person an opportunity quicker than to go out of his or her way to do somebody a favor.”
Always be giving — Go the extra mile.
Going the extra mile is another concept that has been a recurring theme of several Napoleon Hill’s teachings. The premise is simple; whatever you give out will come back to you (ten fold) — whether that action was well intended or not. He posits that going the extra mile has two outcomes; it makes you indispensable and it gives you a pleasant feeling — the latter of which he feels is adequate enough to make a habit.
Aside from the obvious shared benefits of doing good for good’s sake, there are other rewards to be had for entrepreneurs adopting this virtue.
Indispensability to your clients and to yourself. When the modus operandi of your business is to go above and beyond for your clients you establish yourself as being indispensable; mainly for your preference to exceed their expectations and in the process demonstrate your value. As you give the quality of service a priority, you can then expect your clients to pay accordingly. Surveys and anecdotal evidence also show that for most established businesses, referrals from previous and existing customers far outweigh any profits generated from prospecting new clients. Going the extra mile is a reminder that your individual clients aren’t one-off interactions, but rather the start of a relationship whose rewards you have yet to receive.
As the benefactor of going the extra mile, you embark on a journey that constantly challenges your last work. You begin to discover strengths and surpass your perceived abilities. Undoubtedly, you earn a confidence rooted in a history of exceeding your expectations, time and time again. And that is when the magic sparks. You will find that your limitations are just arbitrary suggestions authored by a negative mental attitude. Truly, anything you desire to accomplish in your business or otherwise you can achieve, with or without the reliance of others.
Always be giving — Give away your content.
Raise your value. Your existing customers shouldn’t be the only receivers of your going the extra mile. Distribute your content freely and efficiently to the benefit of others and you will begin to position yourself as an authority in your industry or service area. Consider underutilized and unchartered distribution channels to bring awareness to your brand and create direct access to your content. As predictably irrational as our human behavior is, people can’t always be expected to do what’s in their best interest — even when the steps to do so are handed to them in a 100-page book, 50-minute podcast, or long-winded blog post. Being the resource for all of your potential clients’ needs puts you at center stage as the expert. You win priority over others when the client is ready to respond to their wants — it’s a comparative advantage that you can’t afford to neglect.
Always be giving — Just because.
It feels good. The feeling of helping others who haven’t necessarily called upon your services or who would otherwise willingly accept less is priceless. More on this for a future post.
Always be giving — Because nobody else will do it.
Going the extra mile and giving without the expectation of receiving something in return is not always an easy habit to maintain — which is why these days it is a precious virtue. Therefore all that is needed to realize the benefits outlined above is to just put in a little bit more effort than the next human.
