The series of posts that Robert Middleton is currently running on his More Clients Blog are pretty interesting, and bring up a couple of issues that are well worth mentioning. The other day I blogged about Greed, Selfishness and the Pursuit of Clients…today I’d like to talk more another Middleton point, contribution; which leads me to think about “giving” and “getting”.
It’s funny, I’ve worked with people who’ve done far too much getting and far too little giving. But on the other hand, I’ve also worked with people who give away much too much and undermine themselves by doing so.
On the getting side, there are those who are far more interested in what one can get from a business relationship than what one gives. Case in point the new villans of our society, unethical mortgage companies who made it far too easy to get mortgages that people couldn’t really afford, and then sold them on to other companies, who knew that there were bad mortgages there, but didn’t care because they knew they’d just pass them along to the next company. But is that how we build good will and instill trust?
Isn’t giving more important than taking? The international business networking organization BNI is so aware of the importance of giving, that their motto and core principal of their business is “givers gain”.
The other extreme are people who just give too much. Those who feel conflicted about charging what they’re worth, and don’t set strong enough boundaries and give too much away. This may be good for clients who are interested in “getting” but dangerous for the service provider, who may develop resentments against the very clients they have willingly given too much to.
As someone who provides professional services, it’s very important to me that my clients get value from my services. Sure, they’re paying me for it, but I like to go the extra mile to help ensure that they’re getting the results they’re looking for.
Does this cost me anything? Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. From time to time I’ll spend a little extra time with a client to help them through a difficult situation, make something easier for them, or provide some extra special support. I’ve built my reputation on it and it’s served me well.
Of course this doesn’t mean you don’t keep good boundaries, or should give too much away, you are in business after all to make a profit and should respect yourself enough to charge what you’re worth. But at the same time, make sure that you’re delivering value to your clients consistently.
In my mind, finding the right balance of giving vs getting is essential to good business.
What do you think?
Susan Martin, Business Sanity.
