I network a lot. I meet new people all the time. Some are business owners and some aren’t. As I get to know them, I begin to filter out who’s making business work and who’s not.
Now I don’t necessarily mean who has the most money…although that is a way to measure. What I’m pointing to are the people I meet who are consistently asking the question, “How can I help you”?
These gracious professionals are not coming up to me and shoving a business card in my face, asserting statements like “You really need to blah, blah, blah”, or immediately diving into how I can help them. No, these people are investing A LOT of energy in getting to know me and what keeps me up at night.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “I want it said of me by those who knew me best that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow”. This is what I see successful entrepreneurs doing. They are completely focused on how they can help me uncover a problem I don’t see today, create a solution to the problem that works for me (and it may not involve what they have to offer), and support me in taking action around that solution.
In effect, they are plucking thistles and planting flowers. Because who will I remember when I need or someone I know needs their product or service? I’ll remember the person who took time to tend to his or her garden of which I am part.
Looking for more great information on tending and nurturing your business garden, check out “What’s Love Got To Do With It“? and Bob Burg’s “Endless Referrals“.
Happy Gardening,
-Coach Preston
