THE FOURTH DEGREE – THE RELATIONSHIP WITH SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCERS
Day in, day out, we have influencers on our business and our life all around us. It might be your accountant, your lawyer, your business coach, your personal fitness coach, or the guy who does your lawn.
With most of these individuals we engage them when we think we need them for the job we think we need them to do for us. But what if we gave them a bit more of a blank canvas? What if we said to them, “You’ve been helping me for years based on my instruction, or on the brief I gave you, but what more can you do for me to improve my quality of life or the way I deal with others in my life?”
You’ll be surprised how many of these guys have good ideas to share. We just don’t ask them to share them, nor in the normal course of business do they think to offer up anything more than we’ve asked for.
Over the years I’ve learnt to speak less to those I engage to help me in business and in life and listen more. By letting these influencers become more significant through their opportunity to contribute openly to the things I am dealing with in my life, I’ve been able to unlock far greater value from my relationships with them.
THE FIFTH DEGREE – THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY
We all know the power of the communities we work in, and how being part of those communities can drive sales to our door. But do you really offer your unrequited support to your community, or is there always a belief that you need to get something from what you give?
Over the years I have learnt to take a more altruistic approach when dealing with the communities I work in, in an effort to ensure that my presence in those communities is showing clearly that I have only one purpose. And that is to serve.
Next time you seek to engage your local communities, look only to serve, not to benefit. The result is that you’ll find the authenticity of that relationship can’t help but elevate you in your local area.
THE SIXTH DEGREE – THE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CLIENTS
Now here’s where it all comes together. You see, the relationship you develop with your clients is not one-dimensional, and in fact for it to have the substance you desire, all the five degrees of unity we’ve been talking about create the fabric of the sixth.
- If you are the true you, then you are projecting the passion, purpose and authenticity of a true professional.
- If you have the support of those you love, then your good days last longer, and your bad days are shorter.
- If you are open and honest with your peers, your reward for vulnerability will be the valuable commercial intelligence you receive to help you on your journey.
- If you understand how to truly harness the influencers that surround you, then you are opening yourself up to become more aware of your surroundings, and in turn more aware of how to harness the true value of the relationships you create.
- If you really want to become part of the communities you seek to serve then take a service attitude when forming those relationships. Show the community you really do care.
- Now that you are the true you, have the support of your greatest supporters, your peers, business influencers, and your community, then the collective energy of all of these relationships can only help to ultimately reward you with a stronger, more meaningful relationship with the clients you serve.
If you truly want to show your clients the love, then mastering the Six Degrees of Unity is your key to a marriage that will truly last, for better or for worse.
