The Go-Giver Mentality

“Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.” Bob Burg, author of The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea.

If you are not familiar with this little book, then this is a perfect time to pick it up. Whether in reference to referral partners or clients themselves, people respond much more positively when you focus on “giving” rather than on “getting”. It is not only a more positive way to live your life and conduct your business but also can be more profitable. People remember “givers” and would rather do business with them.

During this time when so many lives and businesses are feeling the challenge, it is an excellent time to see how you can serve your clients rather than panic if they are delaying or putting projects on hold. One or all of the following are probably your clients: Families with children who have to remain at home, older clients who may have been told to self-isolate, families who are caregivers with both children and older family members at home, business people working from home, and of course clients who have had to cancel travel plans.

All of these situations give you an opportunity to be a “go-giver”. Remember that ideal client profile we keep stressing? Well, use that to identify what they would most enjoy and that is what you can deliver or have delivered. What if you have a “movie/game day basket” delivered – with a variety of fun movies, and/or games, puzzles, popcorn, and maybe some other snack items. Talk to a local bakery and have them put together a breakfast coffee basket – or an afternoon tea basket. Is there a business in town that would put together a wine and cheese basket? How about a spa basket for a relaxing home spa day. Or a “baking basket” that contains recipes and ingredients for several days of baking – particularly if they have children and grandparents at home who might be able to do this together. And maybe include a list of additional creative ideas – such as a list of museums that offer virtual tours (just Google) or other creative ideas. Again, just Google.

Work with local businesses if you can. Or you can create the basket and deliver it yourself with a fun note – you can always leave it on their doorstep and then text them. Share why you are doing this with local businesses – you want to support them and also help lift the spirits of your clients. If your clients are not local, then you can still contact local businesses in their community to deliver some of these items.

As problem solvers, even if you have design projects that are stalled, this is a wonderful opportunity for you to use your creativity to think of ways to reach out to your clients and help them deal with this challenging period. And be ready to send them a note when things are back to normal – maybe a “welcome back to the world” note.