When you hear the phrase “it’s not about you” what comes to mind? Maybe you think about being told that it is better to give than to receive. Or maybe you think about your parents saying it to you as a child when you were asking them for something that you really didn’t need. We live in a society that tells us that we are the center of the world. We are taught to put ourselves first and focus on the things we want above all else. But what if that is the wrong way to go? What if that is the exact opposite of what we should do?
Last week I read and reviewed the book The Go-Giver. The major theme behind the book is that to be truly successful we need to look at things far differently than the world tells us to. The world says that we should look out for #1, but a Go-Giver would look out for others before themselves. The world tells us that you need to make as much money as possible, but a Go-Giver would focus on providing as much value as possible.
It’s a completely different way of looking at things. It means developing the mindset that other people come first, that you are here to serve them better than anyone else can. It’s being determined to have people walk away from an interaction with you saying “I can’t believe how great of a value that was. They could charge way more for that.”
3 ways to focus on the other person:
- Focus on the correct thing. Too many times we focus on the results. We focus on how much money we can make, when we should be focusing on how many people we can serve. You cannot directly control how much money you make, but you can control how many people you serve. The more people you serve the more money you make. Focus on serving others and the money will come.
- Provide more value than expected. Have you heard the saying “under promise and over deliver?” This is kinda like that, except you should still promise more than anyone else and still over deliver on that promise. Over promise and over deliver!
- Be sincere. Don’t just act like you are focused on the other person, when really you are focused on the sale. People can see through you if you aren’t being real. Become genuinely interested in the other person and focused on their needs. “Focus on the other person’s win.” (Quote from The Go-Giver)
No matter what you do for a living you deal with others in some aspect of your job. Maybe you deal with the consumer, or business partners. Maybe you just deal with the other employees in your company. If you make golf clubs, focus on making the best clubs the golfer that buys them has ever played with. If you sell retirement savings plans, make sure that you provide better service than your client has ever received.
Even in the case that you cannot satisfy the other persons need directly, focus on helping connect them with someone that can. When you go out of your way to provide great value and put the other person first you will reap the rewards. When you start treating people this way you will see that they start treating you the same way in return.
Focus on the other person. Its not about you!
Question: When was the last time you went out of your way to serve someone else? Join in on the conversation on Facebook or Twitter!
