Go the Extra Mile
What would you do to grow?
Recently, the UpCloseTeam was asked a powerful question:
“If you could do one thing and do it well to reposition your business to grow, what would that one thing be?”
What could be more important in these changing times? We all need to keep growing. This is a question we all need to answer.
The answer is simple
The question we were asked is about helping a business grow. But the same question could be asked about personal growth, growth as a leader, or growth as a father, mother, or spouse.
No matter which question we are asking ourselves, the answer is the same. We achieve growth by committing to going the extra mile. It is only by taking the initiative to go above and beyond that we can achieve real growth.
Focus on 3 questions
To grow your business, you need to do one basic thing—get more customers. This is nothing new. Everyone in business knows how essential it is to have customers.
But do we know what brings customers in? Customers won't be attracted to your business, people won't be attracted to your organization, until they can be confident in the answers to 3 critical questions:
- Do you care for me?
- Can you help me?
- Can I trust you?
The power of caring more
Author Jeff Henderson wrote in his book "FOR – A Growth Strategy for Work, An Even Better Strategy for Life", to gain more loyal customers, as businesses we must learn to care more about our customers and employees than we care about the business.
This is not the usual focus, so it might feel uncomfortable. But as Jeff Henderson assures us, focusing on people could never be bad for the organization or the business. After all, people are the organization and the customers the business serves.
How to Grow Relationships
The key to growing a business is to turn new energy and focus on the people that make business possible. What does that mean? It means finding ways to go the extra mile.
A Step Ahead Prosthetics
My brother, Kerry, regularly sends us quotes and inspiring videos. We look forward to them. His share this week was especially heartwarming, not only to us but to the hundreds of thousands of others who viewed it as well.
He sent us a video about a mother named Courtney Bennett. Her daughter, Emma, has a prosthetic leg. You could call Courtney Bennet a raving fan and why wouldn't she be? The company who made the prosthetic leg for her daughter changed their life. Courtney Bennett sent a letter of appreciation to A Step Ahead Prosthetics to thank them for the prosthetic leg.
In many businesses, the story might have ended there. They might have posted the acknowledgement on their website and that would be that. A Step Ahead Prosthetics knows the importance of going the extra mile. That's why they did more than acknowledge a mother's heartfelt appreciation. They went out of their way to partner with a doll maker to have a doll with a prosthetic leg made and sent it to her daughter.
A Step Ahead Prosthetics puts people first and the good feelings that result have spread far and wide. The mission of this company is to "Give individuals with limb loss the tools, information, and resources necessary to achieve their goals." We love their motto too: "Making A Difference with Every Step."
The Power of Caring
Because of what the company undertook to do, there are now countless raving fans, telling countless people about A Step Ahead Prosthetics. The UpCloseTeam is one of them. There is no more powerful way to help a business grow. Because they cared not only about potential customers, but satisfied customers as well, they earned the trust of countless new customers and supporters. They didn't do this by delivering the usual. They did this by going above and beyond.
Find out for yourself
Check out the video for yourself. A person cannot help but be moved by this act of kindness.
As you watch the video, we encourage you to:
- Think about your customers and potential customers.
- Identify their true needs. If you don't know, how can you find out?
- List two or three customers, their needs, and how you will go the extra mile to show you are a business they can trust.
As Napoleon Hill said, "Start going the extra mile and opportunity will follow you."
Your Friends,
The UpCloseTeam
