Putting People First is Good Business

This morning I received a telephone call from a neighbor. It awakened me but I am glad I answered. She had a dilemma. In backing out of her garage, she accidentally knocked her adult son's motorcycle over. Not wanting to be yelled at, instead of awakening her son or husband she called me.

My youth has long-since passed, but I managed to get the bike upright, checked it out (seemed OK) and chatted with her for a while. It goes without saying, she was relieved that her son would find his precious bike the way he left it.

When the phone rang and I heard the request, my first reaction was, "Why me?" Fortunately, I swallowed my self-pity, got out of bed and spent five minutes putting someone else first. After the initial shock, I felt privileged and honored to be awakened for this reason. Not only do I feel good about helping, but doing so confirms my business philosophy, which I built "Lead With Your Heart" around.

There are many example of businesses putting people first.

• Dell does it with its social media efforts;
• Starbucks does it by treating everyone as if he or she is the only customer;
• Microsoft does it with superior tech support;
• Bloggers such as Drew McLellan and Stephen Denny do it by giving away great marketing advice and recommendations; Valeria Maltoni does it with her incredible analysis of marketing and communications strategies; Toby Bloomberg does it with interviews of smart folks who help us grow by providing their thoughts and ideas; CK does it by sharing her love for all things; and Ann Handley does it by caring about everyone she knows.

My points: When called upon to share openly in life and in business, our first reaction is fear.

• In our personal lives, we are protective of our time, often afraid we might be taken advantage of, and, like the bumper sticker, we'd rather be sailing than giving away our sweat equity.
• In business, if we give it away, our competitors will know what we are doing. (BTW: They already do. Worry about what you can do, not about what they might do, which you have no control over.) And if we give what we know away, potential clients will do it themselves. (They might but when their execution fails, you will be the one they call.

Here's the bottom line: Giving results in getting. If you've ever given it away, you know of what I speak. If you haven't, give it a shot. People like and like to do business with those they trust and those who have integrity. Sharing ourselves and what we know is the best way to build a trusting relationship, and it doesn't hurt profits.