Almost 10 years ago now, I founded an organization with “giving” at it’s core. Rainmakers, a simple premise of building “teams” of small businesses to help each other grow through referrals, accountability, shared best practices etc. Or as we like to call it “building strategic relationships”.
The first strategic relationship of the new world between the Native Americans and the pilgrims who immigrated here to avoid religious persecution.
The Indians were adept to farming and hunting in the somewhat unforgiving New England climate and the pilgrims had new technologies and culture to share with the Indians. They with all their differences realized the ultimate purpose of humanity and of ourselves is to be needed and to help each other by working together for greater results and prosperity.
To Be More, So We can Serve More.
We have all heard this before. I know this is one of those things we all “know”, but do we really? If you are a small business are you really working with others? Or are you of the mind that you are just competent in everything to survive and in doing so never create a chance for you to master anything for abundance.
Here is what I have seen working together has done in companies this year!
1. Hired a Sales Person to Assist with sales, pays for himself month one and generates profit every month after.
2. Hired a Office Manager that free one day a week for President company one day a week time.
3. Hired an SEO firm that multiplies the leads for organization by 3 times.
4. Hired an assistant to help w detail oriented punch list to improve productivity by 200%
5. Hired a marketing firm to improved client communications in frequency by 2 times a month from 2 times a year and grew revenue by 23%.
6. Hired a SVP of Sales and marketing and the company by 80% in one year.
7. Hired a Lead Generation Company to grow prospects set apt w/ 30 new targeted clients
.
8. Two Consultants merged to quadruple size of profit and grow business by 3 times.
9. Power Circle built double the size of to home services businesses
Here is my point. All these relationships started because one CEO, one business owner, one C-Level decision maker recognized that what the company needed to really grow was not in the organization. She found that what she needed was very unique and different but provide a great benefit to her organization.
Or she recognized that there must be some who new how to grow crops in this different kind of soil like the Pilgrims did and realized that she needed something different.
What does this have to do with Thanksgiving? To many times we wait till once a year to appreciate how we are different as a people.
Here is a simple survey to ask yourself if you are truly utilizing a strategic relationship with examples of how they can make dynamic impact in your organization that I have seen in the last year w/ some of my business-coaching clients:
1. What relationship in business can you not live with out? How about life?
2. What relationship catapulted you forward?
3. What person is has had the most positive impact in your business or your life?
And the million-dollar question!
