My eight year old son gave me great advice! He is now away at school. But ten years ago, when he was eight I asked him for advice on a new venture. He nailed it then; I am using it again now. “Be nice; make a new friend.” I am still not sure if I am more impressed with his ability to re-package wisdom I had previously given him, or his prescient business insight at such an early age.

Be Nice
Relationships start with being nice. Nice to an eight year old starts with showing good manners. You share. You say please and thank you. You keep secrets. You say you’re sorry when things don’t go right. This is just like business. If you have a good or service that can help someone, you offer to share it. You also expect to benefit from the exchange! Please is a great word to use when asking for the order. Thank you is an even better word when both parties agree to do business. Successful professionals keep secrets when a prospect tells them about a problem that they can solve. By keeping a secret, the savvy professional gets more chances to solve more problems… and financially benefit. Most importantly, say you sorry when things don’t go right. A sales promise that can’t be kept takes advantage of the customer’s trust. That sales professional has just earned the right to not do business with that customer again. Living without repeat business is a business strategy heading straight to failure.

Make a New Friend
Good business is created by working with people that you enjoy. You should be honest with them and be pleasant company. You want them to enjoy your company so that they will want to spend time and money with you again. Consider how many sales programs include a step like, “build rapport”, or “establish trust”. It only makes sense that you can achieve more sales efficiency if you don’t have to repeat that step for additional revenue. Even the sales steps, “ask for referrals”, becomes easier to create benefits when your professional relationship progresses toward friendship.

In short, an eight-year old son, trying to help his dad, provided timeless wisdom to move dad forward in his career. What advice have you previously received that will propel you forward? I am taking my old lesson and delivering it to a new opportunity. I cannot wait to tell my son the results!

Glenn W Hunter
Principal of Hunter & Beyond
Managing Director of Mo Patton Sports, LLC