Building Your Business to Benefit Others

I spent a rather intense 13 months studying under Jay Abraham, who is undoubtedly one of the best business mentors and strategists around today. He's called "America's Number One Marketing Wizard," and has significantly increased business growth for thousands of clients across hundreds of industries.

Mr. Abraham set high expectations for our accomplishments between each of the live strategy sessions, and called us on the carpet when we fell short - because he sincerely believed we could do better. His homework assignments were tough, and I think it was because he saw potential in us that we hadn't realized yet, and wanted to give us hope to reach our goals.

There were many lessons that I learned from those mastermind training sessions, and many that I need to revisit as my business evolves and grows. And, I believe, that's a critical point for businesses today - take some time to revisit what you've done in the past, find where you need to grow, and find the help you need to make it happen.

Probably the biggest lesson I learned from Mr. Abraham has given me the desire to strive for a high level of service in my business. Granted, I am human and fall short of my goal, but the important factor is to bounce back, learn from it, and do better next time.

Mr. Abraham calls it the "Strategy of Preeminence." Here is how I recall his definition of that term, which is the underlying foundation of success for many businesses when they take their vision to this level.

As a successful business leader, you exhibit the Strategy of Preeminence when you are emphatically authoritative as a trusted advisor in your market. You have empathy for your clients, and work to develop their trust in you. You commit to enriching your client's lives, and to give them hope.

Operating in this Strategy of Preeminence, you are NOT trying to sell your products or services or your best interest, but instead you are focusing all your attention on helping and protecting your client.

Mr. Abraham also helped me visualize my marketing terms, specifically between the words of "customer" vs. "client". A customer is defined as "someone who buys a commodity or service" while a client is "someone who's under the care and protection of another."

Can your business take the Strategy of Preeminence challenge?

• It is your responsibility to resolve problems for your client.
• You need to make a personal connection.
• You must make individuals feel special.
• Surprise and delight your clients from time to time.
• Always seek feedback and make improvements.
• Pay attention to details.

Take time to revisit how you have been serving your clients, how you have been marketing to them, and how you need to grow to make it better for them.