Recognizing the differences between all individuals is key.

I am sitting in my usual chair at my Warner Center Echelon networking meeting on a cool Wednesday morning at Jerri Hemsworth’s office. Our meeting is skillfully led by Group Moderator Melissa Phillipp-Himes, who is a master of all thing’s insurance. It is a good hybrid meeting with members both in-person and on Zoom (thank you Kristen and Tom). Melissa asked those in attendance about how they market their services and how they connect to potential clients, either in-person, on Zoom, or at other networking events.

So, what exactly is the super-secret sauce that will result in bigger and better leads, more clients, and ultimately greater success?

Please note that I did not write “more money.” My observations in this meeting really showed me that success is defined as when you do one thing better than all the others. As a result, potential clients will seek you out for that expertise. They will reward you with greater status, greater recognition, and in some cases grant you access to greater resources (e.g. position, money).

To fully comprehend what is required, you must first accept some basics.

1 – There are unique and important differences between all people.
To be successful you must respect, embrace, and honor these differences. We all have different ways of looking at opportunities. Over the last 100,000 years, different groups, whether it’s men, women, children, seniors, students, professionals, athletes, etc., have all had to develop different strengths so that our personal and public communities would not only survive but continue to flourish. It’s important to recognize that what we define as “strengths” come in so many different forms.

2 – People won’t always respond the same way you would.
Given the same stimuli or set of facts, two people may respond or react to a situation differently. However, it is these incredible and magnificent differences that can create a synergy that makes all parties more successful. Understanding why someone is reacting or responding the way they are will open the door to new perspectives. Embrace those new perspectives and use them to your advantage.

3 – You must learn to control and master your ego and your emotions.
>Either one of those out of control will cause long-term, if not permanent damage to your reputation and potentially to your bottom line. You must develop the ability to use both your ego and emotions as tools and not as weapons if you want to be truly successful. Out of control ego and/or emotions used as weapons will ultimately lead you to make bad decisions in all aspects of your life, no exceptions.

4 – Learn, master, and implement the concept of gratitude.
We live in a world filled with expectations which only serve us as individuals. The problem with expectations is that they are easily broken or destroyed, which will lead to one of those emotional outbreaks. Expectations come from others; gratitude comes from within each of us. Practice it daily.

BOTTOM LINE

When you do business or contemplate doing business with another, believe it or not you are looking for something to connect to in the potential client or those that you admire. Why is it that you are drawn to some, indifferent to some, and “turned off” by some? What is it that drives your internal instincts to make this judgement call? The answer is simple. All of us are seeking 5 aspects in others: Honor, trust, loyalty, commitment, and respect. By accepting and practicing the tips mentioned above, these 5 aspects we seek should come easily and naturally. Think of people who you work with or are referred to all the time. Think of people you admire. What is it about them that you admire? Honor, trust, loyalty, commitment, and respect, guaranteed.

Gary Weiss

Gary is a graduate of the Marshall School of the University of Southern California. He founded and operates a boutique accounting firm dedicated to bringing high - quality tax preparation, tax planning and tax resolution services to individuals, small businesses, small nonprofits, family owned businesses and start-ups, at an extremely affordable price. Visit Gary Weiss CPA.