Close the Year Out Strong with an Act of Kindness

It’s almost here. It took close to a year to arrive, but Christmas is almost upon us. It is so nice to receive gifts from loved ones. Whether it’s a new iPhone, a pair of snazzy socks or a year’s subscription to Success Magazine.  Receiving gifts can be so nice. I love it!

You know what else would be really nice? To develop a new business relationship just before the start of the New Year. Maybe form a new referral partnership. Or better yet, close out the year with a new client on the books. Oh my Lord, to finish the year with a bang!!!

Why not give that gift to someone else? And I’m not talking about connecting your financial advisor with yet another CPA. She’s got twenty or more CPA’s in her contact list already. How about connecting a financial advisor with a new client as a way to say Merry Christmas? Do you know a young couple that has recently gotten married? I’ll bet you they haven’t even thought about their future finances yet. Most newlyweds don’t.

Or as a way to say Happy Chanukah, why not connect your favorite realtor with a corporate recruiter? Recruiters often place people from all over the country – people that will now need a new home.

But wait, there’s more!

What if you were to consider someone in the business community that you don’t particularly like very much, and help them get a new client or a new referral source? WHAT??? That’s crazy talk!!!

Actually, no it’s not. Doing the right thing feels good. Doing acts of kindness helps build up our self esteem. I had a very low self-esteem at one time, and that’s one of the reasons I initially started becoming a connector. My first successful connection made me feel great! That made me want to do it again and again and again. It became like a drug. I love to connect people. I love the positive feelings I experience when I receive news that the connection was a success.

Sometimes I think of some of the most obscure connections for others. People in my network scratch their heads and say, “Why didn’t I ever think of that?” I can’t answer them. I’m just glad I did think of it for them.

Here’s my challenge for you this holiday season: identify at least one person in your business network and give them the gift of either a new client, a new referral source or a connection that would lead to a referral partnership. Be intentional about it.

If you identify someone you’d like to help but struggle to think of the right connection, email me, and we will figure it out together. Also, send me a note with your success stories. That could make for a great follow-up post.
joe@joenovara.com

Now go finish out your year with an act of kindness. You’ll enter 2016 feeling a little better about yourself.