The “Selfish Businessperson” only considers how they can profit at the expense of others.  The “Generous Businessperson” allows others to succeed and recognizes that the success of clients and colleagues is necessary, both for their own success and in the pursuit of earning the loyalty of customers.

What behavior does the generous businessperson practice with their clients and colleagues?

• They remain aware of what they can do to help others succeed and act accordingly;
• They are generous with their time;
• They share their knowledge;
• They look for ways to help others & don’t wait to be asked for help, and;
• When asked for help, they don’t hesitate, waffle or deny their help.

Being generous isn’t always the easy way to conduct business. Being generous may not even be the most natural basis for a business relationship.  A businessperson may have their biggest initial success by being selfish – ruthless, in fact. Looking out for No. 1, profiting on every deal, never bending, always being in the position of strength might make you a millionaire, but it’s not the way to earn customer loyalty.

If a better business and a better life result when we seek long-lasting business relationships built on foundations of trust and honesty, then we should recognize that our business dealings must take others into account.  Business generosity recognizes that business success does not have to come at the expense of the success of our own clients and colleagues.  Rather, the success of our clients and colleagues allows us to achieve bigger and more longtime success…

Generous business conduct doesn’t mean discounting to eliminate fair profit; it simply means providing products and services that benefit clients without detriment.

Business generosity is simply the intentional conduct of an individual in business to help clients and colleagues succeed. Although this conduct is likely to have the selfish benefit of profit for the business, those profits should not be at the detriment of the client achieving their goals or the improvement of a colleague.

Why be selfish with clients and colleagues when being generous is better for business and earns the loyalty of customers?

When we help our clients solve problems by asking good questions, listening carefully to their answers and being creative when necessary, our clients receive good value and become more generous with their purchases.

When we roll up our sleeves and pitch in alongside colleagues, they benefit from the experience and knowledge we share, we improve our work environment, and they will be more generous with their support of our own efforts in the future.

When we are generous with others, everybody can win!

PS… “Business Generosity” is different from philanthropy. As we achieve success, we must also keep in mind the philanthropic responsibility of each person — and especially the business person.  That sort of generosity — that helps others outside of business — starts with finding a cause to support and then letting your conscience be your guide as to how you wish to proceed.  It is rewarding to promote awareness for a cause and to financially support that cause with benefits for the community.  Try it, you’ll like it!