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Transformed by Tony Robbins

The success of your business is driven by the energy you put into it. This is why personal transformation is so critically important.

When was the last time you felt unstoppable? Think back to a time in your life when you felt that you could do no wrong. When you felt that you were doing exactly what you were put on this earth to achieve. If you’re honest with yourself, it’s been far too long since you felt that way. But, the truth is, it’s all in your head. And the best part of this is that you can change your state of mind in an instant.

This weekend I was transformed. After four of the most intense and awe-inspiring days of my life, I can honestly say without an ounce of hesitation that I am who I was born to be; and I challenge you to do the same–specifically, to live your life to the absolute fullest and seize every moment and opportunity that is in front of you. It’s not nearly as hard as it might seem.

Before I go any further, let me fully acknowledge the Kool-Aid I’m guzzling. About a month ago, Lewis Schiff, co-founder of the New York Inc. Owners Council, presented me with the opportunity to join him for a Tony Robbins conference called Unleash the Power Within. If you haven’t attended one of Tony Robbins’s conferences, you owe it to yourself to check them out. I have been to hundreds of conferences in the past two decades and I tell you that there is nothing like the amazing event that Tony Robbins has created. It stands in a category all by itself.

The success of your business is driven by the energy you put into it. This is why personal transformation is so critically important. If you feel sluggish, tired, overwhelmed, and out of control, how can you possibly reach the peak performance your team and your customers expect of you? When you are feeling uncertain and lost, how can you possibly lead? The simple truth is, you can’t–at least, not effectively, anyway.

So what’s so transformational about the Tony Robbins Unleash the Power Within event? To quote Schiff, “Do you have at least 30 minutes for me to explain?” In a similar vein, I will do my best to summarize something that deserves more explanation than can be truly captured in this short article.

Would you believe that I’ve lost seven pounds in as many days? Or that I will drop 40 pounds in the next four months–extra weight that I’ve been carrying around for at least the past 10 years? Let’s be clear. This was in no way a conference about weight loss–it was about destroying your limiting beliefs and seeing the truth about who you really are. I’m not that fat guy I have seen in the mirror for so long. But somewhere along the line, I had created limiting beliefs that were self-destructive and not just about my weight.

We all have limiting beliefs that hold us back. It comes from that negative voice inside our heads that says the meanest and cruelest things that we would never say about someone else. You know what I’m talking about. “I’m not ________ enough.” I’m not … good enough, successful enough, strong enough, etc. And the worst voice of all is the one that says the people closest to me will judge me and they won’t love me. It’s all nonsense, but the longer we let that voice tell us whom we can’t be, we start to believe it and act accordingly.

I realize that all of this makes intellectual sense to you and that you probably feel that you can just change it yourself without going to an event like Unleash the Power Within. But here’s the thing. You haven’t. I know because I hadn’t. There was no mystery as to what my problems were–I just kept sabotaging my own efforts to change because I had these incredibly powerful limiting beliefs that prevented me from doing the things I knew I had to do. But never again. Not another moment will go by in my life when I feel powerless to change the things that need to change.

To quote Tony Robbins, “Now I am the Voice. I will LEAD, not follow. I will BELIEVE, not doubt. I will CREATE, not destroy. I am a Force for GOOD. I am a Leader. Defy the odds! Set a new standard! Step up!”

This is his mantra and it’s really great. I use it to help keep me centered and focused. There is, however, a substantial gap between knowing how to live and fully committing to the life you were born to lead. The difference is all about letting go of your limiting beliefs and internalizing the truth of who you really are. I am so grateful to Lewis Schiff for introducing me to this life-long transformation and to Tony Robbins for having the courage to “play full out.” I am and always will be a raving fan of Robbins and I urge you to check this out for yourself.

One last thing. If your life has been transformed by Robbins and you’re willing to share your story, please reach out to me on Twitter or leave a comment below. I know I’m not alone here and I would love the opportunity to listen to your story and even help you share it if you are so moved. Thank you! I appreciate your reading this article and sharing your story.

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Eradicating Your Limiting Beliefs

Eradicating your limiting beliefs is not just about seeing how those limiting beliefs have impacted your life up to now and are likely to continue to influence your future decisions. You need to experience enough emotional pain to want to remove those limiting beliefs and see the truth.

If you read my last article on Tony Robbins, you know that the key difference between the life you’re living now versus the life you were meant to live comes down to your own limiting beliefs. Somewhere along the line, you (inadvertently) subscribed to limiting beliefs both personally and professionally.

Examples of Personal Limiting Beliefs

  1. “I’m not pretty / handsome enough.”
  2. “I’m will never be as successful as ___________.”
  3. “I can’t find the time to work out every day. “I will never run a marathon.”
  4. “I won’t live past 80.”
  5. “Smoking is cool. Smoking relaxes me. I can quit smoking whenever I want to.”
  6. “I need coffee to wake up. Coffee gives me energy. Coffee keeps me going.”
  7. “Alcohol is a social lubricant. I need to drink to really party / celebrate.”

And these are just a few of the hundreds of limiting beliefs that we subconsciously pick up along our path to growth and they become manifest destiny. As Henry Ford said, “If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right!” And while these personal limiting beliefs hold us back from our personal growth and development, there are just as many professional versions.

Examples of Professional Limiting Beliefs

  1. “I could never build a billion dollar company.”
  2. “No one would invest that kind of money in my business.”
  3. “I’ll never get the level of talent I need; I can’t afford the best people in my industry.”
  4. “They would never want to partner with a company like us–especially at our size.”
  5. “Why would (s)he take a meeting with me?”
  6. “Reading and responding to email is a vital aspect of my business.”
  7. “We must be actively participating on every social media platform.”

And again, these are just a few of the hundreds examples to give you an idea of what we’re talking about. The trick is to identify the most destructive limiting beliefs for you and your business and eradicate them. How? There are several ways to do this, but one of the most effective ways is a process Tony Robbins calls the “Charles Dickens Process”–which is a visualization process that helps you really see clearly how you have been impacted in the past, the present and, if you don’t change, the future, given your limiting beliefs.

Eradicating your limiting beliefs is not just about seeing how those limiting beliefs have impacted your life up to now and are likely to continue to influence your future decisions. It’s not enough just to intellectually understand. You need to experience enough emotional pain to want to remove those limiting beliefs and see the truth. With every limiting belief, the truth will set you free.

For example, there is probably one person right now that could change the fortunes of your business. One limiting belief might be, “That person would never take a meeting with us.” And often that limiting belief is reinforced by the people around you. Rather than focusing on all the reasons that person won’t take a meeting with you, instead focus on the incredible value you can and will provide that person. Take a leap of faith. Find ways to give incredible value without asking for anything in return–or at the very least not up front. What could you do to forever change the life of the person you want to meet with? How could you make that person a raving fan?

As you think about all of these things, you will begin to see the truth and can act accordingly. Will you get stopped by his or her gatekeeper? Of course. That gatekeeper was put in place to stop the undetermined, unmotivated and unwilling from wasting that person’s time. So you MUST think differently. You can’t do what everyone else has done and expect different results. It won’t happen. Instead, use your brilliance to break through. Be creative. Be innovative. Be amazing. Be someone who simply can’t be ignored. Be so incredibly valuable to that person that they couldn’t imagine not meeting with you. And, most importantly, take action. Great ideas are abundant, but if you really want to stand out, you have to commit. You have to DO it–not just think it.

The most important difference between the successful and the hopeful can easily be seen by the actions that have (or have not) been taken. Many could, but the successful do. And that makes all the difference. So eradicate your limiting beliefs. If you don’t think you can do this on your own (which, in itself is a limiting belief) there are many people out there who can help you. When I went to Unleash the Power Within, I was ready for change and so I found exactly what I was looking for–and more. The key is to eradicate your limiting beliefs anyway you can. There’s a reason Inc recently named Tony Robbins the most powerful motivational speaker in the world. He lives his beliefs and has worked hard to eradicate his own limiting beliefs. You can, too. Once you do, you will be transformed.

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How Gratitude Spurs Growth

Think about all the people in your life that have made you who you are today. How many of them have you properly thanked? Most people will admit that they haven’t taken the time to share their gratitude with even the most important people in their life – let alone the people with whom they want to do business.

Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you? If not, then let me start by saying thank you for reading this article. If you choose to share it with others, I thank you in advance for that as well. Why? Because I am eternally grateful for each and every person who takes time out of their busy schedule to read, share and, in many cases, send their feedback to me.

My father-in-law, Richard Knies, is one of the happiest and most successful people I know. He chalks up his 50 years of marital bliss, at least in part, to a simple rule, “It’s more important to say ‘I appreciate you’ than ‘I love you’.” The first time I heard this, I was confused, so he elaborated. “Love has many definitions and interpretations, but gratitude is universal.”

In fact, the act of gratitude has been shown to lead to happiness. Take it from Tal Ben-Shahar, author of Happier, who notes that the simple act of keeping a “Gratitude Journal” has been shown to increase happiness levels in several psychological studies. This notion of gratitude leading to happiness was further reinforced in Guy Raz’s Simply Happy podcast on NPR’s TED Radio hour by David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk.

But how does gratitude spur growth in business?

Simply put, most people don’t take time to say thank you, so when you find the time to share your heart-felt gratitude, you stand out for the right reasons. Think about it. When was the last time you received a heart-felt thank you? It could have been in person, on the phone, in a hand written thank you note, or even in a non-automated email?

Think about all the people in your life that have made you who you are today. How many of them have you properly thanked? Most people will admit that they haven’t taken the time to share their gratitude with even the most important people in their life–let alone the people with whom they want to do business. When someone goes out of their way to acknowledge that something you did really had an impact, time stops–even if just for that moment while you take in someone’s gratitude.

I recently reached out to Gary Vaynerchuk and thanked him for relentlessly putting himself out there and inspiring thousands of people like myself to do the same. As part of the note, I acknowledged, “You will never know just how many lives you have positively influenced, nor will everyone tell you how much your insights, advice and energy has helped them. So on behalf of all those who don’t take the time to write and tell you how much you mean to them, I want you to know how much your efforts mean to me personally.” I ended with, “…if there is ever anything you need, just ask. You have given so much to the world, I’d love the opportunity to give back.”

I didn’t expect a response. I know how busy Gary Vaynerchuk is, but less than 48 hours later, I received a heartfelt response. Including an opportunity to help, which I will share with you here. If you’ve ever listened to, read or watched Gary Vaynerchuk, he is looking for ways to help grow his ASKGaryvee Show. I have committed to helping him. If you’d like an immediate opportunity to show your gratitude, please help spread the word about the ASKGaryvee Show.

And, of course, if there’s someone else in your life that has been instrumental to your personal growth and success, please take a few minutes to write, call or meet with that person. It will mean more than you know and will ultimately lead you to new opportunities for growth–both personally and professionally. Showing your gratitude also has the ancillary benefit of increasing your own happiness, which, in turn, attracts more incredible people and positive energy into your life. There really isn’t any downside to gratitude, which is why doing more of it will help you grow.

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How to Fail Your Way to the Top

Playing it safe is a path toward ‘me too’ products and irrelevancy.

As a company grows, often it becomes more averse to risk and failure. Mature companies are almost desperate for tried-and-true techniques to implement. The goal of fast-growth companies should be to learn from (and not to repeat) failures rather than “not to fail.”

A company that cultivates a culture in which it is OK to fail has a distinct competitive advantage, because we learn so much more from our failures than we ever do from our successes. When we succeed, we often apply 20-20 hindsight to rationalize our decisions and reasons for our success. As the saying goes, “Success has many parents, but failure is an orphan.” That is, many people will jump at the chance to take credit for success, but very few will accept responsibility for failure when it happens. That group-think dynamic is what holds many companies back.

Dr. Astro Teller currently oversees Google[x], which he describes as “Google’s moonshot factory for building magical, audacious ideas that through science and technology can be brought to reality.” In his Wired article he explains that:

It’s often easier to make something 10 times better than it is to make it 10 percent better.

Yes … really.

Because when you’re working to make things 10 percent better, you inevitably focus on the existing tools and assumptions, and on building on top of an existing solution that many people have already spent a lot of time thinking about. Such incremental progress is driven by extra effort, extra money, and extra resources. It’s tempting to feel improving things this way means we’re being good soldiers, with the grit and perseverance to continue where others may have failed–but most of the time we find ourselves stuck in the same old slog.

I’ve never been a fan of “fast follower” companies, but the idea that it’s easier to make something 10x better than 10 percent better seemed counterintuitive. The 10x efforts are about fundamentally changing the world–space travel, self-driving cars, wearable technology, and all the amazing ideas that win our hearts and minds. To accomplish these giant leaps forward, we not only have to be willing to fail but also “own” failure so that we can learn from it.

Rather than pay lip service to creativity, innovation, and substantive change, true leaders must be willing to own their failures, lead by example, and be brave enough to fail publicly. Jim Collins, in his bestselling book, Good to Great, noted that leaders of great companies tended to “look in the mirror” when dealing with problems (or failure) while “looking through the window” to give credit for success. In this way, leaders of great companies were the first to take responsibility for failures, rather than waste time looking for someone to blame. Likewise, these companies were also quick to point out others who were driving the success of their company.

If you want to ensure your long-term growth and sustainability, your company needs to adopt a culture of calculated risk. Playing it safe is a path toward “me too” products and irrelevancy. The alternative is to fail your way to the top. By embracing the insights and key lessons that come with failure, we open new doors and new possibilities. Only by blazing your own trail and learning from your own unique failures will you discover your true path–a path that leads to sustainable growth.

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How Saying ‘No’ Can Help You Grow

By not chasing after every opportunity, you give yourself time to succeed at the few important things that drive your business.

When you really look for it, there is opportunity all around you. It’s easy to fall into the trap of inviting too much opportunity into your life, only to find out that it sucks up your time, leaving you feeling drained and unfocused.

When you say “yes” to too many things, you overcommit yourself. Rather than being laser focused, you find your attention is split into smaller, less important tasks that keep you busy but not very productive. Multitasking is “the art of doing many things poorly.”

If you find yourself too busy to think, take a step back and look at the big picture. Saying “no” can feel contrary to your growth objectives. It’s easier to say “no” to things that cost you money than it is to say “no” to things that pay your bills. Saying “no” to a client or a sale is a lot harder than saying “no” to a vendor or asset purchase. But when the client or sale is not aligned with your company’s mission or purpose, this is precisely the time to say “no” so that you can say “yes” to something more relevant.

Saying “no” is not a weakness. Saying “no” is a key strength to building your business. Knowing what to say “no” to means that you have clearly identified your objectives, mission, and purpose. By not chasing after every opportunity, you give yourself time to succeed at the few important things that drive your business.

When “No” Means “Yes”

It was Alexander Graham Bell who said, “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” To avoid wasting time regretting what you say “no” to, spend more time defining what your priorities are and clearly identifying your business goals. Anything that doesn’t fit should be rejected so that you remain focused and can attract even more of what fuels your growth.

We once had a client who was incredibly rude and obnoxious to one of our employees. He was shocked when I “fired” him as a client. I said “no” to his business at a time when it represented a good percentage of our revenue. That action had two important benefits that I could not have foreseen at the time: (1) It emboldened my team to double their efforts to build our business and (2) It avoided attracting similarly hostile clients into our company (“birds of a feather flock together”).

Saying “no” to a hostile client meant that I was saying “yes” to a more positive and inviting work environment for our team. It also meant I was saying “yes” to current and future clients our team wanted to work hard for to ensure their success. One committed “no” meant several new opportunities we could say “yes” to. And that has made all the difference.

What are you willing to say “no” to? By answering this question, you can better define your fastest path to sustainable growth. Knowing what your company is not is sometimes more important than defining what your company is all about.

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How to Grow By Becoming an Expert Storyteller

If your story matters, it will be shared, retold and passed on. By doing what matters and telling a story that matters, you will ignite a passion among people that is inherently sharable and provide an organic boost to your company’s growth and long-term viability.

Have you crafted your story so well that others are likely to share it over cocktails at a dinner party? If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you probably haven’t. Most founders take the time to think about their company’s mission and purpose, and that’s hard enough. But having a mission and a purpose is not the same thing as expert storytelling. “A computer on every desktop” was a great mission for Microsoft, but it pales in comparison to Steve Job’s epic story of Apple–which everyone knows, but is not particularly easy or simple to tell (it took Walter Isaacson 656 pages).

If you’re looking to boost your company’s growth, start with a simple and easy-to-tell story that is compelling and gets to the heart of why people should work with you. A couple of examples will help illustrate this point:

  1. Blake Mycoskie is the CEO of Tom’s Shoes and author of “Start Something That Matters“. For every pair of shoes that he sells, he gives one pair away to disadvantaged children. He started in South America giving away 10,000 shoes and, to date, has given away more than 1 million pairs of shoes in 40 countries. Why buy his shoes? Because in addition to comfort and style, you’re helping to put shoes on children in need throughout the world.
  2. Tony Hsieh is the CEO of Zappos and author of “Delivering Happiness“. He has arguably created the most awesome place to work on the planet because while Zappos technically sells shoes, they are actually in the business of delivering happiness. There are hundreds of stories of delighted Zappos customers whose lives have been changed by an empowered call center agent who went WAY above and beyond. These customers will NEVER buy shoes from anyone else, and will share the Zappos story with enthusiasm.
  3. What about the story of Jared, who ate over 700 Subway sandwiches over the course of a year and lost 245 pounds? That simple story has driven Subway sales and franchise expansion through the roof because, fundamentally, it illustrates that this fast food restaurant must be delicious enough to go there every day for a year and may actually help you lose weight.
  4. Or what about Scott Harrison, the founder of Charity Water, who on his 31st birthday decided that he had every material possession he needed in his life and simply asked his friends to donate $20 so that he could go to Northern Uganda and build water wells for poor villages with no access to clean water? Since then, he has completed 9,000 projects in 22 countries and provided roughly 2.5 million people with clean water (at time of publication).
  5. How about Billy Bean and the Oakland A’s whose inspiring story captured in the book “Moneyball” illustrates how Major League Baseball was measuring all the wrong things and how the A’s leveraged data and analytics to win the World Series at the lowest cost per player?

When you begin to look for them, these stories are all around us. They help us distill which businesses we should pay attention to and care about. Expert storytelling is more compelling than any traditional marketing or advertising techniques; these stories generate awareness and extremely compelling Word of Mouth marketing that is, as MasterCard would tell you, “Priceless”.

Is compelling storytelling limited to “consumer” products? Absolutely not. Just askJulie Roehm, whose title is “Chief Storyteller” of B2B software company, SAP. She was hired by CEO Bill McDermott to leverage the power of expert storytelling to help SAP reach its vision: to help the world run better and improve people’s lives. How? By tackling problems that have a big impact on the world; to have SAP play a role in solving the problem for multiple clients with advanced technology.

What’s Julie Roehm’s advice? “Write a story you could tell to anyone, anywhere. Make it so simple that anyone from a child in kindergarten to the Chairman of the Board can understand.” She has led SAP’s teams to break storytelling down into 5-step process:

  1. Who are you talking about? Describe the customer and “give me something real”. Why does this company exist? SAP client John Deere, for example, is over 100 years old, humble and is about empowering farmers, the earth and making food. Give me reasons to care who we’re talking about.
  2. Define the problem or opportunity in simple terms. For example, by 2050, the world’s population is likely to double in size, and there will be so many people we won’t be able to feed them all.
  3. What is it that [your company] can do to help solve that problem? Again, in simple terms without buzzwords or jargon, give me a sense of what SAP could do to help our customer. How do we leverage what we have to help them address this important problem?
  4. What does solving this problem do? Or what does our client think solving this problem will do for them? What’s the value to the consumer (where they be a B2B or a B2C consumer)? What can they do now (that the problem is solved) that they couldn’t do before? How does our involvement impact their business, industry, and life?
  5. What’s the customer’s customer story? In the case of B2B, show me how our customer’s customer has been impacted (i.e how their life has changed or experience been improved) because our SAP customer has delivered something better.

In short, how has SAP made the world a better place to live? At this point you might be thinking, “sure, that’s SAP, they’re a massive global company working with the best companies in the world” and you’d be right. But if your objective is to grow, you first have to envision how what you do matters; and I mean how it really matters, not just what sounds good, but what is good for the world. That’s when you have found your purpose and the purpose of your company. Only then can you truly tell an expert story that’s worth repeating.

Expert storytelling works because deep down, you’re passing what our ancestors referred to as “tribal knowledge”–information that sounds important (even vital) to our success as human beings. From ways to eat healthier (Jared’s Subway story) to delivering happiness (Zappos) to buying shoes that help clothe the world (Tom’s) or even how better data and metrics help you win an unfair fight (Oakland A’s). If your story matters, it will be shared, retold and passed on. By doing what matters and telling a story that matters, you will ignite a passion among people that is inherently sharable and provide an organic boost to your company’s growth and long-term viability.

 

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Don’t Follow Me: A Contrarian Guide to Social Media Success

If you want to grow your business through social media engagement, the very first step is to be yourself, your whole self and nothing but yourself. Don’t copy anyone. Be the best person you can be and live your passions. The rest will work itself out.

I’d like to share with you one of my favorite quotes of all time and show you how it applies to social media marketing personally and professionally:

“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the masters. Seek what they sought.”

This ancient Japanese proverb has guided me throughout my 20-year digital marketing career and has challenged me to seek alternatives–to look left when everyone is going right. A brilliant teacher of mine, Shirzad Chamine (Stanford University professor and author of Positive Intelligence) put it another way. “If you are an apple tree, why do you wish to be an orange tree? Rather than trying to be something you are not, just be the most amazing apple tree you can be.”

It stuck with me. In fact, once I saw this simple fact, it was screaming at me from every direction I looked. Seth Godin’s Purple Cow pointed out that “Being risky is safe. Being safe is risky.” Among the many insightful pearls of wisdom in that book, the idea of “standing out” was what truly mattered (hence a “purple cow”).

So much of digital marketing today feels like a “follow the herd” mentality. One company creates a breakthrough and suddenly everyone is jumping on the bandwagon with “me too” innovation. The wisdom of crowds may well provide thoughtful insights on where the world is going, but it does little to help you stand out and grow your business. Terms like “thought leader” and “influencer” don’t do justice to the originality that most people crave.

Here’s the funny part: You already are original. You were born unique and one of a kind. Originality is your default position. It took years of social pressure at school, home and social circles to beat the notion of originality out of you. Group think eventually replaced that special part of you that is, paradoxically, both vulnerable and powerful.

It’s time to be brave, find your true self and let it shine. That which makes you special is that which makes you wholly unique. And that is what we want to see. You, the whole you and nothing but you. The problem is, somewhere along the way, we have this tendency to be who we think others want us to be rather than who we truly are.

Now think about that as it pertains to your company, its brand personality and what you are currently willing to expose about your company when it comes to social media. Are you being as transparent as you could be? Are you bringing your whole self to your social media channels or just the few parts you want people to pay attention to? The less “real” your company is, the less people care about it.

So when it comes to social media, I say, “Don’t follow me” because the concept of being a “Fast Follower” is antiquated. I don’t want you to follow me–even when what I’m doing is working. Learn from my failures and my success, and incorporate those lessons into your own unique thinking and approach. Only by blazing your own trail will anyone care about what you’re doing.

If you need any more evidence, look no further than my favorite Apple television ad, “Here’s to the Crazy Ones“:

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. But the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

I’m man enough to admit that often times when I read this (or watch the ad) I choke up a bit. My eyes water because of the raw truth so eloquently displayed by a “simple” ad by Apple.

If you want to grow your business through social media engagement, the very first step is to be yourself, your whole self and nothing but yourself. Or as Brené Brown puts it in her TED Talk, “Be vulnerable“. Be brave enough to put yourself out there and others will seek to understand who you are and what you stand for. If you can then, authentically and transparently, connect all of that into helping make the world a better place, you (and your company) will be unstoppable. So don’t seek to follow or copy anyone. Be the best person you can be and live your passions. The rest will work itself out.

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How Can I Help? Why ‘Adding Value First’ Is the Winning Formula for Growth

Connect problems with your passion and purpose and you will never lack for opportunity and growth. Help as many people as you are capable of assisting every day and you will be unstoppable.

If you have been blessed with an entrepreneurial spirit, then you are no stranger to hard work or commitment. But a great idea and a strong work ethic alone are not sufficient to grow your business. Today your customers have virtually unlimited options that are only a click away, so competing on price alone will not be enough to fuel growth. In fact, the historically tried and true four P’s of marketing (Product, Price, Place & Promotion) are all being challenged by a simple winning formula–add value first.

What is your gift to the world? What is the one thing your company is willing to give away that both provides value to your customers and illustrates your company’s value? If you’re Google, that would include everything from Android (its mobile phone operating system) to Gmail. Google’s market cap is almost $400 billion dollars, and the majority of its customers have never paid Google a dime. Same goes for Facebook. These companies figured out how to give value to the world in exchange for data (which they subsequently sell to advertisers interested in connecting with you).

But what if you’re not in the advertising and data business? What if you sell physical goods? You need look no further than five-time Inc 5000 honoree, MyCaseBuilder.comwho discovered that by giving away its award winning custom foam software, it could provide its customers the perfect fit for anything they want to protect inside of their case.

What if you’re a restaurant? What could you give away in order to grow? Some restaurants will give away a free drink or appetizer, but soon discover that this becomes almost “expected” and doesn’t really facilitate growth. Instead, some family-owned restaurants have started randomly giving out entire meals for free with a simple note of appreciation for their customer’s patronage. This kind of surprise-and-delight is guaranteed to generate buzz and is ultimately better than any traditional (read “interrupt and talk at you”) advertising.

According to Deepak Chopra in his bestselling book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, “How can I help?” is the only question that truly matters. Each and every one of us has a unique talent that no one else has and a special way of expressing that talent. This is Spiritual Law #7–The Law of Dharma.

When thinking about how best to accelerate the growth of your company, start with asking yourself, “How can I help?” Don’t think small. Think about what you were born to do; work like hell to remove any and all roadblocks in front of you; live your purpose and allow your reason-for-being to fuel your growth–both professionally and personally.

As a digital marketing agency, we are constantly asking our clients “How can I help?” Their answer is not always what you’d think. Most companies have not spent enough time developing and optimizing the effectiveness of their website, social and mobile marketing efforts, but if you start a conversation with “Your website sucks”, you have missed an opportunity to participate in active listening.

Assume nothing. Even if you know what your customer’s problem is, there is no harm in asking them to define their challenges so that you have a clear picture of what your customer’s needs are. Then, by following up with the simple question, “How can I help?” you will immediately understand why your customer is engaging with you, what their expectations are and how you may be of service.

In the past 20 years of meeting with a diverse set of clients with every possible marketing need you could imagine, it has become crystal clear to me that asking the right questions is a much more effective strategy than trying to demonstrate why you’re the right person with whom to do business.

Once your client has illustrated a clear problem where you, your company or your product can be of service, the next most important step is to find a way to add value first. Connect the identified problem with your passion and purpose and you will never lack for opportunity and growth. Help as many people as you are capable of assisting every day and you will be unstoppable.

And please don’t forget to do this for the people sitting right next to you. In most companies, it’s your team that is the real engine behind your growth and ultimate success. If you have any shot at exponentially growing your company, you first need to align your purpose and passion with your team. Inspiring your own team and culture is your first priority before you can ever make a real impact with your customers, your industry and the world.

So, stop reading this article, turn to your coworker and ask them, “How can I help you?” Once they recover from their initial shock of being asked (and size you up to see if you’re actually serious), you will be amazed at what you learn.

In short, listen deeply, ask great questions (which demonstrate you are listening), soul search for all the ways you can give value first–and then do it. Your heartfelt actions will spur all kinds of new and interesting growth opportunities.

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