go-giver

What if I asked you, “Are you doing the BARE MINIMUM?” I think I know what you'd say… “NO!” (Possibly with some more colorful language.)

Of course you're doing more than the bare minimum! No one can build a business by doing the bare minimum. I'm sure you are all killing it.

But what if I asked you, “Are you providing the MOST POSSIBLE VALUE to your clients?”

Is that something you can answer with a resounding “YES!”? Somehow, I doubt it. If you ARE responding yes to this question, you're either: 1) The best businessperson in the world, or 2) a liar.

(Sorry for being blunt—it's the truth.)

The reality is that perfection is hard to come by, and in most cases, unachievable. So, why am I ranting about this?

The point I'm trying to make is that there's ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT! You can always do more with your business. You can always serve your clients better. You can always provide a better experience. You always have more to offer.

Getting into this mindset is crucial to taking your business to the next level. Here's what I mean:

(DISCLAIMER: This is all hypothetical, and I'm not trying to tell you how to be a better entrepreneur. That wouldn't go well. But I am trying to tell you how to improve your business and get in the right mindset, if that wasn't obvious already.)

An average entrepreneur might think… “My job is to get my clients what they want.”

But you can do more than that, right? Getting them what they want should be the bare minimum, if anything. They could take it a step further and say, “My job is to get my clients what they want and improve their life.”

Now you've just provided some more value… but are we at maximum value? I don't think so. What about, “My job is to get my clients what they want, improve their life, and provide a wonderful experience.”

Better… But maximum value? Doubtful. What about, “My job is to get my clients what they want, improve their life, provide a wonderful experience, and help them be the person they strive to be?”

That's pretty damn good! But is it the MAXIMUM value? Probably not. You could get into a million other things, right? And this could go on a while. Monetary value, additional services, improved facilities, education…the list goes on.

Do you see what I'm getting at?

If you want to take your business to the next level (and the next, and the next) you need to ALWAYS be in the mindset of improving. You can ALWAYS add more value. Instead of looking at how to get your patients in and out, look at how you can keep them around for as long as possible—so you can keep adding value. Look at how you can solve every possible problem they're facing AND prevent future issues. Do whatever you can to cram as much value into their experience as possible.

And most importantly, remember that YOU are the expert. YOU know what they need—not them. This is true in nearly every business! Customers don't know what they need, and it's the job of the business owner to tell them what they need, and then provide it. And that means EVERYTHING they could possibly need.

I would bet that RIGHT NOW, in your business, there are at least twenty areas where could provide more value—whether it has to do with the care you're offering, the patient experience, your facilities, your processes, or something else entirely.

Could you make the scheduling process easier? That's adding value.

Could you provide more (or better) education for new patients? That's adding value.

Could you make your building more inviting? That's adding value.

There are nearly INFINITE ways in which you can add value to your business. The difference between a great business and an exceptional business is that the exceptional one knows this and is constantly trying to cram as much value as possible into everything they do…

So, which one do you want to be: Great, or EXCEPTIONAL? (The fact that you're reading this gives me the answer already.)