Dear <<First Name>>
Put the kettle on and make yourself comfortable. Lizzie’s just made tea, we’re eating lemon meringue pie (thanks Coralie) and talking about generosity.
Giving it all away, sharing, collaborating – these ideas are the polar opposite of common perceptions of good business. Being generous would get you thrown out of Lord Sugar’s back stabbing boardroom but we think you should do more of it.
Why? Because we believe that sharing, collaborating and giving valuable stuff away for free is at the heart of sound business development. (tweetable)
We believe it because we know it works for us, and we watch it working for some fantastic businesses right across the globe.
The most helpful, the most generous, the most human businesses are the ones that win. They find success through more referrals and more repeat business. Being helpful and generous without asking for anything in return buys you trust. And trust is gold dust in today’s cynical web-weary world. (tweetable)
How can you be more generous in your business?
- Share your secrets. Create some really valuable content from the information you keep closest to your business heart. The stuff you know clients really want to know, but you don’t want to give away. Is that scary? You can reply to this newsletter and we’ll hold your hand!
- Big up other people in your network. Use social media to publicly praise 5 people or businesses you rate. Tell them why and spread the love. (And tell us what happens!)
- Start a content collective – create content that helps other businesses as well as your own.
Still talking generosity, this month’s Valuable Content Award winners are F-Works, part time Finance Directors who specialize in working with entrepreneurs. One of the things we love about their approach is their belief in the power of community. Sharing ideas and experiences of entrepreneurship is helpful and generous, and we look forward to reading the book they are co-creating with the entrepreneur crowd.
You’ll find more sharing inspiration in these books.
- The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann
- Sharing Superheroes by Dave Thackeray
And in the spirit of generosity we’ll be giving a copy of Valuable Content Marketing to the person who writes the best comment on the blog this month.
That’s it for May! Our new look newsletter was inspired by Chris Brogan. Do tell us what you think of it.
Best wishes
Sharon and Sonja
