It’s Back-to-School time and we’re in the middle of a ten-part series on lifelong learning. We started by talking about the 3 R’s from our school days – reading, writing and arithmetic. Now we’re talking about the 3 R’s of bigg success.

So far we’ve discussed two of them – responsibility and resiliency. Today we’ll chat about the 3rd R of bigg success – relationships.

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 Hear George & Mary-Lynn discuss today's topic on The Bigg Success Show! Click the purple player to listen while you read: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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We are living in the age of interdependence. It’s amazing how much can be accomplished by working together.

It all starts with a relationship. We’re moving forward by jumping back. Relationships have always been important. Now it’s possible for any of us to build a worldwide network of relationships for work and play!

The value of your network

The single greatest asset you can possess today is your network. It will never show up on a Balance Sheet. It’s really difficult to put a hard number to it. But its value shows up when you need to accomplish something.

Are you able to reach out to the people in your network to get it done?
How many people are between you and the person you need to talk to?
How quickly were you able to get it done?
How long it would take a person without your network?

These are the signs of value in your network. Of course, the value of a single relationship can be thought of as the amount of goodwill you have with a person.

So the value of your network is simply the sum of those individual amounts.

6 ways to build up your Goodwill account

You are the entrepreneur of your life. As the entrepreneur, you want to build value. So here are 6 tips to build goodwill in your network, one relationship at a time.

• Listen attentively.

The more interested you are in another person, the more interesting you’ll be to them. The more impressed you are by them, the more impressed they’ll be with you.

Isn’t that ironic? By making them feel important, you’ll be important to them.

So listen. Really listen.

If you’re communicating face-to-face, put any and all mobile devices away. Act as if there is no bigger fish with whom you might want to converse. Look them in the eye. Really pay attention with all of your attention.

You don’t have to do it for hours. You can excuse yourself. But while you’re talking with them, make it all about them.

Once you get this one down, the rest are easy.

• Be genuine.

You probably immediately see how this dovetails with our first tip. People can spot a fake quickly.

Sincerely value them. The only way we know to show them that you sincerely value them is to actually sincerely value them!

As a human being.

Not a connection. Not a contact. Not a sale. Not a prospect. Not a means to an end.

As a real person with feelings and dreams and fears. As a person with whom you relate on a personal basis.

• Understand what bigg success means to them.

This won’t be your first question. But if you are going to build a relationship, it’s important to determine what they are trying to accomplish.

What does life on your own terms mean to them?

It’s unlikely that you will ever utter those words directly. You will uncover this by listening attentively. There’s Tip 1 again!

When you discover what they are trying to do, you can look for ways to help them.

• Help is a two-way street.

As you uncover the layers that exist, you will be able to share your knowledge, resources and network with them. By doing so, you become a valuable part of their network.

But it has to be a two-way street. If they never reciprocate, then you don’t have a relationship.

You have a feudal system. You’re not their servant. They should be looking for ways to help you too.

• Show your appreciation.

One of the most powerful sentences you can utter is “Thank you”.

When they share their knowledge with you, thank them. When they provide a resource, thank them. When they connect you with someone in their network, thank them. Also follow up to let them know how it turned out.

• Be patient. 

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I’ve had friends for years who were just that – friends. Sure, we may have done some business with each other, but nothing of any significance. Then suddenly an opportunity presents itself and they become a vital partner. You just never know.

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So maintain your existing relationships. Build new relationships. It’s likely that the time will come when you will be able to work together in a mutually beneficial way.

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Until then, have some fun and enjoy the friendship! Life comes down to relationships and experiences. Build relationships and you’ll be a bigg success!

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Thank you so much for reading our post today. Next time, we’ll discuss the best source for learning how to reach bigg success. Please join us. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

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