🧠Weekly Mind Sweep #97| Mind Your Business | Kindness
Are you looking to increase profitability, earn lasting customer loyalty, and earn more word-of-mouth referrals?
Kindness matters.
"More than half (57%) of all U.S. respondents said they have refused to buy a product or service in the last two years because they felt a company was unkind or did not display kind qualities. In the context of the current economic downturn, 81% also said that they are more likely to purchase from companies they considered kind." [1]
Consumers vote with their wallets by choosing what they buy and who they spend their money with. We have a new desire to know how a company behaves, uses marketing, and pays a portion of its profits back to the communities it serves. Our awareness of what goes on behind the scenes is more advanced than ever before.
Kindness has become the new currency.
A small business owner has an advantage over a sizeable multinational chain: they can form meaningful connections with their customers. It isn't easy to replicate this relationship at a large scale. Yet Kindness is not a word commonly associated with business, even though business is a social interaction and a financial transaction.
Kindness is a business strategy.
Word of mouth is the number one way we obtain more customers. Kindness is instrumental in this approach and the foundation for building great relationships.
Your network and communities will benefit from Kindness, and you can build mutual respect with your competitors. Your compassionate acts not only build your brand and reputation but lay the groundwork for enduring success that will benefit your families, your colleagues, and the world.
Being kind feels good, and it pays off.
Five ways Kindness shows up in entrepreneurship.
Show yourself Kindness - how you speak to yourself directly impacts how you show up for others. Practice self-compassion. If you are faking it until you make it, there's a chance you are being "nice." Nice wants to please others. Kindness is rooted in intentionally giving.
Kind Networking - You get what you give. People remember how you make them feel; they will soon forget the paper-cut from forcing your business card on them. Be warm, welcome, and generous.
Trust & Relationship Building - Trust is built with your customers and colleagues within genuine relationships. Being kind means having honest conversations, even when they feel uncomfortable.
Profitability - being kind to your customers, colleagues, and community is a path to those humans sharing your name in rooms of opportunity[2]. People spend money with brands and people they like, know, and trust or who have been referred by someone who has those qualities.
Collaborations - Humans feel better when we know someone has our backs. When we have positive emotional connections to others, we move through the world with a sense of purpose, which drives motivation.
Kindness isn't exclusively an action. It's a quality you can cultivate. Giving Kindness is often simple, free, and good for our bodies. Thoughtful interactions show a person you're thinking about them and reflecting on their unique attributes and the value they bring to the world.
Or, it can be actions, like inviting someone for tacos*.
*This is the secret to my heart.
In addition to helping you become a better entrepreneur, Kindness will also bring you happiness and positivity.
Kindness engages our hearts and minds. More on the neuroscience of Kindness next week in the Weekly MindSweep No. 98 | Manage Your Mind | Kindness.
What’s one thing you can do to show Kindness to someone this week?
Are you ready to build a business you are proud of? Let’s chat about incorporating KINDNESS!
A place for my digressions.
[2] “Rooms of opportunity” is something you will hear me say often. As entrepreneurs, our networking world online can feel small. You find yourself showing up in Zoom meetings to familiar faces, which is a beautiful way to build relationships. When you leave the Zoom room with a deeper understanding of who those business owners are and what they do and enter into a local in-person conversation, this becomes a room of opportunity! You are there to represent yourself AND those you’ve built relationships with online!
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