Do you want a gift with it?

By Rajesh Setty on Wed 17 Feb 2010, 4:00 PM – 1 Comment

Everyone has heard the phrase:

Do you want some fries with it?

This refers to the standard up-sell offer from McDonalds. You buy a burger (or almost anything) and while the person in the counter rings that he or she looks up and asks,

“Do you want some fries with it?”

The offer is compelling and it works. Most people take up that offer and McDonalds wins.

Now, let’s look back at our lives.

You will get an opportunity to up-sell all the time. Every time someone makes a simple transaction with you. A brilliant up-sell might get some appreciation for marketing brilliance but that’s not what will make someone memorable.

Imagine that we change the game a bit – let’s say you forget about the opportunity to sell or up-sell. Let us you just decide for the rest of your life, you “look” for opportunity to give gifts.

In simple terms, a gift is something that (note: partial list only)

* Will help someone be better than who he or she is OR

* Will help someone get closer to their goals OR

* Will help someone have more capacity to contribute OR

* Will help someone have more capacity take care of things they care about OR

* Will connect them to someone that will increase their capacity in the future OR

simply –

* Will help someone make more meaning out of their lives

Now, suppose you were able to do that for the rest of your lives – with almost everyone that you touch…

Do you think your own life will be more meaningful?

You bet!

Then, why not start today?

It is easier said than done.

First, you need the “mindset” of gift-giving that is ON all the time. It takes time to develop that.

Second, you need “capacity” to give gifts. Based on all of our histories, we all have some of it but it is a life-long process to build this key asset.

Third, you need to be “growing” so that your “gifts” are more powerful with time.

and

Lastly, there has to be healthy balance of taking care of your concerns and taking care of the concerns of others. Just because you have the mindset of “gift giving,” there is no need to “sacrifice” yourself or your dreams.

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Posted in the Leadership category.