“For all thy getting… get wisdom.”

I forget who said the above but it must have been someone really important. 🙂

And it’s important not only because everyone needs to grow in wisdom, it’s also because of the ‘getting things’ part.

Everyone is so focused on ‘getting more’ in the western world – and increasingly in the East too… that fewer and fewer people stop to think whether they should give as well.

After all, when you give something, you’re left with that much less, right?

Actually, that’s not right at all. Because when you give something, you not only give something valuable for someone who needed it. Which is commendable in itself.

But you also created a vacuum within yourself that will pull in the same amount to you again, and it doesn’t stop there – the flow now initiated will keep giving you more!

This works with everything – give knowledge that you have to give, and you get knowledge that you need. Give money, and you get more of it (just ask the billionaires who tried to give away their entire massive wealth but it kept coming back to them!)

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Creative Commons License photo credit: pfala

Now here’s the even bigger point.

A lot of people starting out in their business have a problem giving stuff away. After all, what’s the point of being in business if you’re not getting paid for it?

True enough, but there’s more to it. Here’s the pattern I see very often:

  1. Newcomers try to give away stuff (information, products, gifts) without a sensible plan to make money somewhere down the line. (This is often called the ‘I don’t want to anger my subscribers so I’ll just keep giving and not ask for anything‘ syndrome. The downside is you’re training them to expect everything to be free! The resulting disillusionment may then result in:
  2. Trying to get the money first, and think of providing value second (if at all). This usually results in little or no sales – a.k.a. a deadend approach.

Okay, before we get too gloomy here, this is the lesson:

Feel good about asking for money in exchange for your best, most valuable information. In fact, feel VERY good about it.

Best Feature
Creative Commons License photo credit: Melody Campbell

And at the same time, feel free to give freely of your knowledge when it’s called for to get people to a place where they yearn for your best information.

I say ‘feel’ because you really need to feel it out the first time out. But then it becomes second nature. I dare you to try it. 😉

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Comments to: For All Thy Getting…
  • Hey, that’s my pic! Thanks for using it! It’s so cool to see one of my images and positive messages up on your blog.

    My policy is to charge based on how my information has the potential to benefit my client – sometimes my value to my client is worth thousands over time. I figure my fee is a fraction of what they will benefit with proper application.

    “Feel” is a very good word for taking a first step in this journey. Feelings are very powerful motivators. Staying motivated is key until you get it figured out.

    Reply
  • August 1, 2008

    Hey Melody, thanks for your insightful comment and very cool picture. 🙂

    You’re right it’s all about what it’s worth to the recipient… sometimes much more than you’d expect…

    Reply
  • August 4, 2008

    Hey Juho

    I’m pretty sure it was King Solomon who said that (the quote).

    It’s mentioned in the book of Proverbs (Book Of Wisdom) as far as I can remember 🙂

    Very interesting read indeed!

    Reply
  • August 18, 2008

    Guy Kawasaki’s has got an excellent blog post on this subject :

    https://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/02/how_to_be_a_men.html

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKtEhFv75_E

    Reply
  • August 18, 2008

    Thanks Tarek, that Kawasaki’s post is excellent stuff.

    Reply
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