Extravagant

We all love to be spoiled, to be treated with extravagant thoughtfulness and generosity. The ice cream cone you ordered with two scoops but got three piled so high you know it’s going to be a mess before you’re finished, but you don’t care. Your spouse or partner taking you out for a night on the town, “just because”. The realtor who arranges for your new house to be professionally cleaned before you move in. Who doesn’t like to be treated like a king or queen once in a while?

When I was still in practice, we made a point of ensuring that all reporting packages to clients were elegant and prompt, and in many cases with a discount certificate for some related service, transferable to any family member. Realtor’s commission cheques were the first ones cut and delivered, often by hand, usually on the day of closing.

One day I dropped into a psychiatrist’s office to discuss a report I was going to use in a case. I forget most of what we talked about, but I still remember the coffee, the best I’ve ever had. Some pretty decadent goodies on the side, too.

Clearly the most important thing for any professional is to work in your area of excellence, exercising your narrow Giftings for your ideal client. But the “icing on the cake” for growing your client base is extravagant care for your clients and for your network.

So long as you don’t botch the job, most clients, customers, or patients really don’t know if you’re a leader in your profession or just an also-ran. They typically don’t know enough about your area of expertise to judge whether you’re an A+ kind of pro, or a C+. But they do know when you treat them with courtesy, respect, integrity, responsiveness, and promptness. They also know if you’re tardy, rude, or dodgy. In either case, they’ll talk about you.

Good behavior of this sort builds reputation with a general client base. But there’s another kind of reputation which is also built upon extravagance, and that’s your reputation for professional excellence, your reputation for being the “go to” person in your field.

Probably without exception, the very best in any profession are known to be generous with their learning and expertise. They’re mentors and coaches and lecturers and writers and thought leaders, as well as leaders in their professional organizations and community. They give freely of their time, energy, and unique perspectives. Extravagantly.

Extravagant generosity is a funny thing, whether in the professional sphere or the public arena. You give without expecting or demanding anything in return, yet the dividend is huge.

A pretty good deal, really.