What I really learned from IBI (and more re: BJ)
I did get to speak with BJ at the IBI Marin meeting (actually, we were all out really late and I didn’t get home until 1:30AM.) I decided to go to to IBI in December, as well. But that’s not what I wanted to talk about in this blog entry.
People keep asking me, “What did you get out of IBI?” I watch other IBI’ers answer this question and we’re all somewhat “shallow” about it. “Oh, capital,” we say, or “I brought home a CFO/lawyer/accountant/[insert team member here.]”
No, for me it was different. I brought home a completely new attitude; a new way to think about things. I found myself saying to a client today, “I want to help you find a person who really fits with your team.” (This is as a replacement for myself; I’m too busy to continue helping them.) Then I found myself thinking, Holy crap, did I really say that?
“How can I help you?” is a powerful phrase. That’s what I brought home from IBI — to always ask my clients how I can help them. You’d be surprised how effective it is. Along with that, I brought home the ability to say “We can’t help you with that, but I know someone who can.” After all, if your clients feel you have their best interest in mind, they’ll respond in kind to you, and both you and your business will reap many rewards. That’s one learning experience you can’t put a dollar value on.
