Don't be afraid to leverage your relationships.

Don't be afraid to leverage your relationships because it allows those who do things for you to ask for your assistance when they need you. I am always thrilled when a past client, friend or connection offers to help me accomplish a goal. It makes me want to help them accomplish their "whatevers" when they need assistance. 

This week has been exceptionally loaded with these back and forth relationships, and I can't list them all in one blog, but here are a few things that have happened. One of my former Russian tutors knows I know a lot of medical professionals because of my fitness trainer days and my role as a real estate broker. Many of my real estate clients have been doctors and nurses. Through the process, we became friends and have stayed in touch. 

She is going to school to be a nurse practitioner (she is also a part-time Realtor with me) and it's time to do her clinical studies. She sent a text a short while ago to ask if I knew any medical practices who would take her on for her clinical studies. I sent a text to a couple of the medical professionals I know to see if they could use her, and she has been accepted by two of the best practices in our community. I've also bailed out many of the doctors and nurses in those two practices when they had real estate and electrical needs. It's a great way to leverage relationships. I've always been happy to help them, and they are happily returning the favor to help my friend. 

Today, an engineer at a local engineering firm emailed to ask about a lot. I went and looked at it and gave my opinion of value and usability. I mentioned to this engineer that I was getting ready to list an 84 acre parcel. He immediately emailed back and asked if I'd like for him to do a site survey and create a subdivision plat for zoning. The kicker, he committed to do it gratis. 

The other side of this relationship started when I went into his new rental, which I sold to him, and repaired all of the electrical problems before he listed it for rent. I hesitate to say it's a quid pro quo, because I didn't expect anything in return, and he freely offered his services as a gift to me without me asking, and that's the way I like it. 

With the doctor's offices and with the engineer, I didn't have any expectation of favorable treatment from any of them, but, in the course of doing business together, a relationship has formed. We like each other. The relationships allow both sides to say, "Hey, I have a need. Can you help me?" And, in each of these cases, we have, we do, and we will allow our relationships to be leveraged. 

I have many dozens of these kinds of relationships from years of being in my community doing business. I emailed the executive director of a local non-profit recently to ask if she had a job that my son's talented girlfriend could do. She is a specialist in social media and the non-profit can use that kind of talent. 

In the process, I asked the director to explain what she does at the non-profit. She and I have been friends for a number of years, but I didn't really know what her role was at her job. The director used to be one of my fitness students, and my electrical company has rescued her when she had a few electrical problems.

The director and I committed to get together in the immediate future so she could show me what she's doing and so I can see what her needs are. She and I are in the process of determining how I can leverage my reputation and contacts to generate 1.5 million in funds to finish her facilities. Ultimately, the whole community wins, and I guarantee the goodwill that will be generated from that event will create many more relationships that can be leveraged in the future. 

In the old days, this was called "Community." Sadly in our modern world, it's unusual to see so many different entities work so closely together to see everyone succeed. The reality is, when one succeeds, it sends a ripple affect through the whole community which inspires others to dare to succeed. In the end, everyone wins. Don't be afraid to leverage your relationships. Give a little, accept a little and make a better world all around you.