As a Small Business Owner you have competitors.

Other people are doing work similar to what you do.

There may be things that make your business stand out from the others.

It could be your unique experience and background or maybe your one-of-a-kind approach.

The one thing that you can do to set your business apart, no matter who you are or what you know, is to care.

It seems too simple to be true, but caring is a massive advantage.

Seth Godin is always banging on about caring and I agree with him. “Care. Care more than you need to, more often than expected, more completely than the other guy.” Seth Godin

When people feel cared about, they stick around.

Don’t worry, this isn’t some woo woo new age idea.

Caring goes way back. It’s one of the fundamental things we humans crave.

“Next to physical survival, the greatest need of a human being is psychological survival – to be understood, to be affirmed, to be validated, to be appreciated.” Stephen Covey

Caring isn’t something you can do if you’re only using it as a tactic.

You can’t fake caring, either you do or you don’t.

The good news is that we all have the capacity to care.

It’s a state of being that you can tap into, just like gratitude.

We would probably be more caring, more often, if we just thought about it.

Like anything, it has to be a priority, something you are consciously thinking about and want to do.

“If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.” Maya Angelou

And you can grow your capacity to care, just like a muscle.

So how can you show potential clients, your current clients, and the people in your network you care?

Here are some ideas to get you started.

Listen

We all want to be heard. My favorite habit from Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, is Habit #5: First seek to understand, then to be understood.

Listen deeply to people when you communicate with them. Make sure they feel that you hear them and clearly get what they are saying. More on this here. 

Ask How It’s Going

Ask your clients about their experience with your products and services. Ask them if they are satisfied, if they are receiving what they expected.

If things aren’t up to snuff, do everything you can within your power to make the situation right. And then do even more to exceed their expectations.

Offer Help

If you see that someone is struggling with something, offer to help.

Can you share a resource that will help? Make an introduction? Review something?

Being helpful is a wonderful way to show you care. More on this, here.

Check In

Check in with people for no reason other than to say hello and see how they are doing.

You can drop a note in the post, call, or send an email.

“Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Theodore Roosevelt

Give Support & Encouragement

If you know someone has an upcoming event, book launch, speaking gig, or an equivalently big deal on the horizon – send them a message of encouragement.

Caring about the success of others is fun and easy to do.

Share Their Work

As the Salvation Army says, Sharing is Caring. If you care about someone, and the work she is doing, share it.

Social media makes it a piece of cake to do. So take a few minutes to share the creations of others.

Keep Your Promises

In business, your word is everything. Caring about someone means keeping your promises.

Keeping your promises builds trust and lets people know they can count on you.

Read more on this in my post, 3 Reasons to Be Impeccable With Your Word. 

Say Thank You

If someone does something kind for you, show you care by saying thank you.

Showing your appreciation goes a long way and yet, it’s another thing we sometimes forget to do. More on this here. 

Are you feeling inspired to care more?

The funny thing about caring about people is that in your effort to give, you will also receive. It feels good.

Caring is the gift that gives overtime. Try it out and let me know what you experience.

© Stephanie Ward

Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to create meaningful and prosperous businesses. Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: https://www.fireflycoaching.com.

Which one of these ideas will you try? How do you show your clients you care? Share your experiences, thoughts, and questions in the comments section below. I respond to every single comment.