Who Do You Serve?

Recently in church, at the beginning of the service, the congregation stood and the first song started playing. It was a familiar tune but I couldn’t quite place it. So, I did the one thing I probably should not have done – I pulled out my cell phone and Googled the chorus, “Gonna Have to Serve Somebody.”
 
I’ll be damned. It was a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody.” We go to a fairly progressive, non-denominational church. I love the music they choose at the beginning of each service to get the blood pumping. But this, frankly, took me to a whole new level of happiness. The song really spoke to me.
 
It talked about how you are always serving somebody. Whether you gamble, are a boxer, socialite, businessperson, addict, rock star, state trooper, whether you are rich, poor, blind, deaf, single, married, a construction worker, a landlord, a bank president, a preacher, a city councilman, somebody’s mistress, a barber, or an heir (all examples from the song). You might serve the devil, the Lord, or maybe even yourself. You are always serving someone.
 
What I have learned from many years of serving the wrong person (typically myself), the true richness in life has a lot to do with who we choose to serve. Ideally, our service should be fueled by an unconditional love for the person we are serving. Our solution should help take away the pain of who we are serving. 
 
There are three primary sources of pain in life – health, wealth, and relationships. There is always pain when one of these areas is causing someone to suffer. Most of us are seeking improved health, increased wealth, and improved relationships. The key in business is to package up your business solution so it meets existing demand or pain.
 
If you can’t do that, your service (and business) will not be seen as having tremendous value, you will not be seen as different from your competitors, and you will more than likely be commoditized and seen as a transaction. None of these is good for you and your business.
 
However, if you can connect your solution, and your services, to reducing pain in the areas of health, wealth, or relationships you will hit the jackpot. Your primary goal in marketing is to make this connection for your target clients and prospects (especially your top 20% of clients who give you 80% of your revenue). This is who you want to serve and serve well.
 
One last note. It is very difficult to serve anyone else if your main priority is to serve yourself. Trust me on this, I know all too well. If you put serving yourself (i.e. chasing the money) in front of serving someone else, you will always be poor. Give yourself a wake-up call, and start delivering real value to those you serve! You’ve got this!
 
Have a great weekend, my friend!

Dave