Founder's Message: As Ye Serve, So You Will Succeed

Man's laws can be broken and sometimes gotten away with. (This will be our only reference to O.J.). Nature's laws cannot. Is it true that nature's laws really rule us? And who is Mother Nature? If God set up a universe strongly suggesting that we all mate, why is it unrealistic to believe that God shouldn't mate? Let us suggest that Mother Nature, is God's wife. If that is possibly true, it may explain why Mother Nature's laws cannot be broken. What are Nature's laws? Some of the obvious ones are: the sun rises in the morning and sets at night (not necessarily in Alaska); flowers blossom in the spring and the leaves die in the fall; if you throw something in the air, it falls to the earth; etc. Those are the tangible laws that are etched in stone. What are the intangible natural laws that also cannot be broken? How about: You have to give in order to get. Do you subscribe to that one? I have learned proof positive that takers eventually lose and givers eventually succeed. A scientific test once proved that people feel better giving than receiving. How about: The most important gift you can give is something you want - not something you buy or want to get rid of. Do you subscribe to that one? Last week I admired a man's hat who was sitting in my office. He removed it and gave it to me. I consider that a much more valuable gift than if he had wrapped me a present. I won't soon forget his gesture. Have you ever considered this one? When you are setting up a deal, structure it from the other man's point of view - not yours. If you follow that philosophy, how many more deals do you think you will complete? In other words, make an offer he cannot refuse - not one he has to refuse, or spend a lot of effort thinking about. Did you ever stop to consider that there is no way you can make only one enemy? Unfortunately, the worst person you know has at least one friend and so on and so forth. If you cross one person, you have made at least two enemies and probably more. If the foundation of your business is built on friendly blocks, be careful how many weak blocks you create. None of these natural laws are taught in school, probably because the teachers don't know them or don't follow them. However, I guarantee, with patience, they all work. If you give and give and give some more, it ultimately comes back to you tenfold - not necessarily from whence you gave. Strange, but true. I lecture to my employees to SERVE their clients, build up a trust and give. I know that sometimes it's hard and sometimes it hurts, but I know that it eventually works. How do you treat your clients? Are they always right? Do they come back for repeat business? If not, analyze your philosophies. Is it: The more you take the more you get, or is it the more you give the more you get? On my wall I have a saying encased in a glass frame: As Ye Serve, So You Will Succeed. You know who wrote it? Mother Nature, and the law cannot be broken. Roland Hopkins is founder of the New England Real Estate Journal, Norwell, Mass.