Are You Remarkable?

Dear Voornaam,

Below is a definition of a word I like:

Remarkable (rĭ-mär′kə-bəl) - adjective: Worthy of notice, especially for being unusual or extraordinary.

Think about this word related to the people you know or the people with whom you’ve done business. Who in your world is “remarkable?”

Here are some examples from my world:Â

Dayana Muzinek has done my credit card processing for 15 years. She has referred me to great clients over the years. When I was struggling with cash flow she offered to fund my transactions out of her own pocket. She knows my family. She comes to my house for all kinds of life events. And she takes great care of the people I refer to her.Â

I don’t know what the rate is for processing my credit cards and I don’t care. Why? Because Dayana is a remarkable business partner and my business and life is better off with her in it.Â

Brian Tannebaum is an attorney who focuses on professional responsibility matters. When a Florida lawyer gets in trouble and calls me, I call Brian. Why? Because Brian is able to get amazing results when other people cannot. Is it his skill? Is it his knowledge of the process? Is it his relationships? Yes. It is all of those things, plus he and I have developed a friendship over 15 years.Â

Being great at his job makes Brian Tannebaum an excellent attorney but when you combine that with his relationship with me, that makes him remarkable.Â

SoMi Pet Resort is a place my big dogs love to visit. They offer boarding services for all size dogs. Their facility is impeccably clean and efficient. If you have a reservation, you can drop off your pet and be on your way to the airport or to Disney in a matter of about 90 seconds. Then while you are away, you can check-in on your furry friend on their cameras. The team at SoMi will feed them their favorite food, administer any medicine, give them 4 hours of playtime, and return them to you bathed and smelling great.Â

The experience at SoMi Pet Resort makes it remarkable.Â

Contrast these three specific experiences with some others I’ve heard about in the past three months:

“I sent my best client to Joe and it was not a good experience. Joe never followed-up after their initial meeting.”

“I connected my friend with Phillis the lawyer and the lawyer never called.”

“I introduced my client Edward to my CPA. Edward needed tax advisory services. The CPA said he was too busy during tax season to onboard any new clients and told Edward he would call him in May, when he returned from vacation.”

I have made a conscious decision to ONLY refer business to people who I believe are REMARKABLE.Â

This means that I speak with lots of people. I try the services of many professionals. I only select people who meet the following criteria:

Performance Excellence: The foundation of all professional relationships is excellence at your job. If you stink, nobody will refer business to you. The way you handle my referral is a reflection on me. Do your job better than most others and you earn a shot at my referrals.

Responsiveness: They connect with the client in a reasonable amount of time (maximum 24 hours). They listen. They ask good questions. They explain every step in the process. They say “please” and “thank you.”Â

External Orientation: The remarkable professional will act in the best interest of the client, always. Hourly billing can make this a difficult proposition. The best practitioners will be sure the client understands what the budget looks like at the beginning of the matter and will adhere to the budget as long as the scope of work remains the same.Â

Relationship Focus: Business is not a one way street. I am willing to give multiple referrals to someone else as long as they realize that someday, I may need a favor from them.Â

That favor may be to give me a recommendation that will help land a new client. It may be to introduce me to someone I want to meet. It may be to help me land a speaking gig. In a relationship, both sides help each other, selflessly. We don’t keep score but both parties must feel good about giving.Â

Great Experience: Working with a remarkable professional means you come away from the interaction feeling good about the interaction. You may not receive the outcome you wanted, but you feel as though the professional did everything he/she could on your behalf. You believe they were the most creative and best option for the situation and you’d recommend them to others.Â

This criteria is so simple, yet we have to scour the Earth to find people who adhere to it.

My question for you this week is a basic one:

What are you doing to be sure that people view you as remarkable?

Have a great week!

Warm regards,

Dave Lorenzo

The Godfather of Growth

Dave Lorenzo earned the nickname The Godfather of Growth because he helps people make offers their clients can't refuse. Also, he does favors. Most of the time, those favors result in more money in your pocket.

Want to become remarkable? Explore Dave's Private Client Experience. Info is available here: Private Client Experience

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You can reach me by calling: (888) 444-5150.