E58: Generosity is Love - with John Ruhlin

In this episode, international keynote speaker John Ruhlin talks about the power of gifting not only as part of your business’ powerful marketing system but also in building lasting relationships. John grew up on a farm milking goats in Ohio with a lack of abundance. Thanks to the generosity of his girlfriend’s dad whom he also looked up to as his mentor, he landed the largest deal in the history of selling Cutco knives. John realized it wasn’t just about gifting knives. It wasn't about the gift. It was about how you show up for people in uncommon ways – that’s the generosity factor. In the last 21 years, John has been trying to model and perfect this model of generosity. Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation: Generosity is love Some examples of acts of kindness and generosity The importance of having boundaries Gifting a tangible artifact vs. consumables How your generosity could impact your employees, their families, and everyone around you The return on relationship Promotional items are not gifts, they’re a form of manipulation You don’t wait for 10 years before you say thank you Episode Highlights: Generosity is Love Most people equate generosity with money but generosity is just love. When you're generous with somebody, you're loving them. And that could be with your time, a physical gift, an encouragement, , or just any of the five love languages. If you take care of the family and business and are generous to the whole family, everything else takes care of itself. The spirit of generosity unlocks a hormone called oxytocin in our brain which is the hugging drug or the bonding drug that makes us feel good, calm, confident, and safe. Different Acts of Kindness and Generosity Size doesn't matter when kindness is in play. Kindness is holding the door open, it's a thank you, it's dropping the note. Kindness is surprising someone. Kindness is forgiveness. Kindness and generosity are not about giving a person a car. It's as simple as treating the janitor and the receptionist that same level of respect as you would a CEO. It's about respecting and seeing somebody as a human being. Make somebody feel something they haven't felt for a long time. Having Boundaries Around Your Generosity Be strategic with your generosity and be intentional with it. You can't expect something back otherwise that's manipulation. Moreover, promotional items where you have the logo on the item you’re giving them are not gifts, but also, manipulation. Generosity is simply the state of your heart. It's just where your heart is. There shouldn’t be any expectations – but almost always, the return on relationship is 100%. Resources Mentioned: www.johnruhlin.com