I remember hearing a story once about someone's Uncle Joe. Uncle Joe was a nice enough fellow, and he always offered a smile or kind word to whomever he'd meet. But poor Uncle Joe had no friends. You see it seems that whenever you talked to Uncel Joe, he always needed something and he'd ask you to help. "I'm short a few bucks this week'" he'd say. "Can you give me a loan?" "I need to get to the store and my car's in the shop. Can you give me a ride?" He never seemed to give much and he didn't really seem all that greateful for the help he got. It didn't take long after meeting Joe for people to start avoiding him.

Many businesses approach their prospects a little bit like Uncel Joe. As a result, they don't get all the business they want or even deserve.

Make sure you don't make this mistake. Ask yourself:

• Are the majority of my communications asking for something or giving something?
• Are you expressing gratitude whenever appropriate?
• Do you ask for the sale before you've earned your prospecet's trust?

Here are some simple questions that will help you avoid becoming like Uncle Joe:

• What can I give without asking anything in return?
• Who can I thank?
• What can I do to earn the trust of my prospect?

As you asnwer these questions, and put your answers in action, your sucess will grow.

Oh, and thanks for reading this!