resource [ree-sawrs] -noun 1. a source of supply, support, or aid, especially one that can be readily drawn upon when needed;  2. capability in dealing with a situation or in meeting challenges

What kind of resource are you? Not a map or a dictionary, not that kind of resource. I’m asking, “What kind of personal resource are you to the people that know you – and the people that don’t know you?”

It may be better asked as, “Do you merely sell to your customers and simply exist with the people you do not know? Or do you go beyond simply existing and ’serve’ your customers and strangers alike?”

In business, and especially in sales, being a resource is much more valuable to your customers and clients than being a typical sales rep or owner. (Not you of course!) With everything else being equal, your customers will rather do business with someone that goes above and beyond, than someone that merely takes their order or provides them with a basic level of service.

But what does it mean to be a resource? This one question could be the foundation for writing an entire book rather than a short newsletter article. So we will look at it in a general sense, or the Cliff Notes of being a resource, if you will.

Let’s start at the end and work our way back. How do you know if you are a resource? There are several clues that you experience that let you know you are, or on your way to becoming a resource. For starters, your customers may call you with questions that may not directly relate to the product or service you provide for them. Your customers also ask for your opinion on matters unrelated to your typical dealings with them.

People of resource are generally asked by many to help out with this organization or that club. People of resource know how to get things done, and if they hit a snag, they know and can call on someone that can help them push through to get it done.

Resources go above and beyond what people expect of them. They make their promise and over-deliver. They are Jacks, and Janes, of all trades and masters of quite a few! They have many “-ables” that describe them: dependable, reliable, accountable, likeable, honorable, respectable – and a slew of others that elevate them to the forefront of the minds of every customer they have.

Let’s go deeper, eh!? Being a resource is not just something you are; it’s who you are. It’s a mindset. It’s a way of life. It’s seeing ways to help in the most obscure places and instances. It’s seeing an opportunity to help someone and following through – whether you know them or not. Or whether it benefits you or not.

Being a resource is a responsibility, and it can be a lot of work. But the rewards are great and plentiful. In business and sales, the rewards are also profitable! (There’s another “able” for you!) The cool thing is – you can do it and be it! The really cool thing (for you) is – not many others will. The door is there. Kick it open and be the resource you want to be and the resource your customers hunger for. Now go get ‘em!