If anyone asks you to go one mile, go with him or her two miles. On top of that, do it even if you aren’t asked. Instead of stretching up, which is a physical exercise; you should stretch out, which is a mental exercise because it calls for a different attitude. A second miler attitude. You cannot touch others unless you reach out. If often takes stretching to make contact, but it is a wonderful exercise. As a motivational speaker I strive to reach out and touch the minds and hearts of my audience. I would never give a presentation without going that second mile to help someone. You should always do more than you’re asked to do if you want to sell yourself successfully. Put forth a little extra effort. Go out of your way to help someone. You’ll be stretching yourself in a way that’s good for you when you walk that extra mile, when you put out that extra effort, when you hang in there just a little longer. The more you reach out by extending yourself, the more people you’ll influence for good. And that, basically, is what selling yourself successfully is all about: Influencing others; getting rid of walls.
Being a second-miler means that you go out of your way to do your job better or faster or both. The rewards are very real. They may show up in your paycheck or as a promotion. Aside from that you’ll take new pride in your work, and usually personal satisfaction can mean more money or recognition from others. You don’t have to be a Boy Scout to do a good turn daily. You shouldn’t even do a good turn expecting a payoff, but you’ll get one anyway. Being a second-miler means that you give of yourself in ways that may not even be asked for.
The willingness to walk two miles with a customer instead of the one that was required is what helped to bring the customer back again and again. No wonder my repeat business was 65 percent. It’s what made me number one. Being a second-miler is what gets and keeps a sale. That’s the way it works with a product or service. Selling yourself again and again becomes far easier when others see how willing you are to go out of your way for them—asked or unasked. Repeat business is what adds up to success. That’s why being a second-miler is to have the most rewarding philosophy of life that can be found-a philosophy which has paid dividends to me all my selling life. You see, each time we reach out to do more than what is expected, we add just a little more positive goodness to the world.
