A man who goes to a hardware store to buy a power drill doesn’t really need a drill—he needs holes.

A simple analogy: If you’re fishing and have one pole with one line in the water, you will be able to catch only a limited number of fish. But if you use ten poles and put ten lines with ten different baits in the water at the same time, your fish-catching potential will significantly increase. Many of the best prospects are accessed from multiple impact points that move them from curiosity to interest, and all the way to action. If you’re attacking your market from multiple positions and your competition isn’t, you have all the advantage and it will show up in your increased success and income.

You must understand and appreciate exactly what your clients need when they do business with you—even if they are unable to articulate that exact result themselves. Once you know what final outcome they need, you lead them to that outcome—you become a trusted adviser who protects them. And they have reason to remain your client for a lifetime. For instance, a man who goes to a hardware store to buy a power drill doesn’t really need a drill—he needs holes.

You have also become a trusted adviser and a friend. And you should think of your clients as dear, valued friends. The concept of viewing clients as valued friends will appear frequently in this book and for good reason—it is the essence of the Strategy of Preeminence and the lifeblood of a long-lasting, rewarding, and profitable relationship for both you and your clients. And you will learn that the value you provide to your clients and everyone you deal with can be deeper, more meaningful, and more rewarding than you ever realized.

Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition by Jay Abraham