Appreciation Marketing – Givers & Takers

Based on a conversation that I experienced this past week, I wanted to readdress a previous subject. We all have heard the terms “givers” and “takers”, but have we incorporated knowledge about both of these types of people into our marketing efforts? Maybe you pride yourself on being a giver because you learned that no one likes a taker. Maybe you have experienced people who are takers and who never give anything to others. We usually think of takers with negativity based on our past experiences.

One of the basics of Appreciation Marketing implies that we should be givers, not takers. Givers are the good people, those who “serve” the needs of others, the people for whom karma provides goodness and prosperity. When you put the needs of others before your own, you will succeed since karma will return goodness and prosperity, from somewhere, for your efforts. If you put forth negative actions, you will receive negativity in return from somewhere.

How did takers get such a bad reputation? We all know someone who is an extreme taker, someone who milks everyone that they know for everything in their life, returning nothing to anyone. These are the people who put themselves before everyone else, looking to “use” everyone for whatever will make their lives better. We may even consider these people to be manipulators, and they most assuredly are. They turn every situation into an opportunity to enhance their position, often at the expense of others.

However, for those of us who are givers, maybe we have looked upon this type of person in a wrong light, maybe we just need to see if we can channel their actions into a positive way. For every giving situation, there must be the giver who provides something to someone else. There also must be a receiver, or taker, who is the target of the giving process. Without a receiver, or taker, there cannot be a provider, or giver. One cannot exist without the other.

The next time someone does something for you, think how you react. You don’t want to be seen as a taker, but you want someone to accept your gestures when you give them to anyone. Why are you so much better than anyone else, that you should not accept the gestures of others? Remember for every giver, there must be a taker. Accept the actions toward you for what they are, and then look for opportunities to return, or pass on, similar gestures.

Now what do we do about those who are exclusively takers? We should have patience with them, try to teach them through example, and attempt to counsel them when they will listen to us. Then we “pay forward” the gestures of others and hope that our actions show our commitment to karma. As we prosper, they should take notice, but who knows? Maybe they are stubborn and learn slowly. Just keep on doing what you are doing, enjoy the success that comes to you, and try to keep teaching and counseling them. Sharing information is the best type of giving that you can do. Teaching others is a great form of giving.

Who do you know that is a taker? Have you ever tried to teach them a better way? Look for someone and take them under your guidance and see if they can change for the better. Practice Appreciation Marketing and keep discussing karma and how it helps bring everyone success. Let me hear what you believe about this with your comments here. You can also call me at 360-314-8691, or email me at Jim@SOC4Now.com. Let’s discuss how we can make givers and takers work better together. Then let’s give, get, and repeat, over and over.