Many people have watched this wonderful short-film on validation.  (If you haven’t taken the time before, it’s worth the 16 minutes.  If you have seen it before, it’s still work the reminder.)

It seems nice in theory and in the end, the guy does get the girl, but can this simple technique do anything to increase the profits of your business?

There are at least three ways in which your bottom line can benefit from this small yet extremely powerful gesture.

1. Employees will give more of themselves – Most employers don’t get the full benefit of the employees talent, intellect or energy.  After all, it’s not their business, just their job.  As long as the company is doing reasonably well, they are going to get the same pay (okay, some may be bonuses, but stick with me here for a moment) regardless of whether they go above and beyond.  They don’t have to be passionate to be successful employees – only very competent.
   If, however, you began to validate your employees, you are much more likely to ignite their passion for your business.  When people are passionate, they think about ways to do things better, more efficiently, and more profitably.  They go the extra mile without being asked.  While it’s not their company, validation can cause them to begin to think, act, and care like owners of the business. Imagine the benefits of having a culture where everyone had total commitment to the success of the company.  Costs would certainly go down and revenue would have to increase.
2. Customer loyalty will soar -The old adage “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” is applicable here.  Validation can be a significant product or service differentiator that will not only keep your customer coming back but have them skipping the process of shopping around.  Trusts increases when a person feels they are remembered, listened too, and engaged with in an authentic manner.  Not only will they be loyal, but your customers are more likely to make referrals.  Less customer turnover and more word-of-mouth advertising equals higher profits.
3. Your commitment to business growth will increase - There is a well known poem, Our Deepest Fear, by Marianne Williamson, that suggest that our deepest fear is success. That could very well be true for business owners.  If you aren’t really enjoying the whole process of owning and running your own business (and who really enjoys every aspect) the thought of lot’s more of it could subconsciously be holding you back from phenomenal success.  Validation not only makes other people feel good about you, it makes you feel good about you and all of your relationships.  It’s much easier to have higher levels of passion when you enjoy your work environment.  More passion means you will have less hidden resistance to doing the hard work of continuously growing your business and increasing its profits.

While the Validation movie takes things to the extreme, the lines were longer in the parking garage where validation was happening than in the mall stores.  Too bad he didn’t have anything to sell.