Lessons from The Godfather

Over the last week I watched the entire Godfather trilogy. There's so much I could write based on these movies, but I'm going to limit my article to three points.

First, "keep you friends close, and your enemies closer," is one of the lessons that Michael Corleone learned from his father. In the business world, you could alter that to keep you friends close and your competitors closer. It's always good to know what the competition is doing. It's good to know what their strengths and weaknesses are compared to yours. It's also good to know the differences between your business and theirs because ultimately, you should be a resource for your prospects - meaning that you might just refer business to a competitor sometime because they can do a better job for a contact than you can. Your contact will thank you.

Second, "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse," is probably the most famous line from the movie. From the standpoint of your business, what could you offer that a prospect couldn't refuse? What kind of value could you possibly provide that would make it crazy for a prospect to pass on?

Lastly, the end of the movie shows an old Michael Corleone sitting in a chair, alone, then slumping over and dying. In the end, it's not all the money that you generated, or the toys you had, or anything material that matters, you still die. What kind of legacy do you want to leave? How about your business - what do you want people to say about your business when you finally close shop, sell, or pass the business on?

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