This month I want to focus on a new way of doing business that is emerging in the 21st century. I call it 'mutual flourishing'. Mutual flourishing is a key element of my business philosophy and a component of my core ethics. It is an approach to business with an attitude of cooperation and expectation of benefit for all parties involved. It supports success and sees unexpected challenges as an opportunity for growth through teamwork. It is the new professional concept that is becoming an essential element in the merging of technology into the physical world of the real estate industry.

Mutual flourishing allows strategic alliances (people helping other people) make us prosper, both with consumers and prospects, as well as in our business to business dealings. Without even knowing what it means, you will feel, at some level, that it is what can help you grow your business faster and more efficiently. This is the kind of support that propels us to success. And guess what? The Internet has fueled these opportunities that transcend the way business has been done in the past because of its accessibility for players of all sizes and global reach.

There are a number of ways we interact in our business world to cultivate mutual flourishing. From my perspective, it all starts with good communication and clear agreements. In business to business relationships, whether with your broker, your agent or your technology service provider, there is nothing like a good contract or at least a letter of agreement to assist in the process of mutual flourishing. Having terms and agreements stated in writing takes much of the stress off relationships when all parties know what to expect and is expected. Particularly when there is information being transferred, you want to be sure that you included all the components of reducing the liability risk of all parties as well as assuring yourself that the companies or people you are partnering with have the same high ethical standards as you.

With consumers as well as referrals, leads and actual prospects, it would be wise to glean and implement into your Internet presence the concept of 'mutual flourishing' which comes from the results of a Harris Interactive survey conducted in June 2004 for the nonprofit organization called Privacy & American Business. The bottom line from that survey is that most people care about their privacy and expect people they do business with to protect it.

The survey found a clear majority, 60%, decided not to use a particular company because they were not sure how personal information would be used. The online survey of 2,136 respondents revealed that 65% of online users decided not to register at a website because they found the privacy policy presented there to be too complicated or unclear. (If you haven't noticed, some real estate websites don't even have privacy policies yet!) That sample of respondents represents about 94 million of the 145 million adults now online. Take note of this as well: 7% have filed a complaint with a government agency about misuse of personal data by a company, representing about 7 million adults. That spells L-I-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y which makes risk management a necessary part of 'mutual flourishing' and a top priority in your business model if it is not already there. These results show that in order to help consumers choose your services over the competition, you need to address their very real concerns. After all, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America and the public is becoming more educated on preventative measures daily. My prediction is that if you help your clients, prospects and leads protect their identities and privacy; you will gain priceless customer loyalty which allows all to prosper in the most appropriate ways, i.e. mutual flourishing.

Darity Wesley is CEO and Legal Counsel for Privacy Solutions, Inc. a San Diego based consulting firm. Her team of Privacy Gurus® work with you to create policies and procedures to establish the expectation of privacy for your members, clients, customers, prospects, affiliates, associates, employees and vendors. You can reach her at (619)670-9462 or Darity@privacygurus.com