Last year, I started going to a doctor whose office is 100 miles north of me, and who doesn’t accept my health insurance.

Why would I spend all that time and money?  Because she specializes in natural hormone replacement therapy (HRT).  I wanted to explore what natural HRT would do for me, and I hadn’t found anyone locally.

Last week, I went to my family doctor for a completely unrelated, minor question.  Lo and behold, I discovered that she – a mere 20 minutes from my house and a member of my insurance network – specializes in natural hormone replacement therapy, and has for over 20 years.

I’ve been going to her and to others in her office for eight years now.  I’d even asked someone in her office about natural HRT, and been told “no.”

Along the same lines, I just switched from the locally-produced organic lavender skin cream I’ve been using.  The producers, whom I know personally, are great people, and I love the product.  But it’s no longer available at the farmers’ market, nor at the local shop that used to stock it.  I can’t get it easily, and so – sadly – I’m using another product that I can get.

These are both small-business examples, but the principle applies whether you’re seeking a promotion, a new job, or trying to get your kids to do their homework and take out the trash. 

• What haven’t you told your boss (or customers) about what you do that would make it insanely easy for him/her to promote you, for you to keep your job in this wacky market, or for your customers to buy from you? 
• What would make it insanely easy for someone to hire you?
• What principle of sheer fun can you apply to any repetitive task that would make it insanely easy to do?

Making it insanely easy is part of what my upcoming, breaking-all-the-rules networking class is all about.  It’s what my currently-in-progress website redesign and rewrite is all about. 

And even so, as I look at what I’m doing I can see that there are still ways for me to simplify and make things easier – for myself and for my customers.

I think it’s a natural tendency.  Most people seem to complicate instead of simplify.  But since seeing these two examples of how good people with good services and products lost my business by making it difficult for me to buy from them, I’m focusing on being more aware of how I can make it insanely easy for people to know what I offer, and to buy from me. 

And I continue to focus on helping my clients make it it insanely easy for their bosses, co-workers, family, friends, and/or customers to give them what they want. 

Whether that’s business, a promotion, a new job, or the trash taken out.