September Read/4

Title: Go-Givers Sell More

Author: Bob Burg and John David Mann

Subjects: Selling; Customer Relations

Call Number: 658.85 B954G 2010

Page Number: 193

ISBN: 9781591843085

Summary: “The great upside-down misconception about sales is that it is an effort to get something from others. The truth is that sales at its best-at its most effective-is precisely the opposite: it is about giving.”

            “With their national bestseller The Go-Giver, Bob Burg and John David Mann took the business world by storm, showing that giving is the most fulfilling and effective path to success. That simple, profound story has inspired hundreds of thousands of readers around the world-but some have wondered how its lessons stand up to the tough challenges of everyday real-world business.”

            “As Burg and Mann demonstrate, it's far more productive (and satisfying) when salespeople think like Go-Givers. Cultivate a trusting relationship and focus exclusively on creating value for the other person, say the authors, and great results will follow automatically. Drawing on a wide range of examples of real-life salespeople who have prospered by giving more, Burg and Mann offer tips and strategies that anyone in sales can start applying right away.” (quoted from the inside of the book jacket)

Authors’ website: www.GoGiversSellMore.com

My Read: It’s my belief that it would make a person happy and happier being a giver instead of a taker. Listed in the book there are five laws of stratospheric success: the law of value, the law of compensation, the law of influence, the law of authenticity, and the law of receptivity.

            The law of value: the best service is for a person to create value for others. You give because it’s who you are and, therefore, what you do. A good salesperson creates value for others by “excellence, consistency, attention, empathy, and appreciation.” Actually those five “how to” can be applied to everyone’s life at work and at home everyday. The law of compensation: your compensation is an echo of impact. Ask yourself: how many people’s lives have you touched today? A small gesture like complimenting the person at the checkout line brought out a brilliant smile and it made you smile back. It’s priceless, isn’t it?

            The law of influence: to serve others well by not only follow up but follow through. A good service is to complete a process (action) and take it to its fullest conclusion. I agree with the authors’ view that “Good competition pushes and stretches the limits of what’s possible. In a very real sense, your competition is your best friend.” At work, I like to set goals of my own and to compete with others as well as myself. The seeking of success and win empowers me to go beyond the limits and the horizon, prompts me to be creative to discover any better solution, and piques my curiosity on issues at hand and those unseen or unknown at present or in the future. Yes, competition sometimes could be my best friend: it supports me intimately.

            The law of authenticity: it says “be real, be present, undersell, listen..” Be real is to know who you are. Be present is to make a connection with others. It’s better that you undersell and overdeliver. Listening means you hear what others really want and desire. The law of receptivity: to stay open. “Problems are simply opportunities in work clothes.”—Henry J. Kaiser. Be positive thinking when facing a crisis. Crisis is made of two elements: danger and opportunity. It’s your choice to see if the situation is threatening or an opening for opportunity. Don’t waste any opportunity.

            I wrote down the five “how to create value for other people” on a piece of paper serving as a reminder, an encouragement, a motto, and an inspiration. And,  as I did so I found it interesting that if I add the workplace and ME plus the five elements it makes the number 7 (seven): the numbers of color in a rainbow. It’s like a conclusion and a definition for what kind of life you want to live: a colorful life. So we have:

Excellence

Consistency

Attention

Empathy

Appreciation

Your workplace

YOU

Possible Read:

Endless Referrals-Bog Burg

Go-Giver-Bob Burg

It’s Not About You-Bog Burg and John David Mann

The Secret Language of Money-John David Mann