Published October 8th, 2008 by
Bob Burg As a marketer and Go-Giver, I constantly look at how businesses . . . well, do business.
While some will say the purpose of business is to make a profit (and thus provide value), and others will say the purpose of business is to provide value (and thus make a profit), it still comes down to this: In order to make a sustained, continued profit, businesses must provide value. To the degree they do this, they will have a loyal following who will continually do business with them and refer them to others.
Or, to paraphrase Ernesto in The Go-Giver, they must focus on providing the ultimate experience.
Ultimate experience = gain business.
Average to good experience = business by chance.
Negative experience = lose business.
The latter was the case with a local painting contractor who, while being hired to repaint the exteriors of all the condos in my community, offered to paint our individual patios for an extra charge. Sounded good to me.
Now, the fact that they didn’t actually do the job was not an issue. They might have knocked on my door when I was out of town. Totally no problem; easy to reschedule. The problem was, I was billed for the job.
The person on the phone assured me it was just a “computer thing” . . . that I didn’t owe the money, and they would call me to reschedule.
They didn’t. But worse, I received another bill, this time telling me my payment was overdue. Nice person on phone explained again that it was just a computer problem and wouldn’t happen again.
Rinse and repeat. It did. A third bill. It now said, PAST DUE! (Yes, the bill yelled at me) 
I called and spoke to another very nice woman. “Unfortunately,” she explained, “the computer is programmed that way. We’ve had other complaints about this and are trying to get someone to figure out how to change the program so that it doesn’t do that.” Oh, and did I want to set a definite appointment for the painting?
I did not. I (of course, very politely) let her know that I’d like to cancel and “may I please have my account totally removed from the computer so that I don’t receive another bill?” I now fully realized that their computer problem had become my computer problem. Dangerous for a business these days to allow this to happen.
Hopefully, she will let the powers-that-be at her company know what happened.
And . . . shame on them.
As you already know, their computer is only the symptom, not the cause. The cause is a company culture that doesn’t understand it is their responsibility – not their computer’s – to make sure their customer is taken care of properly and enjoys, in this case, the ultimate patio painting experience.
They meant well, but good intent simply doesn’t matter when you provide negative value.
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Published October 5th, 2008 by
Bob Burg Most religious and cultural traditions have sayings with regard to charity. And, they’re all terrific!
One of my favorites has to do with the best type of charity being to help one help oneself to no longer need charity.
I’ve always loved the quote, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” (often attributed to Lao Tsu but nowhere to be found in his seminal work, the Tao Te Ching).
Of course, in no way does this mean there are not times when it’s necessary (not to mention, the right thing to do) to simply give one some immediate substance and/or a few dollars to help them survive.
However, it’s been proven that, in the end, helping someone to help themselves benefits that person much more, as well as those whose lives they currently and will eventually touch.
I just finished (finally) reading Banker to the Poor, by Professor Muhammad Yunus. The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh had an idea some thirty years ago: to help those who were extremely impoverished – “the poorest of the poor” – and kept down by certain local customs and government regulations, and who lived lives of absolute desperation, to actually make a living for themselves by going into business for themselves; to make a life for themselves through the free enterprise system. WOW!
What he had to do, who he had to fight and how he did this successfully makes for a story that is thrilling, inspiring and enlightening. And, his efforts, his obsession, spurned an entire movement of groups and organizations that would help the much less fortunate in the same way – teaching them to fish.
We can all do it. As you research micro-lending more and more, you’ll discover that with very little money you can have a dramatic effect on peoples’ lives — on them and their progeny who, because of you, might never have to know the type of insane poverty as did their parents.
In other words, you can teach a lot of people how to fish.
www.kiva.org is one online organization that helps you to participate in this very righteous endeavor. VillageBanking.org is another. And there are lots more.
Any suggestions?
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Published September 29th, 2008 by
Bob Burg Our world lost one of its true Go-Givers this past weekend as actor, philanthropist, race-car enthusiast/driver/entrepreneur and humanitarian, Paul Newman succumbed to cancer at the age of 83.
I never met him and only saw a few of his many movies. As great an actor as he was, his legacy is what he gave to the world: love, kindness and charity.
In fact, every time you and I buy his terrific salad dressing or other Newman products, someone in need benefits.
Interesting; in a world of egos and a lack of graciousness, where stories about rude and arrogant celebrities abound, we never heard a negative word about this man.
I also loved how he edified his wife, Joanne Woodward, always speaking about her with such love and respect.
Yep . . . our world lost a good man; a true Go-Giver.
How do you remember Mr. Newman? Please feel free to share your thoughts.
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Published September 24th, 2008 by
John David Mann The diversity and creativity of our readers never ceases to amaze us!
We’ve got one more “blogosphere update” to go with our last two posts (i.e., here and here), and this one is about another fascinating project that has adopted The Go-Giver as part of its transformational lexicon.
This summer a woman in Australia named Kate Nowak created a 90-day blog-based project she calls “the Prosperity Experiment.” It’s a neat idea. And you can probably guess what comes next: she has adopted a certain little book to serve as part of the experience.
We encourage you to visit Kate’s blog and take her survey.
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Published September 21st, 2008 by
John David Mann Two brief newsy updates:
First, for those of you who have been patiently waiting, the CD version of The Go-Giver has finally been released! You can find it here on Amazon.
Now, in addition to reading the book on your Kindle or listening to it on your iPod (or reading it the old-fashioned way on, you know, paper), you can also listen to it in your car.
And the other newsbit: There was recently a very favorable piece on The Go-Giver in The Huffington Post—which is rated by Technorati as #1 of its “Top 100 Blogs,” making it THE single most influential English-language blog in the world.
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Published September 17th, 2008 by
John David Mann A recent post at “Marketing for Mavens” cited The Go-Giver as on of the “3 Top Business Books for Generating Ideas, Passion and Energy.”
The other two were Seth Godin’s recent bestseller Meatball Sundae (with whom we share a publisher), and (drum roll) . . . Think and Grow Rich
Now we think that’s pretty good company to keep!
Here’s what the blog author wrote:
I read a lot of business books. Usually, I read a couple at a time, which perplexes my wife, but the different ideas and viewpoints keep my creative energy going. Recently, I’ve been thinking about which books I’d keep if I could only read three for the rest of my life. These are the three that came to mind.
• The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg and John David Mann
• Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
• Meatball Sundae, by Seth Godin
I’ve chosen these three for their principles, readability, and creative energy. I could and have read these books several times. Each time, I get something new out of them. They get me inspired and send my creative energy goes through the roof. If I find myself sitting around wondering what to do next, I’ll instantly pick up one of these and start reading. The wheels in my head will start churning and I’ll be able to move past any mental blocks that are lingering.
If you could only choose three books to read for the rest of your life, what would they be?
And you know, that’s actually a great question! What would be your top three?
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Published September 14th, 2008 by
John David Mann Bob wrote last month, “We rarely do blog posts that promote a new book and would only do so when the book is so important and so in line with the Go-Giver worldview that we just have to tell you about it.”
Well, it’s happened again. We just have to tell you about a magnificent little book that would make a great companion volume to The Go-Giver in a two-book gift set.
The Power of Giving, by Azim Jamal and Harvey McKinnon, carries the subtitle, “Creating Abundance at Home, at Work, and in Your Community.” Before its publication, I was asked to read it and consider giving an endorsement. I wrote:
“This little book could change the world. If you read it cover to cover, and tell others, it will.”
This is no dry, matter-of-fact manual for would-be philanthropists, but a work of sweep, scope and heart. Azim and Harvey talk about giving not only money, but also love, laughter, knowledge, leadership, hope, life, time, skills, health, touch, attention, advice, balance, and a good deal more.
Seriously: there are sections of the book devoted to each of these topics.
They talk about when to give, where to give, how to give, how much to give, and of course, why to give. They talk about giving with respect and humility, giving in hardship, about healing relationships, giving to your children, about giving at work, giving globally. They talk about “time tithing” and “idea tithing” … I mean, they cover the topic.
And throughout the deliciously easy to read narrative, they sprinkle personal stories, vignettes, warm and wonderful and sometimes hilarious and sometimes heartrending pictures of all these principles in action.
Most books I want to gobble up in one or several sittings. This one is so rich, each page so loaded with treasure, I want to dip into it and drink a sip at a time, over and over. A book to cherish.
A book, dare I say, to give others.
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Published September 5th, 2008 by
John David Mann Last month, when we saw the Japanese edition of The Go-Giver, we didn’t see how anyone else could possibly equal that amazing production, let alone top it.
And then, a few days ago, the Korean edition arrived.
The illustrations are beyond great: they’re completely adorable. Here is the cover, featuring Pindar, Joe and Claire (signifying the passing down of the wisdom through the generations — is that a brilliant idea on the illutrator’s part, or what?!) . . .
(Click to enlarge image)
and a picture of Joe, Pindar, Ernesto and Nicole . . .
and one of Joe — you guessed it — serving coffee. (Notice Gus, Meerschaum in hand.)
They’ve clearly made “the key” a critical element in the book: in one illustration, Pindar actually hands Joe a set of five keys, and there are pictures of keys throughout the book. We suspect each Law is now called a “key” — but until we find someone who can actually read the text, we’re in the dark!
In fact, since we don’t read Korean, we also have no idea what’s actually being said in the ten (!) full pages of text that come between the title page and the table of contents, but they include the phrases “sustainable competitive advantage” and “My joy in giving is greater than your joy in receiving.”
If you can read Korean, let us know — we’ll get a copy to you and you can tell us what it all says!
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Published August 31st, 2008 by
Bob Burg We’ve all heard that saying – it goes something like: “Every person in the world is separated by just six degrees from every other person in the world” (or at least from Kevin Bacon.)
But is that realllllly true?
Not according to Dr. Ivan Misner and Michelle Donovan. And, if any two people should know . . . it is they.
{Note: We rarely do blog posts that promote a new book and would only do so when the book is so important and so in line with The Go-Giver world-view that we just HAVE to tell you about it. You might recall that Dr. Misner (cited by CNN as “The Father of Modern Day Networking”) is the person who has built a huge, thriving business around one basic concept – “Givers Gain!”}
Yes, Dr. Misner is founder and Chairman of BNI (Business Network International), the world’s single largest referral organization in the world! Michelle Donovan is also highly qualified, being the owner of “Referral Institute” in Western Pennsylvania.
And, what they’ve discovered is that NOT everyone is six degrees from everyone else, and certainly not six degrees from being able to contact them.
In fact, only 29% fit that category. These are the extremely well-connected, shakers and movers and relationship- building experts of the world. They can accomplish practically anything which, when you think about it, makes a lot of sense. But again, that’s less than a third of all people.
So, now the good news . . . You can be one of the 29%. And, the authors provide 52 Weekly Networking Success Strategies that will help you get there.
I loved this book. Let me say it again; I loved this book. Read it in one sitting.
Of course, anything Dr. Misner and Michelle Donovan write, I’m going to read. Why? Because I believe in learning from the best.
For more information, click here.
They have also provided us an article you can read on this topic. So, please enjoy.
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Published August 23rd, 2008 by
John David Mann Some readers have told us that in their view, the central element of The Go-Giver that makes the story work for them is Pindar’s “Condition,” namely, that Joe is required to put each law into practice.
“I need you to agree that you will test every Law I show you,” says the Chairman, “by actually trying it out. Not by thinking about it, not by talking about it, but by applying it in your own life.” (The Go-Giver, p. 18)
Well, you sure are taking that to heart. We are frankly blown away by some of the creative ideas readers have come up with for applying Pindar’s P’s & Q’s of Superstellar Living.
One reader is developing a training program based on the Five Laws. (More on that in a later post.) Some have taken the Five Laws into the workplace, making each one the focal point for everyone in the office for a week, creating a five-week sequence (with a sixth week thrown in for summary and review). But this is the first time we’ve seen the Five Laws combined with skeet shooting and snipe hunting.
This weekend, in Harlan, Iowa, our friend Arlin Sorenson (“Arlin from Harlan”), CEO of Heartland Technology Solution, is putting on an entire weekend event based on The Go-Giver and the Five Laws, on his farm, with people attending from all over the United States. (Click on the link to see a complete schedule.)
Our friend Stuart Crawford, a VP of Business Development for an award-winning IT firm in Calgary, tells us that in addition to shooting skeet traps, he’s also shooting videos and stills of the retreat — hopefully we’ll be able to post some later in the week. You can read Stuart’s notes on the event-in-progress here.
(Note to the tender-hearted: No skeets or snipes were harmed in the making of this retreat.)
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