Published July 4th, 2008 by
Bob Burg Yes, the next word is “Action.” And, just as the only “condition” put on Joe in exchange for the counseling he’d get to receive from Pindar and his friends was that he had to put the Laws into action “right away, the very same day you first learn it,” it’s worth making that point here, as well.
John and I have both been delighted by receiving emails from readers telling us that they “really got that part.” That they understood the emphasis we put on taking action on the ideas you learn. In fact, many of them have made that commitment to us — and more importantly, to themselves — that they would apply the Laws and principles they learned in the book right away, that very same day.
Interestingly enough, this concept has been coming up again lately in both John’s life and mine, and without knowing about it, we both wrote articles on the topic. Me, in my weekly ezine newsletter, “Winning Without Intimidation,” and John in his own excellent blog.
By the way, later this summer John is taking some very significant action; he’s getting married to the very beautiful and charming Ana McClellan. And I’m taking action, as well: I’m going to fly up to Massachusetts to attend. 
Please write in and let John and me (and the other readers of this blog) know how you are taking action, not only regarding to the principles in the book, but in other areas of your life.
How do you feel about the importance of taking action? (Of course, we’re talking about well-thought-out action, not acting irresponsibly or acting on a whim. But, you knew that).
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Published June 28th, 2008 by
John David Mann We’ve had a number of people tell us that among The Go-Giver’s five laws, law #4, Authenticity, was “clearly the pivotal law, the one that really slammed home.”
On the other hand, some have said it was law #5, the Law of Receptivity, that really stood out. “The other four laws were polished wood,” confided one interviewer, “but that last law? Man, it gave me splinters!”
Yet still others have homed in on the Law of Value, the very first law in the book, as being the key point of the story. Others, on the other hand . . .
I bet you know where I’m going with this.
Our friend Stephanie West Allen recently made this observation: “This book is kind of like a Rorschach. All books are, I suppose, but this one perhaps more so.”
Which do you see as the pivotal point of the story?
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Published June 24th, 2008 by
Bob Burg One of our speakers at last week’s Extreme Business Makeovers event, Michael Angier, has a quote in his book, 101 Best Ways to Be Your Best, that I really love. He writes:
“Business is a lot like playing tennis; if you serve well, you’ll usually end up winning.”
I’m personally not a tennis player, but when watching them play on television, I notice that what Michael writes is very true. Those with the “strongest serves” typically win.
And, yes, it’s also true in business, only the words are reversed. In this case, those who “serve strongest” typically win.
How do you serve strongest in your business? Let us know.
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Published June 22nd, 2008 by
John David Mann In his blog, Seth Godin makes this wonderful point about price and value:
Your sales force and your customers may scream that you need to lower your price.
It’s not true.
You need to increase your value. If people don’t want to pay, it’s because you’re not delivering enough value for the money you’re charging [emphasis added]. . .
Isn’t that a wonderful corollary to Pindar’s Law of Value?
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Published June 20th, 2008 by
John David Mann Recently leadership expert David Zinger posted a list of ”the almost 300 blogs that inspire me.” It’s quite a resource, well worth poking through and seeing what you find—and we were quite honored to note that The Go-Giver blog is on David’s list!
David also wrote a wonderful review of our book he calls “5 Zingers” (the review is composed of five numbered sentences — perhaps to echo the book’s Five Laws?) here.
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Published June 14th, 2008 by
Bob Burg “But Bob, does being a go-giver work in the real world?”
I was asked this question this week by two different interviewers. One said a friend of his wouldn’t even pick up the book because, as he put it, “I don’t have time to be a go-giver — I’m too busy trying to make a living.”
Ohhhh-kay. To use a question most recently brought to the forefront by Dr. Phil, “So, how’s that working for you?” ☺ (And as the interviewer acknowledged to me, that person is not very successful.)
One of the great pleasures John and I have had is in receiving emails from people ranging from captains of industry to hugely successful salespeople telling us that they’ve built their business based on the principles contained in the book . . . they just didn’t have a name for it.
I’ve been asked, “Why didn’t you and John provide examples of successful go-givers at the end of your book?”
Well, because the book is a parable, a story. But this blog doesn’t have that limitation! So in future postings, we’ll bring you examples of people who’ve been there and done that — real live people who exemplify the five laws of stratospheric success.
I’ll bet you know some great examples too. Can you think of any you’d like to share here?
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Published June 11th, 2008 by
John David Mann In a blog post about The Go-Giver, Stever Robbins (the “Get-It-Done Guy”) talks about his interview with Bob (which you can listen to here) — and also mentions a fascinating Boston Globe article, “Money Makes You Happy — If You Spend It On Others,” about the benefits of giving.
The study, co-led by researchers at Harvard Medical School and University of British Columbia, found that when subjects were given cash bonuses, the size of the bonus had no appreciable impact on their happiness—however, when they spent a portion of the cash on others, their happiness rose substantially. The article added:
The study fits in neatly with a growing body of research that finds that helping others is the best way to help yourself, that people who give more and are more socially connected are happier.
Givers gain, QED.
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Published June 6th, 2008 by
John David Mann Most reviews of The Go-Giver have been quite complimentary, but now and then we find one insisting that, while this all sounds very nice and everything, the real world just doesn’t work this way. For example, one reviewer wrote:
“Even the most credulous reader will have to supress a snicker at how quickly the karmic wheel turns in Joe’s favor, with what seems like remarkably little effort. Can it really be that simple? Generosity is well and good, but how many successful real-life businesspeople truly share the attitude of the (extremely fictional) Chairman.”
By “extremely fictional,” I guess the reviewer means, “not just made up, but really made up, in a way that could never, ever happen in real life.” Funny thing is, the Chairman is the least fictional character in the book: “Pindar” is a thinly disguised Bob Proctor—and Proctor in real life is every bit as amazing as Pindar on the page.
As to his question, “How many successful real-life businesspeople truly share Pindar’s attitude?”
Well, what does your experience say?
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Published June 1st, 2008 by
John David Mann I’d never read any of her books, nor heard her speak, when Bob and I were writing Chapter 10 of The Go-Giver—you know, the one about Debra Davenport and the Law of Authenticity—but this week I felt like I’d met her when I spent some time chatting with New York Times best-selling author Marianne Williamson.
Imagine my surprise earlier that day when, reading her wonderful new (and highly recommended) book, The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife, I came upon this passage:
I once had the most beautiful romance, or at least I thought so. Then one day it was simply gone. I had heard stories of people suddenly walking out on their families, never to return. But I always thought there must be more to it than that; surely it wasn’t that simple. No one just got up one day and said, “It’s over,” and that was that. Or so I believed until it happened to me.
Marianne isn’t Debra, but the two might have been sisters, and speaking with her, I was impressed with how incredibly gracious she was, and how . . . well, authentic.
Have you noticed how, once you start looking for authenticity, it stands out like a beacon — and how it bowls you over every time you find it?
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Published May 24th, 2008 by
Bob Burg Spoke last week at the BNI Director’s National Conference in Orlando, Florida. BNI is the largest referral organization in the world. Located in every civilized country in the world, literally billions (yes, with a “B”) of dollars worth of referrals have exchanged hands.
BNI was founded by my good friend, Dr. Ivan Misner, an entrepreneur and bestselling author known by many of us as the Father of Modern Networking.
So, what does this have to do with The Go-Giver and this blog? From its inception, BNI’s motto and operating principle has been, “Givers Gain.”
Givers gain.
This philosophy has generated a humongous amount of additional business (and considerably more value) throughout the world. Understand, however, that Dr. Misner and the many leaders throughout his organization do not teach that one should “give to gain.” No, just as Sam tells Joe in The Go-Giver, BNI teaches that you “give to give.” You give because you love to add value to others’ lives. You give because it’s who you are. And because it’s who you are, it’s what you do. And when you do this, and do this consistently, you naturally gain.
This, of course, makes perfect sense when one realizes that, “All things being equal, people will do business with – and refer business to – those people they know, like and trust.”
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