We recently received the following piece (a bit truncated for space) from reader Vince Vidoti.

A year after reading Go-Givers Sell More and participating in a Go-Givers workshop, I asked my district mates, “What does it mean to be a Go-Giver?” I wasn’t surprised by their responses.

Times are changing, and so must organizations. We speak of delivering value almost as often as we spill caramel macchiatos on our passenger seats. (Or is that just me?) And how do the authors remind us is the best way to deliver value? Excellence, consistency, attention, empathy, and appreciation. Remember that your income is a reflection of how effectively you touch people’s lives. Creating and adding value is the bullet; being a good person is the gun.

The answer to “What does it mean to be a Go-Giver?” is all around us. The authors say, “[Great salespeople] are great because they create a vast and spreading sphere of goodwill wherever they go. They enrich, enhance, and add value to people’s lives. They make people happier.”

Think of your parents, the server at your favorite eatery, the UPS guy, perhaps your local police officer or fireman. When was the last time we recognized the impact these individuals had on our lives? How many of them have read about what it means to be a go-giver? Yet people all around us are genuine. They give for the sake of giving, and are selfless. They approach people with compassion, and listen with real curiosity.

And by the way, those were the main themes within my district mates’ answers.

Maybe the reason people seem to relate to and truly embrace Go-Givers Sell More is that it delivers incredible insight into the psyche of the most successful salespeople. Or maybe it’s just because it highlights the things we already do on a daily basis, and helps us realize we had a Go-Giver inside of us all along — we just needed someone to help us makes its acquaintance.

I like Vince’s piece a lot. For one thing, it’s the first time I can recall ever hearing the go-giver philosophy being encapsulated thusly: “Creating and adding value is the bullet; being a good person is the gun.”

But seriously.

Often in interviews we say it’s for us to hear from people telling us, “Wow, those ideas in your book were so different from anything I’ve ever thought before!” — no, what we hear a lot of is, “You know, what you write in there is exactly how I always thought the world worked! I just never quite put it into words.”

And Vince’s last few sentences beautifully captures that sentiment:

“Maybe the reason people seem to relate to and truly embrace Go Givers Sell More is that it … highlights the things we already do on a daily basis, and helps us realize we had a Go-Giver inside of us all along — we just needed someone to help us makes its acquaintance.”

Nicely put, Vince!

The New York Times small business blog today ran a piece about a high tech entrepreneur who recently took her business through a major crash course in course-correction. (You’ll never guess how. Read on.)

“Success came quickly for SolTec Electronics,” begins the piece by Times columnist Adriana Gardella. Created by founder Dawn Gluskin in her living room in 2008, the firm sells hard-to-find circuit board components and solves big companies’ supply-crunch problems.

By the beginning of 2011, Dawn found her company had suffered its first quarterly loss, and could be headed for trouble. She responded with agility and creativity, putting in place a number of fascinating changes, for example, in her financial controls and management.

Here is the change that most caught our eye:

Ms. Gluskin, SolTec’s top revenue generator, said she is trying to “clone” herself. She revamped SolTec’s sales training program and now holds weekly meetings with her sales representatives during which she emphasizes the importance of relationship selling. Recently, she had her sales staff read The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg and John David Mann. “The moral,” she said, “is the more you give, the more sales you’ll get.”

SolTec has many competitors, but Ms. Gluskin said it stands out by emphasizing customer needs. She urges her sales staff to get to know customers on a personal level and help them even when it will not directly benefit SolTec. . .

You can read the full text of the article here.

It’s not every day we wake up and find we’ve been mentioned in the New York Times. (Now that is something that goes well with a cup of Rachel’s Famous Coffee and a danish.)

Our thanks to you, Dawn, and to you, Adriana!

We just found today: we are turning 18!

How’s that? Well, we just learned from Brooke Carey, our wonderful editor at Portfolio, that there is now a Bulgarian edition of The Go-Giver in the works.

On the heels of the recent addition of a Hungarian edition (that would be #17), that now brings to eighteen the total number of foreign-language editions!

You can click here to see all the covers, with links to the different editions, but below is a quick look at the fascinating multitude of ways the translators have rendered the book’s title and subtitle:

ENGLISH
The Go-Giver
A little story about a powerful business idea

AFRIKAANS
The Go-Giver (Die Weg-Gewer)
A story about a powerful business idea
(’n Storie oor ’n Kragtige Sake-idee)

BULGARIAN
n/a

CHINESE (simplified)
To Be a Positive Giver

CHINESE (complex)
Giving Power
Life-changing adventure of five

DANISH
The Go-Giver
An inspiring tale of getting when you give
(En inspirerende fortælling om at få, når man giver)

DUTCH
The Go-Giver (De Go-Giver)
An inspiring story about the value of giving
(een inspirerend verhaal over de waarde van geven)

FRENCH
Give Without Measure (Donner Sans Compter)
An inspiring story that brings new relevance to the proverb “give and you shall receive”

HEBREW
The Power of Giving
A little story about a big business idea

HUNGARIAN
The Giver
or, Why is it true that … “he gives a lot more to get it back”?

INDONESIAN
The Grantor (Sang Pemberi)
Five laws of highest success

JAPANESE
You Give
Pinder fulfill the dream of millionaires in five secrets

KOREAN
Rachel’s Coffee
Five rules to reach huge success

POLISH
The Giver (Rozdawca)
A short story about a great business idea

SPANISH
Give to Receive (Dar Para Recibir)
the secret to success in business

THAI
Give More, Get More
n/a

TURKISH
The Way of the Giver (Yolveren)
A short story about a powerful business idea

VIETNAMESE
Who Dared To Go (Người dám cho đi)
A little story about a powerful business idea

How many ways can you say, stratospheric?

You may remember that last April, Bob and I presented the great, legendary speaker Zig Ziglar with the very first Annual Go-Giver Lifetime Achievement Award. We wrote about it here, and shared a video of the event here.

Well, it’s a new year — and time for the next Award! on Friday, January 21, at “The Big Event” in Palm Beach, we presented the second Annual Go-Giver Lifetime Achievement Award to the universally beloved and respected leadership authority John C. Maxwell, author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.

You’ll here this, towards the end of the brief clip below: when John heard that he had been chosen to be this year’s award recipient, he said he was incredibly honored, and asked, “Why me?”

I can’t think of a better answer than the fact that he would ask that question in the first place.

“Well, Bronco Mendenhall is putting his nose to the grindstone in his new duties as Defensive Coordinator,” says the anchor in this KSL-TV piece from Salt Lake City, “but he still finds time to put his nose in a book away from the field. He says his reading selections have helped to shape his coaching style.”

He is talking about Brigham Young University’s Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall, famous both for his consistent wins on the field and for his commitment to community involvement and academic excellence among his players off the field.

The piece goes on to introduce a clip of Head Coach Bronco talking about one particular offering from his bookshelf, a book that explains “how successful you can be by giving.”

The book? You guessed it. A little red hardcover about a frustrated go-getter named Joe.

View Video

Projekt NewSpeak is a five-year-old West coast organization dedicated to touching the hearts and minds of all people through slam poetry, music and other forms of independent art and expression.

In a recent post on the Projekt NewSpeak blog, spoken word artist David A. Romero writes about encountering Mike Q Kim, Masterchef Extraordinaire:

“I am obsessed with cooking shows. Of all the chefs out there, my favorite is the foul-mouthed Brit, Gordon Ramsay. Imagine my surprise as I checked out Ramsay’s latest show, MasterChef on FOX, and up popped Mike Q Kim, someone I knew from doing poetry in Hollywood!

“With his easygoing manner and sense of humor, Mike Q Kim would undoubtedly be dubbed as the fan favorite of the show. Like many viewers across the nation, I watched each and every episode of MasterChef with the hopes that Mike’s cuisine would reign supreme.

“They say that ‘good things happen to good people.’ I think that’s mostly a load of garbage. But Mike is one of those good people that when something good happens to them, you feel like all is well in the universe.

“I recently had a chance to speak with Mike to ask him about MasterChef, fishing, food and his own personal philosophies towards life and love.”

Romero then goes on to reprint his interview, asking Kim about his experiences on the show, about what it’s like to represent the Asian-Pacific-American community in the media, about his poetry (“getting love, being love—that’s the message I want to share”), his passion for deep-sea fishing (“Fishing taps into something primal. It’s a way of life”), his philosophy of life and cooking (“Giving food is the best way I know of to give love”), and many other aspects of his life.

Finally, Romero asked him, “Any last words or shout-outs?”

And Kim said:

“Read The Go Giver and The Power of Now. Those books are incredible. They changed my life. They could change yours, seriously.”

Recently a wonderful life coach and prolific blogger named Michelle Stimpson wrote a delightful meditation on the Law of Receptivity on her blog, Following Your Joy:

“Most of the people in my life are tremendous givers. I’ll include myself here and say that it feels good to give and it comes naturally. I don’t really have to think about it; I must be hard-wired that way.

“At the same time, I’ve always considered myself a pretty good receiver. When someone gives me a gift or a compliment, I take it all in and allow it into my heart. I feel the gratitude and appreciation and always let the other person know of the gift’s impact on me.

“But now I realize that it goes even deeper than that.…”

And she goes on to chronicle her encounters with the Fifth Law in everyday circumstances, “a day in the life” style. It’s an astute and inspiring piece of writing — we definitely recommend you read the entire thing!

As soon as I read it, I wrote to Michelle:

“You know, it’s that fifth law that people so often tell us is the tough one.

“While we were writing the book, we didn’t know that was going to come last. As we developed the story, the first four laws sort of suggested themselves, based on our experiences and observations of life, and so they became woven into the fabric of the emerging story. But we knew there ought to be five. What would the fifth one be? We were as curious as any other reader might be.

“Well, we didn’t force it, or push … just let the story tell itself in its own good time. And, lo and behold, there was a fifth — and it turned out to be the one that holds all the others together, in a manner of speaking! (The thumb to the other four fingers; the Sunday that makes the other six days make sense… choose your metaphor.”

She replied:

“I appreciate hearing about how the fifth law came about, and I love that about life — how things just kind of ‘unfold’ exactly as they’re meant to.

“One metaphor that came to mind for me was Stephen Covey’s Habit Seven: Sharpen the Saw, the habit that ties everything else together and envelops — and makes it possible for — all the other habits to come to life. Or … it could also be the awesome layer of foam that tops off a good Guinness.”

Nicely put!

Writing for Oregon Gear Up Principals, a site provided by the Gear Up Principals’ Leadership Program and Education Partnerships, Ron Williamson posted a piece entitled “Great Summer Reading” on July 20:

“Summer is a great time to rest and relax for the coming school year. I value the summer as an opportunity to catch up on my reading and I’d like to recommend some of my recent favorites to you.”

Ron included books by Malcolm Gladwell, Jim Collins and pollster John Zogby, and finally, The Go-Giver.

Eight Great Summer Vacation Career Books

Henry DeVries, the Jobs and Careers section editor of the San Diego News Network (SDNN) and the assistant dean of continuing education at UC San Diego Extension, posted his list of eight must-read books on July 28:

“Ah summertime, and the reading is easy. Summertime is vacation time, and vacation time is reading time. But nothing too heavy. So if you are getting ready to head to the beach or the cabin with a few books in your tote, here are eight great career reads to bring along.”

On this one, The Go-Giver was the first on the list.

Short Girl, Tall Order

Leah Gradl calls herself “a top-shelf kind of person: If something looks just a little out-of-reach, I’m going to find a way to get there. Personal, business, or life in general. I’m going to stretch until I reach my goals, even if it’s on my tippy-toes.”

This July, Leah started a wonderful series of short posts on her encounters with the 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success.

“The Go-Giver’s 128-page story is about a struggling salesman who learns that the path to success is giving. Throughout the story, he’s mentored by a business Sherpa whose amazing net worth is eclipsed only by his easy-going demeanor.

“Think Bill Gates meets Frank Sinatra meets Gandhi.

“The Go-Giver’s gift comes in the form of Five Laws of Stratospheric Success. Each and every one of these laws struck a personal chord with me. So, Gentle Reader, stay tuned, and for the next 5 days, I’ll give you a Law of Stratospheric Success and glimpse into my experience with that law.”

Paradise Design and Photography

For Joshua and Jennifer Barut photography is not only a profession, it’s also a passion. Like Leah Gradl, Jen began a series of posts on The Go-Giver in July:

“I just finished reading The Go-Giver (by Bob Burg and John David Mann) and I am starting my journey of implementing it into my life and business. I was always taught it is better to give then receive, but I have gotten a whole new light on the subject.

“This book is an easy read and I recommend for everyone to read it. Doesn’t matter if you run a business, work for someone, or stay at home with your kids—you can implement it into any walk of life.

“I will do a post on the 5 laws so you can hear my point of view on it and please leave comments with thoughts all feed back is welcome.”

Automotive Digital Marketing

Brian Pasch, CEO of PCG Digital Marketing, writes for this “online community for car dealers, Internet sales managers and automotive marketing professionals.” In July he contributed a review of The Go-Giver and Go-Givers Sell More:

“As I read the first book, The Go-Giver, I realized that I already practiced some of the recommendations in this book, but I still have much more to learn. My passion for writing and sharing ideas on this forum is one way in which I can give with the hope that members will receive measurable value.

“As a result of my willingness to share, online and at conferences, people have provided me with wonderful feedback and encouragement. Some have even made a commitment to help my business succeed. This has been hard for me to accept at times — and so I was challenged by the 5th Law.

“I have witnessed firsthand the power of following the recommendations in The Go-Giver.”

“What Goes Around Comes Around”

And finally, there was a fantastic interview with Bob in Research magazine, entitled “What goes around comes around.” One of the nicest (and best-written!) articles we’ve seen!

In Go-Givers Sell More, we talk about something we call left field, that mysterious and omnipotently benign place from which unanticipated rewards so often flow. Here’s how we put it in the book:

When we’re living a life of generosity, all sorts of value showers down upon us from that unnoticed, unseen place. We find a critical lead or make a crucial connection; a golden opportunity drops unexpectedly into our lap; we have some incalculably valuable thing come to us, not from the people or the places we were perhaps expecting or hoping for it to come from, but from out of left field.

We didn’t call it this in the book, but you could call this the Law of Left Field.

The other day our friend Gill Wagner posted a comment on a post on Bob’s blog that so beautifully brings this law to life, we just had to repost it here.

Standing in the crowded elevator about to head up. Doors closing. I hear squeaky wheels rolling quickly toward us so I stick my hand out to stop the doors from closing. It’s someone on the janitorial staff with a mop bucket full of water. He’s clearly relieved that he caught the elevator and I get a quiet “thanks” as the doors close and three people behind me let out their “give me a break” sighs.

Ten floors later it’s just me and the janitor. He pulls the stop button, thanks me for my kindness and says, “I don’t recognize you. Where are you heading?”

I tell him I have a sales appointment with Joe Jones on 12. He nods thoughtfully, then says:

“Joe is tough, but he’s fair. At some point early on he’ll challenge you to see whether you’re willing to stand up for what you believe. I can’t promise you’ll close a sale, but if you don’t back down, you’ll earn a friend.”

Joe Jones challenged me. I stood my ground. I left with a great sale in my pocket and a line of referrals that lasts me to this very day.

Never saw the janitor again.

800-CEO-Read (also called 8CR), the nation’s premier distributor of business books, has formed a partnership with Inc. magazine to launch a cobranded list of bestselling business books, The Business Book Bestseller List. Compiled from 8CR’s raw sales data, the list appears both on Inc. magazine’s web site and on the 8CR home page, and will be updated monthly.

“We’re excited to partner with Jack Covert and 800-CEO-READ, the web’s top destination for business books, to create this list, and to better cover the ins and outs of the business book press,” says Mike Hofman, Deputy Editor of Inc.com.

Jack Covert, 800-CEO-READ’s president, says he was keen to find a media partner to extend the reach of a list he’s been compiling for 23 years. “This will help business owners sort through the vast array of books on offer, identifying those that have information crucial to succeeding in today’s business environment.”

So … ready for the punch line? The first edition of the list went online today, May 3, and debuting in the #3 position was (drum roll, please) The Go-Giver.

Also on the list, in position #20: Go-Givers Sell More.

Thanks, guys!

P.S. If you or anyone you know ever needs to place a bulk order for either book, the folks at 8CR are the people to call! You can contact our rep, Aaron Schleicher: aaron@800ceoread.com, or at 800-236-7323, ext. 204.