Yes, drum roll please. Well, after one month, including two weeks of submitting videos and two weeks of voting, we finally have the winners of The Go-Giver Thank YOU Contest ready to announce.

And, the winners are…

Grand Prize $1,000 – Sabrina Risley

Five Runners Up

#1 – Norbeth DeJesus

#2 – Laura Newman

#3 – Christie Ellis

There was a tie for 4th Runner Up, decided by a toss of the coin, which resulted in…

#4 – Gina Parris

#5 – Amy Wells

Today the runners up will get to decide, in order of their finish, which coaching session — based on The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success — they will choose.

VIEW THE VIDEOS

Again, the awesome coaches who have volunteered their time to do this are:

Law #1, The Law of Value – Melanie Benson Strick and Jim Palmer

Law #2, The Law of Compensation – John David Mann

Law #3, The Law of Influence – Dondi Scumaci

Law #4, The Law of Authenticity – Dixie “Dynamite” Gillaspie

Law #5, The Law of Receptivity – Randy Gage

John David Mann and I want to thank everyone who participated either by submitting a video or by voting.

And, mainly, we want to thank each and every one of you for being such awesome Ambassadors of The Go-Giver Message.

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!

This was tough! I mean, really, really difficult! The panel of mysterious, secretive, clandestine, ninja-like, un-named judges, whose names and votes are forever sealed in figurative hermetically-sealed jars, struggled through a weekend of watching countless video entries into “The Go-Giver Thank YOU” Contest.

NO NO, wait…we didn’t struggle because the videos weren’t fun to watch. Quite the contrary, they were awesome! I mean, truly awesome!!

The challenge was they were all so terrific and inspiring that choosing just ten finalist was mind-bogglingly difficult. We did it by voting separately and tallying up the totals, and each of us expressing how lucky we felt that we didn’t have to go through the pressure of being the sole decision-maker.

So, you’ll notice there are ten. They are in alphabetical order. You can vote for one person. Feel free to change your mind if you’d like. When you re-vote it will override your previous choice.

We also included two more as Honorable Mentions because they both tied for 11th, and were mere percentage points behind the 10th person. While you can’t vote for them, we know you’ll enjoy their videos as well.

Now it is your turn. It is up to you to determine who the winners will be. So, go forth my friends, and vote. So, go forth, my friends, and vote. Though, unlike certain voting campaigns, vote early but not often.

Mainly, have fun watching these superb videos. Oh, the voting goes through Friday, July 1st and the winners will be announced on Tuesday, July 5th.

And…a huge, huge thanks to everyone who took the time, made the effort, and shared their hearts by submitting their videos.

We have become aware that Apple does not allow their iPads® to be used in third party promotions or contests (Guidelines for Third Party Promotions). Yesterday, several friends emailed us an article stating that giving away a free iPad 2 as a prize is contrary to Apple’s policy.

Regardless of whether we agree or disagree with their policy and/or strategy, we absolutely respect intellectual property rights, copyrights and trademarks.

So, we are changing the Grand Prize from an iPad 2 ($829 value) to a $1,000 cash prize.  With this $1,000 the winner is free to independently purchase an iPad 2 or whatever else they would like with the prize money.

We did contact Apple to make sure this was true and apparently it has been their policy since at least January, 2011. We apologize for any infringement we committed.

Meanwhile, we continue to receive great video entries. If you have not yet submitted yours, please know we’re looking forward to watching it. If you’re not planning to enter as a contestant, we hope you’ll participate by voting once that part of the contest begins.

By the way, we make no judgment regarding Apple’s policy. It is their company and their products and they have the right to determine how to market them.

In terms of marketing, yes, it seems – at least on the surface – to be a rather counterproductive strategy.

Still, let’s face it, Apple didn’t get to be as successful as they are without knowing what they are doing. So, in the name of marketing, branding, positioning, etc., any thoughts on why they have this rule in place?

The one with the best answer will win a free iP…whoops, never mind.

True, we really can’t thank you enough. We’d like to try though.

So, to say “Thank YOU” for all your help in The Go-Giver soaring past the 200,000 mark in sales, John David Mann and I have put together a contest with some really cool prizes.

The Grand Prize Winner will receive a brand new iPad 2: 64 GB with Wi-Fi + 3G (Yep, only the best for you!)

Five additional winners will receive a one-on-one, personal coaching session with one of today’s top authorities; each session based on one of the Five Laws from the book.

This is about YOU, and we invite you to participate. Mostly, we invite you to have fun!

Check out the Contest web page.

Our awesome publisher (Penguin/Portfolio) emailed John and me yesterday with some great news: sales of The Go-Giver, including both domestic and international, has passed the 200,000 mark (actually, 222,473 but who’s counting?) and heading toward the big Quarter-Mill.

THANK YOU … YOU ROCK!!!!!

We wish to extend our absolute gratitude to every one of you for being amazing Ambassadors for the message. This could not have happened so quickly — it could not happened at all — without you.

So, congratulations and thank you, to YOU … Team Go-Giver!

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!

A young man named Greg wrote us last year to say he had begun a non-profit organization in his small community.

He wrote:

I am responsible for raising money, and the way I’ve been creating great impact is with the Go-Giver mentality, helping others.

Working for a startup non-profit, I am not paid well, which is fine with me. I appreciate the story you’ve told as it spoke to my soul.

I wrote back:

Hi Greg. Thank you for your note, and congratulations on all the great work you are doing.

As a thought, when you say that working for a startup non-profit you are not paid well and that you are fine with that: that’s great for now, but I’d like to see you bring in more and more money as salary as the organization brings in more money.

Remember, Law #2 says that your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them. Being a Go-Giver does not mean being a martyr or taking a vow of poverty. (That is, of course, a choice you have the right to make, but it is not a part of the Go-Giver philosophy.)

You can do a great deal more good in the world and specifically for those you wish to help when you are living comfortably, rather than having to worry about where your next meal is coming from and how you’re going to make your next rent payment. Just a thought, as you seem like a truly great guy.

A month or so later, Greg replied:

Bob, your message hit a nerve. Thank you for the reminder. I agree, doing good does not mean earning less. I went to business school and felt guilty about the idea of making a lot of money doing something I loved.

I’ve been practicing, and I am starting to ask for more money when I speak—and am getting paid what I’m worth. Your words came at a time when I needed to hear them.

Yes, good work can be rewarded, and good things keep happening to me. Wow, I love The Go-Giver as it represents my life.

Cool. Very cool! Provide exceptional value, provide it to lots of people, and stay open to receiving. Great things will happen.

Good for you, Greg!

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.