The Go Givers are the Winners

Posted on February 18th, 2010 by Todd Smith - View Comments |Print This Post

I just finished reading a great book written by a long time friend, Bob Burg, along with co-author John David Mann. The title is Go Givers Sell More and it hits the bookstore shelves today. While the book is primarily designed for those in the sales industry, its core lesson is universal. To succeed in the business world, you must be someone who brings value to the lives of others, before expecting anything in return.

This concept embodies a fundamental shift in the mentality of sales people who market products and services as well as our approach to the marketing of our personal services.

I am ALWAYS turned off when people try to pitch me on things without first trying to build a relationship with me or to learn if what they are marketing is something I desire.

In today’s world we want to do business with people we like and trust—people who have first shown an interest in us, and the things that are important to us.

So, how we can make this shift in thinking work to our advantage? The answer is simple. We must focus on building meaningful relationships and putting the interest of others before our own.

Your circle of influence grows by 250 people, every time you build a new relationship.

According to Bob and John, each of us has a circle of influence of about 250 people. Therefore each time we build a new relationship, we are expanding our sphere of influence by 250 people. Here’s an example to illustrate the power of this point.

This past week a friend called to tell me that his company was looking for a sales VP in Orlando and asked if I knew of anyone. As I considered potential candidates, there was one person who stood out in my mind. His name is Gregg Corella. Gregg is a perfect example of a Go Giver. He is someone who has been intentional about building a relationship with me and in offering me value.

Here are the five simple things Gregg has done to make himself stand out.

1. He was very friendly in all our communications and showed an interest in me. I hate to say it, but he showed more of an interest in me than I did in him.

2. He went out of his way to help a mutual friend get a job, which I found impressive in a world filled with people focused on selfishness.

3. He sent me a direct message through Facebook complimenting me on the Little Things Matter fan page soon after it was launched.

4. A few weeks later he sent me a message to let me know that he had recommended the Little Things Matter fan page to all his friends. Putting his credibility on the line by recommending the fan page was a great compliment.

5. His consistent positive communication prompted me to learn more about him. I reviewed his profile, photos and posts on both LinkedIn and Facebook and unlike 95% of the people that provide their personal information on social media and business-networking sites, Gregg has built a positive online brand. Tune in tomorrow to learn more about online branding.

Primarily based on these five things, I put my credibility and reputation on the line, which I seldom do, and recommended him to my friend.

Gregg is the perfect example of why Go Givers are the winners. He has been intentional about building meaningful relationships with people and by doing so has expanded his sphere of influence to thousands of people. And who knows, perhaps by building a relationship with me, a new career opportunity will open up for him.

Let me challenge you to begin to think like a Go Giver and to be conscious about building meaningful relationships and bringing value to others before expecting anything in return.

“You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” – Zig Zigler

About the Author: Todd Smith is a successful entrepreneur of 29 years and founder of Little Things Matter.To receive Todd’s daily lessons, subscribe here. All Todd’s lessons are also available on iTunes as downloadable podcasts. (Todd’s podcasts are listed in America’s top 100 podcasts.)

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  • "it is more blessed to give than to receive", is actually a principle, when properly understood; not just some nice words.
    Here is something that touches on that: from 'The Prophet', by Kahlil Gibran; in my opinion, one of the greatest , most inspiritational, books of all time. Certainly, the beauty of the languge, and imagery, is practically unequaled in literature; to wit: "It is life that gives unto life, and you who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness". From the chapter on "Giving" .
  • B Mitchell- Thanks for your contribution and for the book recommendation. Have a great weekend.
  • Todd
    Great article, summed up by a quote of one of the best ever, Zig Ziglar.
    Sooner or later people will figure out that the givers win out. When you give(help), 2 people benefit. The person helped, and the helper(you).
    Thanks for the contribution

    Tim Smith, Creator, Smile-Therapy,.com
  • Hi Tim, great quote by Zig. Thanks!
  • You're absolutely right Todd, it really is all about giving. As a Relationship Marketing Coach I recently had the opportunity to speak to a group of students at a local College about Genuine Relationship Marketing. Understanding that most of their previous lessons in their class have been based on Traditional Marketing, I focused more on teaching them the philosophy of “sending out the give” rather than “sending out to get” and why this approach is proving to be much more effective. I also explained the circle of influence and brought up a study that explained how every month that goes by that they don’t have some contact with their clients or prospects, that they lose 10% of their influence over them. This meant that if they get a new client involved today, and they don’t have any contact with them over the next 10 months, they lose 100% of their influence! I look forward to reading the Go Giver Sells and I will continue to help those make that fundamental shift by focusing on building meaning relationships.
  • Dana, I love what you are teaching. I especially like and agree with the point about staying in contact with your clients/customers. So many sales people seem to feel once they make the sale they are done, when in reality the relationship has really just begun.

    So, what are the key points you teach as a relationship marketing coach and who is your target market? Thanks!
  • Hi Todd,

    The key points I teach in Relationship Marketing are: Communication Marketing, Appreciation Marketing, Referral Marketing and Follow-up Marketing. Business owners need to understand that they are dealing with people and not just a name on a data base. Clients and Customers are human beings, they have needs, wants, families and they are looking for people who care about them. Many people are too focused on themselves and are too quick on pitching what they have to offer. Good communication is about talking less and listening more! When we have good relationships with our clients/customers and they know,like and trust us they will refer others to us without having to ask. Business owners say that 43% of their clients/customers come from referrals and 17% of their clients/customers come from networking. This means that 60% of their business comes from relationships. Most of us have heard before that "the fortune is in the follow-up" yet statistics shows that 48% of sales people never follow-up. Being someone who takes the time to follow-up not only increases their chances of making more sales but also increases their credibility.

    Todd, you've probably noticed already that my target market is Business Professionals but I also love to teach the importance of building genuine relationships with my family and friends as well.

    I will explain my key points on "Appreciation Marketing" on the post you just made on "The Power of Appreciation", this is one of my favorite topics!!!

    Thanks for letting me share!

  • Dana,

    I think what you are doing is awesome. I fully agree with your analysis. I will be writing a post this morning for next week on listening, which as you pointed out is crtical.

    Thanks for your response and contribution. Do you have a blog? If so, can you respond with the URL? I would love to follow your teachings.

    Thanks,

    Todd
  • Lisa Ibarra
    Todd, I cant wait every day to open your blog and learn how to be a better person! Its cold here is Wisconsin but your advise puts sunshine and energy into my day, thank you! It really is a small world and being a giver always comes around full circle! Isn't life just more fun and entertaining when you make new friends? Thanks again, Lisa Ibarra
  • Lisa, just like you can't wait to open my blog, I can't wait to read positive messages like yours. They put sunshine and energy in my day, thank you! You are right, life is more fun when you are making new friends. Thanks!
  • Thanks Todd. I was excited to win a signed copy of this book last night. I look forward to reading it. I have always been labeled as a "giver", and have sometimes been criticized by others that think I give away too much. I grew up with the best roll models and lived by the phrase it is better to give than to receive. This just validates my personality to give, give, give...and give some more.
  • Shawna, I could have just as easily talked about you as I did Gregg. You have gone out of your way to offer me advice and as a result my blog is better. You are certainly a Go Giver! What goes around comes around! Don't listen to those who criticize you for helping others. Your day is coming and its not far into the future!
  • Ernesto_Busnelli
    Fantastic message as daily.
    Wow ! Do I get to post next to Bob Burg?
    I'm rubbing elbows with the major leagues...
    :-)))
  • Bob certainly is in the big leagues!
  • Todd, thank you so much for posting about John David Mann's and my book. I'm always so complimented when people such as you - who have built your empires utilizing these very principles, long before John and I put them into book form - are kind enough to mention the book. And, yes, I agree with you that Gregg really does it right. He's a terrific example from whom we all can learn...as are you, my friend!
  • Bob and John did a great job with this book. I am writing a post for next week on how to kick butt in this economy and reading books like yours is what everyone who wants to advance their careers should be doing right now. Thanks for being a force of positive information in a world filled with negativity.
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