Success through Giving: The Go-Giver

How do you bring more success into your life by giving more? To answer this question we can look to the work of Bob Burg and John David Mann who developed the concept of The Go-Giver. So what is a “Go-Giver”? Let’s start with a similar term we all know, the “Go Getter”. The Go Getter is a person of action. A Go Getter is someone who takes it upon himself or herself to find what they want and get it (which is different than “taking” it). A “Go-Giver” is also a person of action but who looks to find the value that they can give to others, and in doing so build influence and a wide network. There is no natural division between a Go-Giver and Go Getter. You can be both. The opposite of a Go-Giver is Go Taker.

Building and growing your business and personal life in a way to flourish involves creating value and magical moments for your customers. Being a Go-Giver naturally helps you create these moments of magic.

In helping others to understand the Go-Giver philosophy, Bob Burg and John David Mann developed the 5 Laws of the Go-Giver. As you read through them think about how they can be framed to apply not only to business life but also within your personal life and relationships. Remember, success is achieved when you are living up to your full life potential, not just your potential in one aspect of your life.

The 5 Laws of the Go-Giver

The Law of Value
Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.

This is a different way of thinking an operating than most business have. First we should consider the difference between “Price” and “Value”. The price is simply how much you charge for a good or service. Price is a dollar amount. Value is how much your good or service is worth to your customer. You want your customer to feel they are getting a great amount of it.

Here’s an example: An accountant gives you a price of $1000 for completing your taxes. As a result of examining your tax records and filling out the tax form, you accountant finds for you $4000 in savings. You receive $3000 in monetary value plus additional value from the peace of mind you receive from knowing your taxes were done right as well as having saved you the time to do it yourself. The accountant has created a magical moment

The Law of Compensation
Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.

Any business’ long term success depends both on finding customers and having repeat customers. Think about the challenge in finding a customer. Wouldn’t it be much easier and less expensive to run your business if you had both repeat customers and referrals? Think about your own customer service experiences. What is it about those businesses that keep you coming back? What if your service is so great that your customers tell others about you and refer business to you?

The Law of Influence
Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.

All thing How much do you put other people’s interests first? All things being equal, people will do business with people they know, like and trust. How do you get people to know, like and trust you? You demonstrate how much you have their interests at heart.

The Law of Authenticity
The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.

All the skills, techniques and knowledge in the world will do you little good if they are not genuinely who you are. When you work, presentation and ethics are all in alignment your business will flow smoothly. You will have less stress and as a consequence exude confidence and competence.

The Law of Receptivity
The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.

The key to being effective at giving is to be as effective at receiving as you are at giving. Some of us struggle with this, refusing offers of kindness and generosity. Giving and receiving are very similar to breathing – exhaling and inhaling. Both are necessary, especially for a healthy relationship. If you are giving, someone needs to be receiving (note that this is different from taking). Next time you find yourself refusing an offer of kindness, think about why you’re turning down the offer and the affect that has on the giver. Remember, Giving, Receiving, Exhaling, Inhaling.

How do you become a Go-Giver?
First is just to be aware of your desire to be Go-Giver and look for opportunities to put the 5 Laws into practice. Look for areas in your business and personal life where you are not happy or things are not working well, these would be prime areas to look for a different way. Before you can make a change, you first have to be aware of the problem.

Second, you need to start acting as if you already have those characteristics. You don’t have to feel a certain way before acting. Act that way and you will start feeling that way. It is a well know fact that if you’re sad and you smile, you will become happy.

But what if you don’t feel like someone who likes to give. If you just start acting like a Go-Giver won’t you be violating the Law of Authenticity? The answer is no because you are consciously making the decision to be giving and to reach a higher personal level of consciousness. You are not pretending to be something you’re not; you are acting the way you want to be.

In what areas of your life can you give more value?

Learn more about becoming a Go-Giver by visiting www.TheGoGiver.com or purchase the book  (I earn a small affiliate commission):