Customer Reviews

The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This may be the best business book I've ever read. By putting the message in the form of a parable, the authors made it easy to absorb. And, it's not only for sales people. I'm a hairdresser and I adopted it for my business.

Along with "The Go Getter," this is the kind of book to read once a week for a lifetime. It is just incredible. I truly would recommend this book to anybody pursuing anything.

You would think that if you give, give, give other people will just take, take, take. You have no reason to believe you would receive by giving and so you don't give, and so you never receive.

In order to get, you must give. In order to effectively give, you must be open to receive. Just leave yourself open and don't shut yourself off. Do this by not thinking about what you will be receiving, just think about what you value you will be giving.

The most successful people in the world, was it their one goal to make money? Really, think about it. They add value. Every one of them who has genuine stratospheric success, they have it because they added value. They just did what they felt was right and they focused on the fact that they were adding value.

The first question you should ask yourself is: does it serve others, does it add value to others? Then ask: does it make money?

It's like writing a book. The author has no idea what kind of money it will make and it is unlikely that the money was a drive. They saw an opportunity to add value. That drove them to create a quality book. They gave, gave, gave. The results are what they are and will be.

I have always enjoyed reading Bob Burg's articles on building successful business relationships, so when I learned he had written a new book, I purchased it right away. He's done a great job in identifying a handful of principles for success in life. He's also launched a whole new Go-Giver industry, I'm sure, with the book to be followed up with seminars, videos, motivational programs, posters, etc. Good for him. His message is positive and world-enhancing.

The book is written as a fictional story with the lead character learning business lessons of success as the story moves along. This technique is both a strength and a weakness. It's a strength because it makes the book easy to read and almost ensures massive sales in the corporate market. It's a weakness because it's necessarily phony and superficial.

Now, I know that this is not superficial stuff, and I know that Burg knows what he is talking about and can back it up from experience. Burg's and Mann's message is right on the money. But it needs a more serious dissertation to understand why the advice provided is good advice. With The Go-Giver, we're left to take the viability of these seemingly paradoxical ideas on faith. I suspect marketers and creative types will get it quickly because they understand the importance of relationships to business success, but finance and operations folks will have a hard time getting it.

So, while I liked the book and wish the authors great success with it, I hope Burg & Mann carry on from here with a more serious discussion about why the principles asserted are universally valid. The answers are grounded in economic, marketing and ethical theory.

You gotta read this book! Has the message been around for thousands of years? Sure. But this neat little book has a beautiful and simple way of teaching all of us the immense power in coming from a place of giving and helping our fellow man.

Is it a business book? Yup. But can it apply to changing the world for the better? Absolutely. One thing I learned from the book - is that if something is a true principle - then the application should work in the business world and on a personal level. Sure it's sounds exciting to "crush the competition" and teach those other boys "a lesson they will never forget".

But on a deep cellular level - it doesn't feel right to talk like this. If we believe we are all one, living on this big rock together called Earth - do we really want to "crush" anyone? Maybe the only model we've ever been exposed to teaches us that "there ain't enough to go around - so get yours before someone else does". What a limited view.

Why not come from a place of abundance. That there is more than enough to go around. What about helping your competition to grow your business? What about putting other people's interest before your own? Call it sowing the seeds, karma or what comes around goes around - but we have to start looking at life more from a place of co-operation versus competition. More from love than fear.

Anyways - grab the book today. It's a light read (just a few hours) and actually you will not want to put the book down! If you actually implement the books timely advice - your life, your relationships and your business affairs will expand and grow. Grab the book today!

If you want to succeed in life, you have to understand the true definition of success. Money is great. Power is wonderful. However, chasing these things assures that you will always be doing so. There will always be someone richer, smarter, and more successful that you have to keep up with. True happiness and real success requires thinking a little differently.

The Go-Giver is the story of an average Joe who's a real go-getter. He's always out to prove himself, always chasing down the next lead. Unfortunately, his results just never seem to equal his efforts.

In hopes of elevating his game, Joe seeks the help of a successful businessman. Serving as a mentor, this man teaches Joe the real tricks in business. The education Joe gains is invaluable. This book sort of reminds me of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, in an entertaining fictional format.

I loved this book. The story it tells is a great one and actually made me think that "Yes, this could be a great way to run your life and business!" BUT

... but the problem with this book is that the philosophy it presents is fictional. It's just a story.

I wish someone out there would say that "Yes, I tried this and these principles work!". Until then it's just a story.

A great one, but none the less I'd worry about messing up my life by following these principles and then finding that they didn't work.

I've been looking for someone to SHOW me how they achieved success, still am. When you are born on the "wrong side" of the track and are ambitious, it can be tough to find anyone successful who can help you, teach, take you by the hand.

Although I'm still looking for a mentor, I've found one in Pindar as I can relate to Joe.

If like me you THIRST for true success and don't know where to begin, then "there's someone I'd like you to meet".