The Go-Giver: A Little Story About A Powerful Business Idea
by Bob Burg and John David Mann
Recommended by:
Jason Clemons, Owner
Clemons Boats
Briefly summarize The Go-Giver and talk a bit about some of the main ideas fellow dealership/marina owners might find valuable.
The premise of the Go-Giver is simple — but something much easier said than done! I feel like the book illustrates a very important idea in that the world is a reciprocal place. If these principles are used in your business, you will succeed at a higher level. The main ideas in the book are based on the five laws of stratospheric success, which are:
- The law of Value – Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.
- The law of compensation – Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.
- The law of influence – Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other peoples’ interests first.
- The law of authenticity – The most valuable gift you have to give is YOURSELF!
- The law of receptivity – The key to effective giving is being open to receiving.
I believe everyone should read this book for themselves, but the general idea is to provide more value to everyone you touch in life than what you expect to get — and in turn you will get all that you are open to receiving!
Let’s face it, finding a bunch of negative experiences in the marketplace is easy, and you probably can’t think of the last time you received GREAT service.
It is not hard to stand out today, and if you read this book and go by its principles, I do not see how your business wouldn’t profit. This goes from how you treat employees at work all the way to how you treat your spouse at home. Give more – expect less – and you will receive more than you expected. Become a Go-Giver.
How did you come across The Go-Giver and what made you decide to give it a read?
I have had the book recommended to me by several people, but I bought it after it was discussed by Gary Vaynerchuck in a video blog he did at some point. Gary is all about giving value to the market, and if its good enough for Gary-Vee its good enough for me!
I try to always write down suggestions when a speaker brings up a great book. When the seminar or video is over, I order the book before I get busy and forget.
Did you find the book easy/fun to read? Or was it more analytical and data driven?
I loved the book’s format and the way in which it was written. It is not a data-driven book and is written in a story-like fashion, which was a great way (in my opinion) to get the point across. The book tells a story about a man who goes on a mental journey and learns about this powerful business idea along the way.
This is a fairly short book that I read all the way through on a plane ride — and it struck me as very powerful. I see it as a book I will reference over and over throughout my career.
How many business books do you typically read during the course of a given year and where does The Go-Giver rank as far as usefulness and relevance?
My goal is to read 52 books this year, and as of right now I am behind a week or two. Last year I read 24, but I truly believe if you aren’t growing, you are shrinking.
I feel this principle is true in your personal life and business life. You are either retreating or moving forward; standing still is retreating! Since that is a core belief of mine, I feel like reading is essential to personal growth, and I put a high standard on it. The biggest CEO’s in the country are said to read over 60 books a year and they are also said to make 300 percent more income than the average U.S. citizen.
I don’t know if that is accurate or not, but I plan to err on the side of caution and keep reading!
The Go-Giver is a top 10 book in my library for sure, maybe even top 5!
What question(s) would you ask the authors, Bob Burg and John David Mann, if you had a chance to meet for coffee or lunch?
That is a tough one! I think they did an excellent job in getting the point across for sure. My biggest curiosity is if anyone they know has tried to follow the book since it was written and achieved stratospheric success by following its principles and if they let them know about it.
There has to be some wonderful success stories out there. I’d love to hear about them.