Philosophy
The only difference between the way you are today and the way you will be five years from now will be the people you meet and the books you read.
When asked what the philosophy (rather than slogan or logo) of Coca Cola or IBM, no one knew the answer. When asked what the philosophy of BNI was, over 1 million people know the answer -Givers’ Gain®. Zig Ziglar is famous for the quote, “You can get everything in this world if you just help enough other people get what they want.” You will hear it misquoted often using words like “anything” or “reach your goals” instead of “everything”, but Zig really meant everything.
Sometimes it is called the Law of Reciprocation, Servant Leadership, Pay It Forward, Tit for Tat, Do Unto Others, Farming instead of Hunting, or Give to Get; they all follow Zig’s quote about beginning with giving.
This is a paradigm shift for most people. It certainly was for me. Years ago Brian Tracy focused on the top closing techniques. When I was with him recently, he was focused on business relationships – building trust and rapport. We were trained to use techniques like Elevator Pitches, where we had to get out as much information about our company, products, and ourselves as we could instead of listening. I attend a number of networking events each week and I see it every time.
One of my favorite author/speaker/coaches is Bob Burg, who wrote the bestseller “The Go-Giver” along with John David Mann. I have had the good fortune of being on the stage with Bob many times and listening to him share his knowledge.
The Go-Giver defines The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success –
- The Law of Value: Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value that you take in payment.
- The Law of Compensation: your income is determined by how many people you serve and in how well you serve them.
- The Law of Influence: your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.
- The Law of Authenticity: the most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.
- The Law of Receptivity: the key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.
Does being a Go-Giver mean you’re not interested in making a profit? That being a Go-Gitter is a bad thing? That nice guys finish last? That it’s easier to be a Go-Giver when you are rich and famous? That it takes longer to get results? That if you just give and give eventually you will receive results, like magic? The answer is no, but you need to read “The Go-Giver” to learn why.
The Quakers had a wonderful saying quote “when you pray, move your feet.” The five laws aren’t magic; genuine success still takes work, but it becomes work you love.
I encourage you to read Bob Burg’s The Go-Giver and his associated books listed in a future article.
Watch for the next article entitle Business Networking & SEX – “not what you think”
Networking Resources
The only difference between the way you are today and the way you will be five years from now will be the people you meet and the books you read. The most successful people read one non-fiction book each week. I do, because I have a weekly newsletter which has a book review each week. How about you?
Books
Networking Like A Pro – Dr. Ivan Misner & Brian Hilliard
The Referral Rules – Timothy M. Houston
Life’s A Sales Call – Jack Warkenthien
How to Win Friends & Influence People – Dale Carnegie
Remember The Ice – Bob Nicoll
Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion – Robert B. Cialdini
The Power of Story – Rod “The Storyteller” White
Business Networking and SEX – Dr. Ivan Misner
Networking Naked & Unafraid – Kathryn Crawford Wheat
Fearless Networking – Ken Marsh
You and Your Network – Fred Smith
Truth or Delusion? – Dr. Ivan Misner, Mike Macedonio, Mike Garrison
The Go-Giver – Bob Burg & John David Mann
Go-Givers Sell More – Bog Burg & John David Mann
Positive Personality Profiles – Robert A Rohm, Ph.D.
Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
The World’s Worst Networker – Timothy M. Houston
Leads to Referrals – Timothy M. Houston
The ONE Thing – Gary Keller with Jay Papasan
The Sales Secrets of the Left Eye – Rod “The Storyteller” White
Endless Referrals – Bob Burg
The Networking Disconnect – Ivan Misner & Brennan Scanlon
Mentoring – Bob Biehl
The Way You Do Anything is The Way You Do Everything – Suzanne Evans
The Power of Who – Bob Beadine
Failing Forward – John Maxwell
The Referral of a Lifetime – Timothy L. Templeton
You and Your Network – Fred Smith
Start SuperNetworking – Tom & Keith Schreiter
You Can Always Get What You Want – Phil Murray
Social Millions – Erik Swanson