A reader named Jim Armstrong, from Yuba City, California, wrote to us about something he did at a brainstorming session with a coaching group:
“I introduced your book and led the group through a discussion of the five ways of creating value,” said Jim. “We brainstormed ideas, and I challenged the group to use the welcome sign strategy used by Marie Jakubiak’s firm [described in Chapter 1 of Go-Givers Sell More]. Three of them took me up on the challenge, including Dan Ginnaty, who implemented the strategy within 24 hours.”
And Jim then forwarded a few notes from Dan, who runs MT Flooring in Great Falls, Montana, along with some pictures Dan took:
Got our Welcome sign up with the names of four people who might’ve been coming in today. One lady did show up.
Rose [an employee] said the woman backed up, read the sign, then proceeded to my office. She did not say anything to me—but Rose said it opened her eyes. Might just work better than expected. — Dan
… and the next day, another note from Dan:
We have a long-time customer who is building a new house. Her husband told me she would be stopping with plans, so I placed her name on the Welcome sign. When she walked into the store, she stopped, read her name, then backed up to read it again and smiled ear to ear.
After working with her for several hours (we’re talking about 5,000 sqare feet of carpet), we discussed the sign. I told her about our coaching program and the idea behind the sign. I explained that our business is very personal in how we work with customers, versus a place like Walmart that just herds them through the doors.
Her words were, “I always feel welcome here, but I have never felt so welcomed.” No more to say. My investment of $57 is paying dividends. — Dan
I’ve always been a giving person; I don’t remember being any other way.
Certainly, life experiences such as caring for my siblings when I was very young molded me. In the same way, a near-death experience nurtured my giving nature and caused me to pay attention to what is really important. And I paid attention to living by and being taught quotes such as the following (to name a few):
“You get more joy out of the giving to others, and should put a good deal of thought into the happiness you are able to give.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” — John Andrew Holmes
I’ve been taught all my life that “Giving is its own reward … Giving is a mighty mission … It is more blessed to give than to receive — and never mind the return, the return will take care of itself.”
I was brought up on Southern hospitality — and did not know that a person could give too much.
When my marriage was falling apart, I went to a marriage counselor, alone, who told me in a negative way, that I was a “good and faithful servant.”
I remember thinking at the time, “Isn’t that what I am supposed to be?”
The problem was: I wasn’t receiving anything back, and I was drained.
I’ve always believed that to feed my soul, the best thing I could do is to give to someone who couldn’t give back to me, so why wouldn’t it work for a one-sided marriage? My husband didn’t know how to give, so couldn’t this situation be a feeding of my soul?
I was trying desperately to continue to give, because I knew that once I stopped giving, the marriage would be over. And I was right.
I learned that in some relationships, we must receive in order to keep giving, or the relationship falls apart.
In some life situations, it’s possible to give without the thought or the need for return.
One small example: 10 years ago, I had so many accumulated PTOs (Paid Time Off-days) that I shared my abundance with people who were ill or injured. If there was a call for help, I gave, whether I knew the person in need or not. And I always gave anonymously, because I did not want anyone to feel obligated to me in any way and that was a big part of feeding my soul.
In some life situations, the gift given without expectation of return returns in unexpected ways.
Fast forward to today: I quit my job working for a consulting firm and went to work for a hospital about 8 months ago.
I was injured at home. I had enough PTOs for two weeks of pay on December 10th. The Human Resources representative told me that when I ran out of PTOs, my job would be posted; in short, I would lose my job. It was policy, and the director “is a stickler for policy.”
It’s now Jan 21st, and I’ve had complications; I still have not been able to return to work. But I still have a job waiting for me.
Something amazing has been happening. People are giving me their PTOs!
Something else has happened too: someone cared enough to dig deeper into policies — and found a loophole. I’m now on medical leave.
People are volunteering to do so much for me. They want to give to me. They act like they are honored when I need a ride (because with my injury, I can’t drive).
To be honest, I would rather be the one giving, and I truly always believed that the biggest blessings came from giving — but today I am being blessed by receiving and giving the gift of allowing others to give to me. It’s humbling, but soul-feeding, too.
I hesitated to tell my story because I didn’t want to be seen as a braggart. In the spirit of The Go-Giver, I had to remind myself that this isn’t about me—it’s about the value my story may bring to others by sharing it. I want people to see that, more than just a nice concept and kind way of living your life, living the Go-Giver principles really does work. BIG TIME, in fact!
I loved reading The Go-Giver and got super excited when I first learned of Go-Givers Sell More. You see, it was this very concept that inspired me to start my company nearly four years ago.
Here is a brief video clip that gives a quick sense what I mean, followed by my story.
“They made fun of me…”
At 23, I began selling cars and spent the next 11 years with one Acura dealer. As an ex-insider, I can tell you that the car business, by and large, has done plenty to earn their not-so-stellar reputation.
And, I saw that as a wonderful opportunity.
I thought, “Wow, if my clients could actually enjoy what could otherwise be a very grueling process, I can really build something here.” I envisioned a long list of clients that would continue to buy from me over and over again and send me everyone they knew.
I’d been car shopping myself just four months before entering into this new career. A restaurant manager at the time, I’d spent several months looking around, visiting dealers, and meeting all kinds of salespeople — and I do mean all kinds. After an 8-year restaurant career, I ended up going to work for the very place that had sold me a car and had truly earned my business.
At first, some of my practices were not all that well received by my managers and co-workers. They actually made fun of me for being “too nice,” making friends with my clients, spending too much time with each client and even letting a client leave without a fight so they could, “go home and think about it” or “talk it over with their spouse.”
You see, I trusted that they’d actually be back. Imagine that: trusting them to honor their word instead of going in for the high-pressure close. While this didn’t always work, it certainly felt better than the alternative — and to the amazement of my managers and co-workers, most of the time it actually was working.
Thinking back on my own experiences as a consumer, it was easy to see why clients were so leery, cautious or even fearful of the car-buying process. I decided I was going to help dissolve their fears, put their needs before my own, ask meaningful questions, listen with both ears, and earn my title of Consultant. I also learned it was important to under-promise and over-deliver. Too many people, especially in the car business, practice the exact opposite. Many of my peers saw me as a bit of a consumer advocate. I was on a mission to make car buying easy, low-pressure and even fun.
It wasn’t long before all of this began paying off. After a turnover in the management and sales staff, my new peers weren’t making fun of me. Instead, they were trying to figure out why my clients were so loyal to me. Year after year, my repeat and referral base continued to grow. My CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) was in the top 1 percent nationally. Eventually I was working by appointment only, 70 percent of my business was repeat and referral — and I’d achieved Salesman of the Year seven years in a row.
I was selling a product I believe in (still drive one today), alongside people I respected, to wonderful clients … and I was only working 35 to 40 hours a week and making a very comfortable six-figure income. Could it get any better?
I suppose I had faith from the very beginning that by investing in my clients, I was investing in my own future. By following the golden rule (or better yet, the platinum rule) I trusted that I would benefit as much as, if not more than, my clients. It felt good. It felt right.
I originally founded Driven To Excel, Inc. as a Sales Training company, setting out to share this “system” — this methodology and its best practices — with other salespeople. While today’s clients might still refer to it as “sales training,” I prefer to call it what it really is: Client Service Training. My business has since evolved into much more, but one thing remains true: I trust that by providing value and putting my clients first, it will all work out in the end. I’m living proof of it.
My hope is that anyone reading this is either able to reinforce an existing belief or have newly found faith in a mindset that will prove beneficial to all human parties involved.
From Don Gandy, the principal at Wheeler High School, in Valparaiso, Indiana.
I began reading The Go-Giver in early January [2009] in hopes of finding a book to give to all of our seniors in the school community (145 seniors in this class). This book truly inspired me to realize, in parable format, the importance of the “Golden Rule.” It was one of those WOW moments that hit me to truly see what is important in life.
My athletic director, Randy Stelter, and I are going to do a team-taught reading of The Go-Giver to all our seniors. We believe that this book will equip our seniors to deeply understand the principles of giving, and we want them to realize the importance of community. We are a public high school of approximately 600 students in grades 9–12. Every year the next senior class will read this book. It is our gift to them as they leave our school.
[... and from Randy Stelter, Wheeler High athletic director, some days later:]
We had our first discussion on The Go-Giver on Friday with the senior class. I was extremely pleased with their responses.
One of the seniors, Indy Roper, actually came up to Don at our basketball game on Friday and said, “I was a go-giver today!” She went on to share how she helped a lady whose car had died. She had to get her jumper cables and was able to help someone that was in need. Yes, this is only one student, but again, this can have a domino effect if enough of the Indys out there speak what they have learned.
Photo: Indy Roper with Don Gandy and Randy Stelter
Photo: Mike DeSimone (front) with Don Gandy and Randy Stelter
[... and a later note from Randy:]
Just finished our second senior class discussion of The Go-Giver. Must share that Mike DeSimone, our All-Conference Quarterback, has already finished the book — he was the first one finished. He answered questions like a scholar today, and I couldn’t have been more proud. Mike shared with me that it’s the best book he’s ever read and that “everyone should read it.”
I began with a five-question quiz and told the students that those who had all five correct would have a special gift next week.
I then shared the fifteen-minute movie clip from your blog, and the kids really enjoyed it. Many came up afterwards to express the support of today’s lesson. I challenged them to validate their experiences of “living and giving” the first law this weekend, and we would share those experiences next week.
Photo: A group of Wheeler High seniors
I really believe in what we are doing at Wheeler. I have already asked Don if we could start this project again at the beginning of next year so we could follow the progress of the “giver” mentality throughout the year. We want our seniors giving back to our younger students, and this is the perfect opportunity for them to catch the spirit.
From Joe Vizi, who runs Eco-Scrub, a Concord, Georgia–based family-owned carpet-cleaning business with his wife Renee.
About six months ago, we went to clean carpets for an elderly couple. They lived in a small two-bedroom assisted-living place about forty-five minutes away from our home. It was easy to see that they really needed help: the Mrs. could not stand any straighter than at a ninety-degree bend at her waist, and the Mr. is legally blind.
Renee and I were there for a good three hours. It took us more time to organize their home than it did to do the actual carpet cleaning. We noticed some stacks of framed family pictures, but none were hanging on the walls.
Two weeks later, we paid the couple another visit.
They were surprised to see us. We told them we’d come to help them hang their pictures. The elderly lady burst into tears. She said she couldn’t believe someone would go out of their way like this for them.
“We can’t pay you,” she said, although we hastened to assure her that we were not expecting to be paid, “but what we can do is pray for you, and that we will.”
Now, I’m not a deeply religious man, but I do believe that what goes around, comes around.
About two weeks later we attended an annual dinner for our local chamber of commerce—and to our surprise, we were awarded the county’s Small Business of the Year! Based on what our clients tell us, winning that award has been responsible for about 35 percent of our new business in the past six months, putting its value in the thousands of dollars.
God, karma, whatever you believe is your choice—but it’s clear to me that helping others is really for your benefit, and not only theirs. And it is great to sleep in peace every night.
From Arlin Sorenson, CEO of Heartland Technology Solution, who held a Go-Giver-themed business retreat in the summer of ’08 on his farm in Harlan, Iowa. Arlin also operates a business peer-group organization called the Heartland Tech Groups (HTG), where owners of different companies in the same industry get together once a quarter for two days of face-to-face meetings to share their experiences and best practices. They’ve been doing this for seven years and have eighteen groups going.
Here are a few pictures from Arlin’s 2008 Go-Giver Business Retreat, followed by his report on what happened next:
I wanted to share a great example of how your book and the culture it expresses is taking root in our peer groups.
This weekend, two of our members headed to another state to help a fellow member who had called out for help. The economy and some other circumstances were overwhelming to the point where this member’s company was considering massive layoffs or even closure.
These two volunteered to give up their own precious time (they both lead and manage their own companies) to fly to this member’s office and perform a SWOT (assessment of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats), from which they could provide guidance on immediate action steps that could be taken to deal with the issues at hand. This included part of their weekend, a level of commitment that makes this even more amazing.
I just received their findings and feedback report this morning after returning from church — and they are exploding with great ideas and suggestions that will make a significant impact on the company they went to help. Because of the go-giving actions taken by these two men, things for that owner have gone from “futile and overwhelming” to “manageable and possible.”
I now require all members of HTG to read The Go-Giver and do a book report on it, which is shared within their group meetings. When they join our program, the first thing I give them is a copy of the book (now over 125 copies handed out) and talk about the culture of go-giving that makes HTG what it is today.
[Nine months later, Arlin wrote us this follow-up:]
During the fourth quarter, the struggling member was able to regain control of the business, paid off most of their debt and had enough cash in hand to pay the rest. First quarter ’09 was a banner season for sales and profits.
But here is the really interesting thing: the two people who flew out to help the other member’s business say they have discovered that they have been forever changed by the investment of time, effort and dollars they made. Not only did they feel personally enriched by the experience, but they also learned much in terms of business acumen, critical thinking skills and leadership—ideas and processes they were then able to bring back and incorporate into growing their own companies.
In the Spirit of the Law of Receptivity, I love remembering that our giving actions sometimes come back as a harvest to those we love. It reminds me of a lesson my husband taught me:
Several years ago I was VERY pregnant w/ twins, ready to burst and so tired as we left a parking lot, but my husband saw a car stranded in the busy street and instinctively pulled over to help the driver. I protested (I’m embarrassed to admit it), “Honey, she already has a cop here to help her.”
He looked at me and said, “Yes, but he can’t move her car by himself — and besides, one day my sweet wife could be stranded somewhere, and I’ll want to know that someone will help her.”
Two weeks later I got a flat tire late at night and pulled in the closest driveway I could find. Within moments, a guy hopped out of the house and changed my tire as fast as a pit crew worker. He just laughed at my astonishment and said, “Oh, I own the body shop down the street. I do this a hundred times a day!”
When I told my husband about it he put his hands in the air and whooped, “Woo hoo — I sowed good seed for that!”
From Katie Ball, who works at Encore Senior Living. Encore Senior Living manages Assisted and Independent Living communities and specialized Alzheimer’s communities in Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona, and Utah.
We hold monthly team-building conference calls with our Executive Directors based on a “dream it” challenge; it has been very successful and motivational for all involved. We also have conference calls with our other community department heads (e.g. marketing, activities), and Program Directors (our equivalent to a Director of Nursing position) and wanted to include a team-building portion in those calls as well.
My direct supervisor, who is the VP of Programs, read your book, which had been recommended to her by an ED at one of our Florida properties over a year ago and wanted to use it in some way for motivational team building. As we discussed what we would do for our Program Directors, we decided to use The Go-Giver.
We sent copies of the book to each of our ED’s with instructions to only read chapters as assigned. We asked that they keep a journal to document how they meet the challenge presented by each Law. We meet on a monthly conference call and discuss the Law assigned for that call and how they have practiced the law in their own lives — both personally and professionally.
We also started a newsletter in which one of us writes an article related to the particular law for that meeting and we spotlight two of our PD’s and their Go-Giver spirit.
We’ve also decided that upon completion of the book, we’ll have the PD’s take turns leading the calls by sharing Go-Giver moments they’ve experienced, either as the “giver” or the “receiver.” We’re still working out the details of how we’re going to do it, but we know we want to carry on with the Go-Giver theme.
Peter Muhlbach, the CEO of our company, recently read your book, and at the opening of a meeting briefly shared the concept he had read about and then proceeded to give an example of an unexpected reward he had received when given an opportunity to “place other people’s interests first.”
It is a great book and we are looking for other ways we can use it to motivate and change our team attitude.
From Berry Zimmerman, a Seattle-based business consultant who founded and runs an operation called BizEnrich.com:
Every business expert who joins BizEnrich receives a copy of The Go-Giver to help clarify the values of the organization and inspire them to serve their clients in a way only a true Go-Giver can understand.
Last Friday [Nov. 20, 2009], BizEnrich held our first annual “Thanks-Go-Giving Celebration.”
[Note: That’s Berry on the far R.]
The purpose of the event was to gather as a community to express our gratitude for the generosity of our members and share our blessings with each other. Our members were treated to a complimentary gourmet luncheon by our sponsoring organizations.
Prior to eating lunch, we hand-wrote personal Thanksgiving cards to 70 foster parents in the greater Seattle area. Foster parents make some tremendous sacrifices to care for their foster kids and it was a great joy for us to thank them for their generous spirits. We have “adopted” Olive Crest, a regional charity who does great things with foster kids (and parents) to reduce abuse.
Throughout the three-hour event, everyone was given an opportunity to share something personal with the group. They were given guidelines ahead of the event, and were given a tremendous amount of freedom to share a story, a poem, a physical gift, or whatever they wanted to do. Each person was also given a copy of one of the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success and asked to make it relevant to something in their own life.
The sharing was incredibly touching and personal. We learned things about our business colleagues that only best friends share with each other. We heard poems from authors like Maya Angelou and Mary Oliver. We heard stories of heartache and triumph. We heard heartfelt statements of appreciation for each person in the room. We received gifts of recipes and song lyrics and memorabilia from local charities.
We all left the event with full bellies and hearts.
In the 24 hours since the event, I have received several personal emails of appreciation and gratitude. One member was so moved by the event that he claimed, “Today’s meeting did more to build relationships between the members than all the meetings this year combined.”
Happy Thanks-Go-Giving — Berry
P.S. Everyone I know who reads The Go-Giver is moved by the story and finds some way to engage the spirit of the book in their lives. One of my members carries a copy of The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success in his planner. Another member tried to get her 14-year-old daughter to read the book. (Sorry, but The Go-Giver is not quite “Twilight” to her.)
