Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

It’s Only Common Sense: Allow Me To Be Generous

I just reread The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea. Full disclosure, this was the third time I’ve read this book and going forward, I plan to read it annually. It’s a short 150 pages (my kind of book), but it is extremely powerful.

This book, authored by Bob Burg and John David Mann, doesn’t really follow the way a true “how to” business book usually does. Rather it is a parable, a story with a strong message about the power of giving.

Now, before you quickly hide your wallet, that’s not the kind of giving this book describes. It is more about giving of yourself, being generous with others, and how it will help you succeed in business.

I especially relate to this thinking because it has been my personal credo for many years. I begin every relationship with the attitude, “Allow me to be generous.” What I mean by that is we agree to help one another without keeping score. We agree to trust each other, knowing for sure that we have one another’s best interest at heart. This attitude works with all relationships, including friendships, co-workers, customers, and even competitors.

By using this “allow me to be generous” credo I have been able to help a great many people and they, in turn, always remember me when they find something that would help me.

It works. I know because I have lived it for many years. And whenever I want to get my generosity batteries recharged, I pull out this little book.

The parable is about a very wealthy and successful man named Pindar who takes a younger man just starting out under his wing. Pindar introduces the young man to some of his successful associates/friends who talk to the young man about how they have succeeded in their life’s work by being generous in their own way. In other words, the “go givers.”

The book lists five basic ideas, or as the authors call them, “The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success.” I’ve followed each one with my own thoughts on how to use these laws when it comes to sales.

1. The Law of Value: Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take away in payment.
I agree; I always find ways to provide more value than anyone expects. Surprise your customers by always doing more than they expect. Just the act of doing this will put you far ahead of your competitors.

2. The Law of Compensation: Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.
The better you serve your customers and the more value you bring to them will determine how well you do as a salesperson and, hence, the more income you will make. The idea is to focus on what you do for your customers first. If you do this and do it well, the money will come.

3. The Law of Influence: Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.
The better you treat your customers, the more valuable you are to them, the more they will listen to you. They will come to trust and admire you because they know you are always looking out for them. This means that they will turn to you for advice, which of course, will allow you to have some influence on their decisions.

4. The Law of Authenticity: The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.
If you show that you are genuinely interested in your customers, demonstrate that you put their interests before yours, and give of yourself, the more trusted and even cherished you will be as a supplier, and the more they will consider you as one of their “trusted advisors.”

5. The Law of Receptivity: The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.
This kind of relationship is what we are talking about. This go-giver’s generous attitude you develop with your customers will lead to them wanting to help you in return. Always make sure that you graciously accept their help with great appreciation. I see their generosity leading to references, referrals, and success stories. They will become one of your more powerful advocates. There is no better way to increase sales than by having your customers recommend you to other potential customers.

In the end, being generous as a true go-giver is the key to having a successful sales career and a successful life filled with strong and fulfilling relationships with people in all areas of your life.

You can study all the ways to improve your sales efforts, from cold calling techniques to social media communications, but in the end, we are in a people-to-people business and there is no better way to create successful partnerships than being generous when it comes to your time, authenticity, and genuine commitment to looking out for their interests.

It’s only common sense.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.