Summary - The Go-Giver

The Go-Giver is a fable about an ambitious young man, Joe, who propelled himself to phenomenal success after he learned and applied the “Five Laws of Stratospheric Success” from a famous consultant and several go-givers (who were also extremely successful in their businesses/career).

The Law of Value

Your real worth is defined by how much more value you give than how much you get paid. Before thinking about profits, first ask yourself, does this serve others? A great business delivers unbelievable value; when you you focus on giving value as a way of life, the money will naturally follow.

The Law of Compensation

Your income is decided by the number of people you serve and how well you serve them. The bigger your impact, the more money you’ll actually earn.

The Law of Influence

Your influence is defined by how often and how much you focus on others’ interests first. The best way to build strong relationships is to focus 100% on helping the other person, without keeping track of how much others owe you or how much they gain. When you add value to others freely, people are naturally attracted to you, like you and want you to succeed, and you essentially build an army of personal ambassadors.

The Law of Authenticity

The biggest and most valuable gift you can offer is yourself. Every human being craves genuine connections and relationships. Hence, the best gift you can offer someone is your authenticity, simply by being yourself rather than pretending to be someone else. No amount of manipulation skills or techniques can be as effective or valuable as your authenticity and sincerity.

The Law of Receptivity

To give effectively, you must be open to receive. Giving and receiving are 2 sides of the same coin. There can be no act of giving without a concurrent act of receiving, just like how you cannot exhale without inhaling. Practice  receiving–the next time someone pays you a compliment, simply accept it graciously by saying “thank you” with a smile.

Lesson 1: You’ll enjoy what you do and be more successful if you focus on trying to give your all to help others.

Do you ever feel like the harder you work the further away your dreams seem? If this is the case for you, then what you need is a mindset shift. It’s natural to want to be successful, but the way we look at how we get there is vital to making it actually happen.

Burg’s friend Joe is a perfect example. You could accurately say that he’s a go-getter. He works hard, is ambitious and dedicates himself to his craft. But working harder only seemed to make his goals feel more distant. The difference between successful people and Joe’s way of doing things is that people who actually get ahead focus more on what they can give to others. 

Giving is at the heart of a go-giver attitude. It’s all about focusing on the pleasure of giving, but also that you find what you seek. 

Right now, try to find all the blue objects in the room. Now can you tell me where all the red items are? No, because you were looking for blue! Life is the same way. If you’re afraid that people will cheat you, they will. Worrying you’ll run into conflict only brings it into your life. 

But this principle works for the positive things in life, too. If you look for the good in others, you’ll find it. And if you seek ways that you can do good to others, you’ll see how. This shift in perspective will put you into the go-giver mentality and help you become successful.

Lesson 2: You can only make your product so good, but connecting with your customers has long-lasting positive effects.

Alright so you know that focusing on giving is where it’s at, but what are the details of how this works? This is where Burg’s five laws of stratospheric success come in, the first of which is the law of value. This rule is all about helping your customers have an enjoyable and memorable experience with your work. 

A lot of people think that getting customers to return requires making their product perfect. Sometimes this works, but it’s not possible for every business. A hotdog stand is a great illustration of this principle. You can only make your hot dogs so much better than the next guy’s, right?

That’s why you need to take great care of your customers by giving them a positive feeling if you want to really stand out. 

Consider one hot-dog stand owner named Ernesto. He went above and beyond by remembering customers names, birthdays, and their favorite orders. Everyone that bought from him felt special. It paid off in a big way, too. His business did so well that he eventually owned six restaurants!

Giving and doing good to others reaps the same rewards coming back to you. It’s a small thing, but a customer’s positive experience with you is extremely valuable to them.

Lesson 3: People would rather do business with someone who is authentic than a person that just wants to sell them something.

Do you remember the last time a salesperson accosted you outside of their store? It’s annoying to have to hear them drone on about how “their product is the best.” If you want to succeed in business you need to do the opposite of this and be yourself. 

The law of authenticity is another of Burg’s rules of success. Think back to a time when a company representative was themselves instead of robotically going from their script and you know what I mean. To be genuine, you just need to view people as humans like yourself, rather than just another potential customer. 

Debra Davenport’s story is an example of how this works. When she began, making a sale was difficult for her. She had all the right training and skills and knew about the houses she was selling. But none of that made any difference to her clients. 

This all changed once when Debra decided to have a conversation with a customer about his day. This made the appointment much more relaxed and fun, and in the end she sold the house! It wasn’t long before her newfound ability to engage with clients as people brought her a lot of success.

The moral of the story is when you talk with people, just be yourself! Letting your uniqueness shine is the gateway to becoming truly successful. You can have all the skills in the world, but what people really want to see is your personality.