The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg & John David Mann

Author:Bob Burg & John David Mann [Burg, Bob & Mann, John David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Personal Growth, Motivational, Business & Economics, Success, Self-Help
ISBN: 9781101216453
Google: 850NZNDSImkC
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 2007-12-27T21:18:55+00:00

“You must be Joe!” The beaming, white-haired gentleman grabbed Joe’s hand with both of his own and shook it vigorously. His voice sounded like a creaky gate hinge. “It’s about time the Old Man brought someone around I could have some fun talking to. He’s boring!” And he thumped Pindar on the shoulder.

As Sam wheezed with laughter and led his guests to two sumptuous leather chairs, Joe glanced around the place. The vast twenty-fourth-floor work space looked more like an airplane hangar than a corporate office. The vaulted ceiling and huge skylights were at least twenty feet overhead. Through the two huge plate glass walls that formed the corner office’s perimeter Joe could see that amazing western mountain landscape beyond the city.

Joe tore himself away from the view to focus on the conversation as Pindar and Sam ping-ponged through a brief history of Sam’s career.

Sam Rosen had started out as a struggling insurance agent. Over the years, he gained a reputation as an especially fair-minded businessman. People started calling on him to serve as a negotiator or, in their more difficult dealings, as a mediator. After establishing himself as the firm’s top salesman, he broadened his focus and began serving as a full-spectrum financial adviser for select clients.

In his early sixties, Sam shifted gears yet again. He began to work with nonprofits, especially those helping the financially disadvantaged, the homeless and the hungry. Today Sam was the state’s number one philanthropist and spent most of his time negotiating large contracts on behalf of worldwide charities.

“When I first met him a little over thirty years ago,” added Pindar, “he had already amassed over four hundred million dollars in sales—more by far than anyone else in the history of his company.”

“You must be the best insurance salesman in the world,” ventured Joe.

“Should be, should be,” Sam agreed. “I started out as the worst! When my goal was to sell insurance, I was no good at all. My first few years in the business, I floundered like a turtle on his back. Tell you what it was turned things around and set me right side up—”

Joe held up one finger and said, “May I guess? The idea of giving more in value than you took in payment?”

“Not a bad guess,” said Sam. “Changing my focus from seeing what I could git to what I could give was when my career started to take off. Started to. But in a business like mine—actually, in any business—you also need to know how to develop a network.”

He looked directly at Joe. “Do you know what I mean by ‘network’?”

In fact, Joe had just been thinking that networking was something he indeed knew all about, but the question caught him by surprise and he quickly shook his head. “No—I mean, yes, I think I do.” He paused. “But I’ll bet I don’t,” he finished lamely.

Sam’s eyes twinkled with warmth. “The Old Man was right again, as usual. He said I’d like you.”

Joe blushed.

Sam continued. “Now, by a network I don’t necessarily mean your customers or clients.

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