The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Bob Burg (Author), John David Mann (Author), Authors (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008

Most people just laugh when they hear that the secret to success is giving...Then again, most people are nowhere near as successful as they wish they were."

The Go-Giver tells the story of an ambitious young man named Joe who yearns for success. Joe is a true go-getter, though sometimes he feels as if the harder and faster he works, the further away his goals seem to be. And so one day, desperate to land a key sale at the end of a bad quarter, he seeks advice from the enigmatic Pindar, a legendary consultant referred to by his many devotees simply as the Chairman.

Over the next week, Pindar introduces Joe to a series of "go-givers:" a restaurateur, a CEO, a financial adviser, a real estate broker, and the "Connector," who brought them all together. Pindar's friends share with Joe the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success and teach him how to open himself up to the power of giving.

Joe learns that changing his focus from getting to giving-putting others' interests first and continually adding value to their lives-ultimately leads to unexpected returns.

Imparted with wit and grace, The Go-Giver is a heartwarming and inspiring tale that brings new relevance to the old proverb "Give and you shall receive."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This modern-day business parable, a quick read in the spirit of The Greatest Salesman in the World and The One Minute Manager, should do well with eager corporate-ladder climbers, who may at first be confused by its focus: on putting the other guy first-be it a colleague, competitor, customer, friend or family member. Told through the fictitious story of an ambitious young salesman named Joe, Burg and Mann communicate their points through the advice of an enigmatic (and highly likeable) mentor character known as Pindar. Rather than help Joe snag a fast sale, the consultant introduces him to series of "go-givers" who personify the "Five Laws of Stratospheric Success." Over the course of five days, a restaurateur, a CEO, a financial advisor, a real-estate broker and the mysterious "Connector" teach Joe about the laws of value, compensation, influence, authenticity and receptivity-concepts that make more immediate sense in this fictional context than they would in a formal business book. Burg (Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales) and Mann (You Call the Shots) write with a simple, informal style that offers a working-person's interpretation of the old adage "give, and you shall receive."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

Most people don't have the guts to buy this book, never mind the will to follow through and actually use it. But you do. And I'm certain that you'll be glad you did. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Your Coach In A Box; Unabridged edition (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596592001
• ISBN-13: 978-1596592001
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 5.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (215 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #383,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 5 Laws of success that guide how you work with others, January 19, 2008

By 

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea (Hardcover)

OK. You know what a go-getter is. Maybe you are one. What is a go-giver? This book is one of those business parables that presents its ideas in the guise of a story. Business stories usually have a protagonist who is in real trouble, meets a wildly successful but mysterious guru who will share the Secret of the Universe with our hero. The hero will at first reject the simplicity of the idea, but will try it out and find that the idea works. The guru will them reveal the rest of the mystery and the hero solves his problem, finds great success, and the story ends happily. Why they all have to be along these lines, I do not know and this one only differs in the details. I mean, it is a pleasant story, but it is fiction. For me, business principles are always more convincing when presented with actual business case studies and even then they tend to be qualified in their applicability.

In any case, this book has five key principles based on the notion that your success comes from working with other folks and rather than trying to and take from the world and get all you can while giving as little back as you can, the truth is just the opposite. You give as much as you can and you will get more back. Remember the story of casting your bread upon the water?

Here are the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success (which are restated at the back of the book):

1) The Law of Value: Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.
2) The Law of Compensation: Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.
3) The Law of Influence: Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people's interests first.
4) The Law of Authenticity: The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.
5) The Law of Receptivity: The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.

The story nicely demonstrates what is meant by these principles and fleshes out the ideas in an attractive way. I think the principles are sound and if they interest you then you should get a copy of the book and dig into it.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

38 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Ruined My Evening Plans, December 30, 2007

By 

Bill Lampton, Ph.D. "Speech Coach for Champions" (Gainesville, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea (Hardcover)

When I received a copy of The Go-Giver, I set aside the last forty-five minutes of the day to start reading the book. Good plan, right?

However, my intent to quit reading at a reasonable hour and get to bed at my usual time disappeared. Within a few minutes, I knew that The Go-Giver had all the suspense of a top-line mystery novel. I couldn't stop until I had read the entire book.

Thanks to Bob Burg and John David Mann for this stimulating parable, filled with enriching thoughts. Everyone who reads this book will re-examine his or her approach to business and customers.That alone will be a "powerful business idea," as the subtitle says.

The Complete Communicator: Change Your Communication-change Your Life!

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timely, simple truth in a crazy world, December 31, 2007

By 

Sean Woodruff "ProPride, Inc." (Grand Blanc, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea (Hardcover)

While I'm not usually a business parable kind of guy I found myself connecting with this one more than any I have read. In fact, it may be the FIRST one I have completed through to the end. Page-by-page I was touched by the story.

Books that cause a paradigm shift are far and few between but Burg and Mann have given the world just such a book. In a hectic, crazy, get it all done as fast as you can kind of world it delivers just the right message for solid, sustainable success. Not monetary success, although that may be the result, but human being success. The kind of success that has been written about in many other parables through history. This parable will take its place among the rest of them. Read it, experience it, practice it and touch the world in ways that are uncommon in all the craziness.