1192 – The Go-Giver Philosophy with Bob Burg

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks to the author of The Go-Giver, Bob Burg. 

The Go-Giver philosophy starts with shifting your focus from getting to giving, Bob explains. In this context, it means providing immense value to others regardless of return. If you execute this correctly, you’ll not only conduct business in a more fulfilling way, but you’ll earn more business organically. When you can take your focus off of yourself and put it into helping others just for the sake of doing so, people feel good about you. This is a key element of the know, like, and trust process. 

Consumers have been so saturated with advertisements and marketing that now, there’s a serious disdain for feeling ‘sold at’ across verticals, and many prospects are hyper aware of sales tactics. It can be felt in a very nuanced way and now, you have to leverage more of a Go-Giver philosophy in order to see results. People won’t buy from you because you have a quota to meet, or even because you’re nice and likable. People only buy things when they feel they’re better off with your product than without. If you take a service-based approach and focus on offering value, then making sales will be a natural result of that approach. 

Always go the extra mile to actually know your customers. When you first meet someone, focus on them. Who are they? How did they start their business? What matters to them? People don’t hang up on you when they’re the ones talking to you, so engage with them and let them tell you their story. Giving them this time not only allows you to get to know them better, but it helps them begin to know, like, and trust you. Prospects can feel when they’re being sold at, but they also know when your focus is to bring them value. Paint that picture clearly and build the relationship organically; don't rush. The fastest way to get people to deeply know, like, and trust you is to focus on them genuinely and authentically.

Josh and Bob also discuss the important that your words and intentions are aligned, because prospects can tell when they aren’t. Making this mindset shift truly and deeply requires acknowledging a false premise; focusing on yourself won’t make the sale move faster. If you really need to close a sale, dig deep to the root of any objections and work together with the prospect to move forward. You should always connect the benefits of what you offer to the exact and specific problems they need to solve. No matter how you’re hurting for cashflow, you can always lead with service and generosity. 

Want to learn more? Check out The Go-Giver’s website at https://thegogiver.com/. 

Check out Bob’s books, The Go-Giver and his other works, at https://thegogiver.com/order-now/. 

Check out Bob Burg on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobburg/. 

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