ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.
Listen "Bob Burg on Becoming a “Go Giver” Rather than a “Go Getter”"
Episode Synopsis
Bob Burg shares how a subtle shift in focus is not only a more uplifting and fulfilling way of conducting business but the most financially profitable way, as well. For 30 years he’s helped companies, sales leaders, and their teams to communicate their value, sells at higher prices with less resistance, and grow their businesses based on Endless Referrals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoMAL9ITeZk
Brett Gilliland
Welcome to The Circuit of Success. I am your host, Brett Gilliland and I’m fired up today because I’ve got Bob Burg with me. Bob, how you doing?
Bob Burg
Great. I’m fired up to be with you. Thank you for having me.
Brett Gilliland
Awesome. Hey, we got great taste already. I can tell. We got the same microphones.
Bob Burg
That’s right, . There’s nothing but the best here, right?
Brett Gilliland
I mean, these are great mics. Great mics, but, uh, well, you have, you’ve probably seen this book before. For those of you watching, you can see it. For those of you not watching, you’re listening. I’m, I’m holding up the book, the Go Giver, A little story about a powerful business idea, uh, that Bob wrote and was co-author of, and it’s a phenomenal book. I read this, I’m not just saying that because you’re on the show. That’s why I reached out to you to have you on the show, because I read the book . Loved it. And, uh, highly recommend it to those, uh, to those avid readers like you obviously are. So, uh, Bob, before we dive into all that stuff, you’re obviously a thought leader, a speaker, an author, uh, but if you can just give us a little lay of the land, what’s made you the man you are today and, and what’s cutting you under this, uh, under this, uh, the, the level of your success.
Bob Burg
Well, I was very fortunate to be brought up by fantastic parents, so I think that’s always a, uh, an, an amazing advantage when you have that. And, uh, you know, I got into sales at a, a pretty young age, mid twenties, and, uh, began to grow from there. I learned and studied sales, which led to studying personal development because that’s such an important part of it. You know, we, we know that. Uh, you know, success is built from the inside out, right? We build ourselves and then it, and it sort of manifests itself outwardly. So I, I really love that. And after, you know, after some time of working my way up, eventually to sales manager of a company, I began teaching others, or I was asked to, to, to come in and speak to some other sales groups. I thought, wow, this is pretty cool. You know, maybe I could kind of do a business, uh, like that. And, and, uh, learned how to do that. Joined National Speakers Association and learned how to, to have a professional speaking practice. And from there I’ve just, you know, I’ve been very, very fortunate to do this for quite a while now.
Brett Gilliland
That’s great. So what, what made you write the book? Like were you, what, what stage of your career were you in, uh, when you wrote this ? Well, I know you’ve written multiple books, but specifically, you know, the Go Giver.
Bob Burg
Yeah, so, so it, it kind of starts back in the, the mid nineties when I had a book out called Endless Referrals and the subtitle was, Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales. And it was a, it was a how to book, um, on really showing entrepeneurs and sales people who knew they had a great product or service, they believed in what they did. They know they brought phenomenal value to those they serve, but they maybe didn’t feel confident or comfortable going out into their, their local areas and developing the kinds of relationships with people where people would want to do business with them directly and or refer them to others. So endless referrals was a system. Um, what is a system? Well, it’s, it’s basically the process of predictably achieving a goal based on a logical and specific set of how to principles, right? Uh, if it’s been proven that by doing a you’ll get the desired result of B, then you know that all you need to do is A, and continue to do A, and you’ll get the desired result of B. That’s what endless referrals was. It’s basic premise was that all things being equal people will do business with and refer business to those people they know, like, and trust. And so that was sort of my first big book.
Now, Through the years though, I’d always read business parables and whether it was a long form one such as OG Mandino’s Greatest Salesman in the World, or Class’s Richest Man in Babylon, or you know, all the, the Great Par Blanchard and Johnson’s one Minute series and throughout the years, and they were always so many fantastic ones and I always loved reading them because stories I think we all know connect on a, an even deeper level, right. And I thought, wouldn’t it be great if we could take that basic premise to know, like, and trust and turn that into a story? And, uh, so I was lucky enough that I, that my editor in chief at a magazine I used to write for, uh, John David Mann was, had already had a reputation within his niche as a brilliant, brilliant writer, author, storyteller. And, uh, and I asked him if he would get together with me on this idea that I had. And I, it was a roughly sketched out idea for the Go Giver. It certainly had not been developed, but he’s a great writer. I’m, you know, I’m, I’m a how to guy. I’m step step three. John’s a magnificent storyteller. So, you know, we collaborated on, and that’s really how the Go Giver started that.
Brett Gilliland
That’s great.
Bob Burg
You know, at the end of the very end of 2007, so effectively 2000. From there. Love it.
Brett Gilliland
So let, let’s talk about the, kinda the concept of the Go Giver. You know, I think most of the times, especially on, you know, in the world we live in today, it’s all about the go-getter. And, uh, but in your, in your book, in this book, um, you, you paint a better picture of being the Go Giver as your first priority. So instead of the go-getter, let’s be the Go Giver, hence the name of the book. Um, so let’s kind of set the, the stage for that. What’s that mean?
Bob Burg
So let’s, let’s take it even a little deeper if we can.
Brett Gilliland
Okay.
Bob Burg
You know, it always comes back to how we define terms of course, right?
Brett Gilliland
Absolutely.
Bob Burg
If you look at a go-getter as someone who’s just focused on the getting, yeah, the go-getter wouldn’t be, but what if we look at a go-getter as just someone who takes action right now? We love that. We love people who take action, right? Because, you know, you are, you’ve built a, a huge financial services investment practice. And, and yeah, you know that you can have the greatest ideas, the best thoughts, the greatest of intent. But unless action’s put into the mix, nothing’s gonna happen. So we, we want people to be go getters, people of action and go givers. Now a go giver is simply someone who understands that shifting their focus. And this is where this is the key. Shifting their focus from getting to giving is, uh, and in this case, when we say giving, we simply mean constantly and consistently providing immense value to others. Understanding that doing so is not only a more pleasant way of conducting.
It’s actually the most financially profitable way as well. Not for some kind of way out there, woo, woo, magical, mystical reasons. Not at all. It’s actually very logical, very rational. When you are that person, Brett, who can take your focus off yourself and instead place it on serving others, discovering what they need, what they want, what they desire when you can move off of yourself and focus on helping people solve their challenges, helping to bring them closer to happiness. People feel good about it, they feel great about you. They wanna get to know you. They like you, they trust you. They want to be in relationship with with you. So, so it just is very natural now. So we would say this, be a go-getter and a go-giver, but don’t be a go taker
Brett Gilliland
. That’s strong.
Bob Burg
The go taker, that’s the person whose focus is just on the take. Right? And it’s, it’s, you know, take, take, take without having to add val- without thinking. They have to add value to the person, to the process, to the the situation. And. They, they go takers tend to be very frustrated because they rarely achieve the kind of real massive success that they believe they deserve. But even when they do, and they do sometimes, uh, it tends to not be very sustainable.
Brett Gilliland
Mm-hmm.
Bob Burg
Built on a foundation that that is very, you know, practical. Not that they can’t keep doing it, but boy, isn’t it a tough way to make a living
Brett Gilliland
. Yeah.
Bob Burg
Competing that Brett. Right. And so, uh, so yeah, so we would say, you know, when you combine go getter and go giver, stay away from go taker. Now you’ve got, now you’ve really got a situation where you’re, where you are in a, where you’re in a position to bring some immense value to others. And remember, and I think this is so key, I I often say this when I’m, I’m speaking at a sales conference, it’s the first thing I’ll say, and that is, nobody’s gonna buy it from you because you have a quota to me.
Brett Gilliland
Yeah. No kidding. Right.
Bob Burg
Right. They’re not gonna buy from you cause you need the money or even because you’re really a nice person.
Brett Gilliland
Nor are they really gonna give a rep.
Bob Burg
Right, exactly. They’re gonna buy from you only because they believe that they will be better off by doing so than by not doing so. And that’s great.
Brett Gilliland
Yeah.
Bob Burg
Because. It means if you have a heart for serving others, you very naturally wanna bring the best you can to another human being. And, and that, you know, creates that environment for that know, like, and trust to occur and the business to take place.
Brett Gilliland
Yeah, I love that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoMAL9ITeZk
Brett Gilliland
Welcome to The Circuit of Success. I am your host, Brett Gilliland and I’m fired up today because I’ve got Bob Burg with me. Bob, how you doing?
Bob Burg
Great. I’m fired up to be with you. Thank you for having me.
Brett Gilliland
Awesome. Hey, we got great taste already. I can tell. We got the same microphones.
Bob Burg
That’s right, . There’s nothing but the best here, right?
Brett Gilliland
I mean, these are great mics. Great mics, but, uh, well, you have, you’ve probably seen this book before. For those of you watching, you can see it. For those of you not watching, you’re listening. I’m, I’m holding up the book, the Go Giver, A little story about a powerful business idea, uh, that Bob wrote and was co-author of, and it’s a phenomenal book. I read this, I’m not just saying that because you’re on the show. That’s why I reached out to you to have you on the show, because I read the book . Loved it. And, uh, highly recommend it to those, uh, to those avid readers like you obviously are. So, uh, Bob, before we dive into all that stuff, you’re obviously a thought leader, a speaker, an author, uh, but if you can just give us a little lay of the land, what’s made you the man you are today and, and what’s cutting you under this, uh, under this, uh, the, the level of your success.
Bob Burg
Well, I was very fortunate to be brought up by fantastic parents, so I think that’s always a, uh, an, an amazing advantage when you have that. And, uh, you know, I got into sales at a, a pretty young age, mid twenties, and, uh, began to grow from there. I learned and studied sales, which led to studying personal development because that’s such an important part of it. You know, we, we know that. Uh, you know, success is built from the inside out, right? We build ourselves and then it, and it sort of manifests itself outwardly. So I, I really love that. And after, you know, after some time of working my way up, eventually to sales manager of a company, I began teaching others, or I was asked to, to, to come in and speak to some other sales groups. I thought, wow, this is pretty cool. You know, maybe I could kind of do a business, uh, like that. And, and, uh, learned how to do that. Joined National Speakers Association and learned how to, to have a professional speaking practice. And from there I’ve just, you know, I’ve been very, very fortunate to do this for quite a while now.
Brett Gilliland
That’s great. So what, what made you write the book? Like were you, what, what stage of your career were you in, uh, when you wrote this ? Well, I know you’ve written multiple books, but specifically, you know, the Go Giver.
Bob Burg
Yeah, so, so it, it kind of starts back in the, the mid nineties when I had a book out called Endless Referrals and the subtitle was, Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales. And it was a, it was a how to book, um, on really showing entrepeneurs and sales people who knew they had a great product or service, they believed in what they did. They know they brought phenomenal value to those they serve, but they maybe didn’t feel confident or comfortable going out into their, their local areas and developing the kinds of relationships with people where people would want to do business with them directly and or refer them to others. So endless referrals was a system. Um, what is a system? Well, it’s, it’s basically the process of predictably achieving a goal based on a logical and specific set of how to principles, right? Uh, if it’s been proven that by doing a you’ll get the desired result of B, then you know that all you need to do is A, and continue to do A, and you’ll get the desired result of B. That’s what endless referrals was. It’s basic premise was that all things being equal people will do business with and refer business to those people they know, like, and trust. And so that was sort of my first big book.
Now, Through the years though, I’d always read business parables and whether it was a long form one such as OG Mandino’s Greatest Salesman in the World, or Class’s Richest Man in Babylon, or you know, all the, the Great Par Blanchard and Johnson’s one Minute series and throughout the years, and they were always so many fantastic ones and I always loved reading them because stories I think we all know connect on a, an even deeper level, right. And I thought, wouldn’t it be great if we could take that basic premise to know, like, and trust and turn that into a story? And, uh, so I was lucky enough that I, that my editor in chief at a magazine I used to write for, uh, John David Mann was, had already had a reputation within his niche as a brilliant, brilliant writer, author, storyteller. And, uh, and I asked him if he would get together with me on this idea that I had. And I, it was a roughly sketched out idea for the Go Giver. It certainly had not been developed, but he’s a great writer. I’m, you know, I’m, I’m a how to guy. I’m step step three. John’s a magnificent storyteller. So, you know, we collaborated on, and that’s really how the Go Giver started that.
Brett Gilliland
That’s great.
Bob Burg
You know, at the end of the very end of 2007, so effectively 2000. From there. Love it.
Brett Gilliland
So let, let’s talk about the, kinda the concept of the Go Giver. You know, I think most of the times, especially on, you know, in the world we live in today, it’s all about the go-getter. And, uh, but in your, in your book, in this book, um, you, you paint a better picture of being the Go Giver as your first priority. So instead of the go-getter, let’s be the Go Giver, hence the name of the book. Um, so let’s kind of set the, the stage for that. What’s that mean?
Bob Burg
So let’s, let’s take it even a little deeper if we can.
Brett Gilliland
Okay.
Bob Burg
You know, it always comes back to how we define terms of course, right?
Brett Gilliland
Absolutely.
Bob Burg
If you look at a go-getter as someone who’s just focused on the getting, yeah, the go-getter wouldn’t be, but what if we look at a go-getter as just someone who takes action right now? We love that. We love people who take action, right? Because, you know, you are, you’ve built a, a huge financial services investment practice. And, and yeah, you know that you can have the greatest ideas, the best thoughts, the greatest of intent. But unless action’s put into the mix, nothing’s gonna happen. So we, we want people to be go getters, people of action and go givers. Now a go giver is simply someone who understands that shifting their focus. And this is where this is the key. Shifting their focus from getting to giving is, uh, and in this case, when we say giving, we simply mean constantly and consistently providing immense value to others. Understanding that doing so is not only a more pleasant way of conducting.
It’s actually the most financially profitable way as well. Not for some kind of way out there, woo, woo, magical, mystical reasons. Not at all. It’s actually very logical, very rational. When you are that person, Brett, who can take your focus off yourself and instead place it on serving others, discovering what they need, what they want, what they desire when you can move off of yourself and focus on helping people solve their challenges, helping to bring them closer to happiness. People feel good about it, they feel great about you. They wanna get to know you. They like you, they trust you. They want to be in relationship with with you. So, so it just is very natural now. So we would say this, be a go-getter and a go-giver, but don’t be a go taker
Brett Gilliland
. That’s strong.
Bob Burg
The go taker, that’s the person whose focus is just on the take. Right? And it’s, it’s, you know, take, take, take without having to add val- without thinking. They have to add value to the person, to the process, to the the situation. And. They, they go takers tend to be very frustrated because they rarely achieve the kind of real massive success that they believe they deserve. But even when they do, and they do sometimes, uh, it tends to not be very sustainable.
Brett Gilliland
Mm-hmm.
Bob Burg
Built on a foundation that that is very, you know, practical. Not that they can’t keep doing it, but boy, isn’t it a tough way to make a living
Brett Gilliland
. Yeah.
Bob Burg
Competing that Brett. Right. And so, uh, so yeah, so we would say, you know, when you combine go getter and go giver, stay away from go taker. Now you’ve got, now you’ve really got a situation where you’re, where you are in a, where you’re in a position to bring some immense value to others. And remember, and I think this is so key, I I often say this when I’m, I’m speaking at a sales conference, it’s the first thing I’ll say, and that is, nobody’s gonna buy it from you because you have a quota to me.
Brett Gilliland
Yeah. No kidding. Right.
Bob Burg
Right. They’re not gonna buy from you cause you need the money or even because you’re really a nice person.
Brett Gilliland
Nor are they really gonna give a rep.
Bob Burg
Right, exactly. They’re gonna buy from you only because they believe that they will be better off by doing so than by not doing so. And that’s great.
Brett Gilliland
Yeah.
Bob Burg
Because. It means if you have a heart for serving others, you very naturally wanna bring the best you can to another human being. And, and that, you know, creates that environment for that know, like, and trust to occur and the business to take place.
Brett Gilliland
Yeah, I love that.
In God we trust