If you’ve read my Networking Secrets for Sales Reluctance: How I Overcame Unsuccessful Networking as an Introvert, you’ll partly know why I love The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. For almost my first 10 years in business my mentors had instilled more of a Go-Getter philosophy. But I’m here to tell you, if you have any doubt that the Go-Giver is bogus, and can’t possibly help you get what you want, I hope you can and will join me in listening to Bob Burg Thursday, Nov 12 and then IMMEDIATELY put any one of the Five Stratospheric Laws of Success into action with online speed networking; if you can’t be there, then read further to discover just one thing I stumbled on as an introvert in business with Go-Giving being my philosophy by necessity.
One of the Five Laws that I practice, certainly not enough, came about because the typical Go-Getter style in networking didn’t work for my introvert nature. The Go-Giver law number 3 is The Law of Influence:
Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interest first.
Networking still can make me puke. Why? Because at a great amount of in-person events it’s a lot of sales spiels with chewing food and spitting drinks at the same time. Really; most people just want to talk about themselves, but unless the timing is right, it seems a bit tacky to me.
How I feel a safe in networking is being a connector or a hub: at networking events, since my contact sphere is wide (after many years in business), it’s easy to to introduce people to someone who they describe they want to meet. Oh, they may not mention a particular name most of the time, but by listening to them, I intuitively know someone to make introductions. I’ve do this more and more because quite truthfully, it eases my queasiness about networking as usual. So while my original finding to put other people’s needs or wants first was by necessity, what it turns in to is a preference to network this way by choice. Putting listening to how you might help someone else’s needs, even in the smallest way, is more natural and comfortable for someone more introverted or even shy. And it sure beats the alternative make-me-sick way!
To learn more about the The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success you can take one of two actions at least:
One, read the book which you can buy through Amazon or possibly find at your library; and then two,
Join me in listening to Bob Burg Thursday, Nov 12 and then IMMEDIATELY put any one of the Five Stratospheric Laws of Success into action with online speed networking. It could be just what you need to help you and your business results!
What has been your experience with the Go-Giver philosophy if you know of it? Since it is similar but different than Giver’s Gain would you comment on your experiences?
Excellent post. I laughed so hard when you wrote:
Networking still can make me puke. Why? Because at a great amount of in-person events it’s a lot of sales spiels with chewing food and spitting drinks at the same time.
Great ideas for focusing on listening to others. Seems like a good approach to take.
I use Law 3 also and it reminds me of a pun: I couldn’t quite remember how to throw a boomerang, but eventually it came back to me.
This quote sums it up for me: “Focus on the job and leave fruits to themselves.”-unknown That is the same with networking… just help and it will eventually come back to you.
It has worked wonders for me.
Smile before you go on to the next web page:
I planned to dress as a philanthropic mortician for a masquerade ball, but it would have been a dead giveaway.
I was about to write the exact same thing, Trudy, and then noticed you already said it! Those two sentences are laugh-so-hard-you-shoot-coffee-through-your-nose funny.
And (sigh) equally true.
Love the post!
John
Trudy and John – and can you tell me it’s now true? Ok; maybe not the spitting all the time. But every once and a while the sipping on a drink or chewing on an hor d’oeuvre ends up with some of it spewing out of the speilers mouth!
John – I am so excited about your co-author presenting Thursday night. And I just noticed that the two of you have a NEW Go-Giver coming out! I can’t wait to get it – Go-Givers Sell More.
Jim, your profound wisdom and ROTFL are what gets that fruit bearing for you I’m sure! Thanks for a great analogy with the boomerang.
[still laughing at the mortician pun]
Pat, yes, I’ve been at events that are an eating and drinking frenzy, sometimes with music so loud I can hardly hear myself think, let alone carry on a meaningful conversation. Those events can be a bit overwhelming, even for the extrovert in me.
Here’s one networking tip: when eating and drinking, it’s impossible to shake hands. I shake elbows.
Anyway, I’ve got a networking event about 1 hour south of here, so I’ll miss the call. Will you be recording it?
If yes, how will you let us know? Do you recommend I go register?
Thanks.
Shake elbows? Well THAT would eliminate those problems wouldn’t it Bonnie?
There will be a recording made however not released right now. So I HEARTILY recommend registering! [ I’m actually trying to figure out how to offer it for sale to donate proceeds to a local charity, Dream Catchers, in Williamsburg. So while it will be archived by Blitztime as a regular process, it won’t be released until I figure out purchases for charity.]