“The Go Giver” is a quick easy read that follows a young, ambitious sales associate trying to reach success in this career. He’s working hard but not getting anywhere when a colleague provides him the name of a consultant who could provide him the insight he needs to excel.
In this parable, we are introduced to the 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success.
#1. The Law of Value:
Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment. It can be easy to accomplish this in the fitness industry when we are literally changing people’s lives. You can’t put a price on that! But most people are paying us for a workout so if you can figure out how to exceed that expectation, then you stand out from all your competition. So what extras can you offer? It can be as simple as really getting to know your clients, their interests, their family and asking them about it. You could research health and fitness topics of interest to them and forward to them. You could give them a free birthday session. Foster the development of friendships. Host parties and group events so clients and staff get to know each other. Create a culture through social media. Take care of your team so they take care of your clients. If you create an experience that people can’t get anywhere else, they won’t go anywhere else!
#2. The Law of Compensation:
Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them. Ask yourself how you can impact more people in the same amount of time. Can you offer some group training classes, a few training clinics, a running, hiking or Triathlon club? Can you teach a Free monthly workshop for your community or conduct Lunch n’ Learns at local businesses? Can you write a health and fitness blog or write a column for your local newspaper or magazine?
#3. The Law of Influence:
Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first. When having any interaction with a current, past or prospective client, ask yourself first, ‘How can I help?” “What are their needs?” Even if you don’t believe someone will ever train with you, help them anyway. What goes around, comes around and people will become your walking sales force as word gets around that you are genuinely interested in helping people.
#4. The Law of Authenticity:
The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself. Whether you are an employee in a club or training studio or a sole proprietor, you are running your own business, even if it’s within another business, and you need to understand that you have to be able to sell yourself. People have to be willing to pay money to spend a couple hours per week with you so you have to likeable. You have to have good communication and people skills. You have to be positive and energetic and have a magnetic personality. You have to genuinely care and be true to who you are and what you believe in. Yes, you are selling fitness, a healthy lifestyle and people looking and feeling great, but you are also selling YOU!
#5. The Law of Receptivity:
The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving. This can be a problem in our industry because there can be this general thought that if you really love what you do and are making a difference, you have to settle for making a lower income. It’s common in professions such as teachers, fireman, police officers etc but just because you love what you do, doesn’t mean you can’t make an income that allows you to live the lifestyle that you preach to others…the ability to pay a mortgage, take vacations, send your kids to college. My attorney charges me $350 per hour and I know he doesn’t feel guilty about it. He believes in his worth and value and in the fitness industry we need to shift our self-belief to see that we play one of the most important roles in our world and can directly, positively impact so many people’s lives and that’s worth a good income. So believe in your success, believe in your worth, believe in what you have to offer and be open to being wildly successful.
I read this book in just a couple hours but I found myself underlining and highlighting numerous thoughts and nuggets of wisdom. I thought I’d share my Top Thirteen quotes.
- 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 majority of people operate with a mindset that says to the fireplace “First give me some heat, then I’ll throw on some logs”. Or that says to the bank “Give me interest on my money, then I’ll make a deposit.” And of course, it just doesn’t work that way.
- Most of us have grown up seeing the world as a place of limitation rather than as a place of inexhaustible treasures. A world of competition rather than one of co-creation.
- What you focus on is what you get. You’ve heard that expression, “Go looking for trouble and that’s what you’ll find?’ It’s true and not only about trouble. It’s true about everything. Go looking for conflict, and you’ll find it. Go looking for people to take advantage of, and they generally will. See the world as a dog-eat-dog place, and you’ll always find a bigger dog looking at you as if you’re his next meal. Go looking for the best in people, and you’ll be amazed at how much talent, ingenuity, empathy and good will you’ll find.
- And that’s the Golden Rule of Business, ‘All things being equal, people will do business with and refer business to those people they know, like and trust.’
- You give, give, give. Why? Because you love to. It’s not a strategy, it’s a way of life. And when you do, then very, very profitable things begin to happen.
- All the great fortunes in the world have been created by men and women who had a greater passion for what they were giving – their product, service or idea – than for what they were getting.
- No matter what your training, no matter what your skills, not matter what area you’re in, you are your most important commodity. The most valuable gift you have to offer is you. Reaching any goal you set takes 10% specific knowledge or technical skills – 10% max. The other 90% is people skills.
- As long as you’re trying to be someone else, or putting on some act or behavior someone else taught you, you have no possibility of truly reaching people. The most valuable thing you have to give people is yourself. No matter what you think you’re selling, what you’re really offering is you.
- Your compensation is directly proportional to how many lives you touch.
- There are three universal reasons for working. Survive—to meet your basic living needs. Save—to go beyond your basic needs and expand your life. And serve—to make a contribution to the world around you.
- If you place the other person’s interests first, your interests will always be taken care of. Always. Some people call it enlightened self-interest. Watch out for what other people need, with the faith that when you do, you’ll get what you need.
- There was something else I’d learned over those years, and that was how to be a friend. How to care. How to make people feel good about themselves. And that, my friends, is something the marketplace wants very much – always has, always will.
- All the giving in the world won’t bring success, won’t create the results you want, unless you also make yourself willing and able to receive in like measure. Because if you don’t let yourself receive, you’re refusing the gifts of others—and you shut down the flow.
Although I’m feeling this style of parable writing is getting a little overdone, this book is a very quick read with very solid principles that can’t steer you wrong!
Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan
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