One day in mid-2010, three different people suggested I read The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. It wasn't the first time I'd heard that, but on this particular day, I heard it three times.

I took it as a sign, fired up the Kindle and forked over the $18.99 for immediate upload to my digital reader. Since I was traveling, I was able to dive right in to find out what all the fuss was about. And my response was "wow."

If you haven't read The Go-Giver, or the sequel, Go-Givers Sell More, then it's time you did. The basic premise of the Go-Giver philosophy is that, in order to be successful in a sales career, you'll be far better off putting other people's needs, wants and desires ahead of your own. It's not just the polite thing to do (that good ol' Golden Rule and all), but it's simply a smart way to live, love, and succeed.

The authors focus primarily on salespeople, perhaps because traditional sales training and wisdom teaches its practitioners just the opposite, and what one might call a Go-TAKER philosophy. It is all about the salesperson—her wants, needs and desires—and how she can best convince her target that he wants what she, the salesperson, wants him to want!

But the authors turn that paradigm on its head. They insist both brilliantly and persuasively that when you make your approach all about the other person and sincerely put their wants and needs ahead of your own, then you're pretty darned likely to come out ahead.

Here's the thing. When you are self-employed, you are dependent on the good will, trust and support of other people who inhabit the planet with you. You can't be a successful entrepreneur all by yourself; you need customers, who are in all likelihood going to be human beings.

Therefore, it only makes sense that you'd want to behave in a way that will make those other human beings like and trust you. This is best accomplished by treating them the way they want to be treated, not by utitlizing aggressive sales pitches.

In other words, “It's not about you, it's about them.”

So, how can we apply Go-Giver principles to a real estate business?

We can create a message and delivery of that message that will be welcomed by others, instead of assaulting others with sales pitches.

We can take the time to prove ourselves deserving of a new buyer's commitment, instead of pressuring them to agree to an exclusive arrangement before they're ready.

We can provide a clear, coherent and persuasive explanation of our commission structure to sellers, instead of defensively rebuffing their reasonable requests to justify our fees.

We can approach For Sale By Owners with a sincere desire to help, instead of insulting their intelligence with an arsenal of intimidating material intended to make them feel stupid.

We can inspire our friends to refer to us because we're the best real estate agents they know, instead of repeatedly pestering them for business and referrals.

We can inspire open house visitors to want us to have their contact information, instead of tricking them into providing it.

We can help our buyers decide if now is the right time, for them, to buy a home, instead of looking for ways to push them off the fence…

Treating others the way you'd like to be treated is a viable business strategy, and the Go-Giver books demonstrate that philosophy beautifully. Seriously, it's good stuff.

On April 21st, Bob Burg will join Jennifer as the co-host for "The Go-Giver Real Estate Agent" teleseminar show. To register for the show (it's free!), just go here: SellwithSoul.com/go-giver.

Published: April 13, 2011

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Jennifer Allan-Hagedorn was a top producing real estate broker in Denver, Colorado before writing her first book in 2007. Since then, she has written several more books about the business of selling real estate including her flagship book: Sell with Soul: Creating an Extraordinary Career in Real Estate without Losing Your Friends, Your Principles or Your Self-Respect, the sequel, If You're Not Having Fun Selling Real Estate, You're Not Doing it Right and her latest, to be released in Spring 2011, Prospect with Soul for Real Estate Agents. Jennifer believes that the secret of success for real estate agents is not in aggressive marketing techniques or hard-core sales pitches, but rather in being competent in one's craft. Competence begets Confidence. And in today's world of increasingly suspicious and ad-weary consumers, having an air of self-assurance and enthusiasm will be far more effective than a slick sales campaign. Jennifer writes and speaks with this philosophy in mind. She preaches that salespeople should follow the Golden Rule in their day-to-day practice of business - treating clients and prospects respectfully, as the salesperson him or herself would like to be treated. Being competent, reliable and fair, and motivated by a true desire to earn a paycheck, not just show up at closing with hand outstretched. She is a regular contributor to several real estate newsletters and magazines, a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame and one of the industry's most popular bloggers. You can learn more about Jennifer's "soulful" philosophies at www.SellWithSoul.com. Subscribe Below to Enroll in the Daily Seduction Newsletter Mini-Clinic - Tips and Strategies to Generate Business and Referrals From Your Sphere of Influence! Your Full Name Your Email Address