The 29% Solution - Book Review by Grace Attard

This is a must for any small business owner who sells directly to consumers. I don't know about you but I know there were times in my past where I have been to a networking meeting and had flashbacks to my Grade 7 dances where I was the perfect wall flower - uncomfortable, awkward and hoping someone would come and talk to me.  How DO you do this networking thing?  Do you make small talk? Do you ask for business? Do you listen more or talk more?

The 29% Solution is the perfect training tool for any small business owner who wants to explore the enormous benefits of networking. It provides a weekly focal point for a networking strategy for your to explore and was developed by the founder and Chairman of BNI, the world's largest networking organization.

You've heard of 6 degrees of separation right? Well, infact, this book claims that only 29% of the  population of separated by 6 degrees because they are the ones that are the best connectors.  So if you want to develop some skills around networking and make the most out of your meetings, check out this book by clicking here or by clicking the book cover above. 

If you are curious about these two questions, then this is the book for you. I am learning a ton!

- How can I tend to my existing clients while at the same time network for new business?

- Should I place higher value on my current clients or on new clients?

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The Go-Giver - Book Review by Ruth Catney

And so, a book I would NEVER have sought to read landed in my hands with the request that I review it for our December book review.  The title?  The Go-Giver:  A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea. 

At first flush this book appeared to be no more than a contrived, dumbed-down parable about a protagonist named “Joe”.  After the last presidential debate where “Joe The Plumber” was mentioned 23 times symbolizing the notion of spreading wealth throughout America, I wasn’t sure I could stomach reading 129 pages about another “Joe” meant to represent the “go-Getters” in us all!  But I found myself strangely compelled to read on to find out how this guy fairs.  Does he get the message?  Does he change his life for the better? 

Well, no spoiler here folks, you’ll have to read the book yourself to find out what happens but I do want to tell you Burg & Mann have a worthwhile message - changing our focus from “getting” to “giving” can really lead to enormous returns.  The authors also remind us of the merits of not allowing fear to be our compass and the importance of not deluding ourselves that we can design or force life to be as we insist.

The Go-Giver is written as a narrative that centres around “Joe”, an ambitious young guy who is trending to NOT make his quarterly sales targets.  Worried for his livelihood, he arranges to seek advice from a legendary consultant, called “The Chairman” or Pindar!(1) 

Pindar sets out to teach Joe a series of ‘lessons in success’ centered around five Laws, referred to as The Laws of Stratospheric Success.  This is where the book became reminiscent of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol with Pindar as the Ghost of Christmas past and Joe as Ebenezer who is brought to meet five Go-Givers:

1.  A restaurateur who teaches Joe The Law of Value;

2.  A CEO who teaches him The Law of Compensation;

3.  A financial advisor who teaches Joe The Law of Influence;

4.  A real estate broker who teaches him The Law of Authenticity;

5.  And ‘The Connector” who is meant to teach Joe The Law of Receptivity.

Burg & Mann summarize the Five Laws as follows:

1. The Law of Value  Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.

2.  The Law of Compensation  Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.

3.  The Law of Influence  Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.

4.  The Law of Authenticity The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.

5. The Law of Receptivity- The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving. (p.129)

The Go-Giver does a couple things well.  It uses narrative or “story”(2) to communicate the core messages about the business of life; “giving” to “get” and letting go of fear & control.  The Law of Attraction is alive and well in Burg & Mann’s narrative and we see how well things unfold for Joe when he lets go of his fears and stops trying to force life to be the way he insists it SHOULD be.  

The other thing this little book does superbly is what Daniel Pink calls “Symphony”  the aptitude of inventing something new by combining elements nobody else thought to pair.” (p.130)(3).  On their own, each one of these Laws is wise but nothing more.  It’s the way the authors have assembled all five of these Laws that makes them magnificent.   

I doubt Burg & Mann set out to teach me this but I learned something valuable for myself:  Messages can come in various forms.  I haven’t always been a fan of contrived messages and manipulated stories but I was stunned by the last 11 words in this book and they really did resonate: 

“The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.” p.129

I had a limiting belief about this book’s writing style.  Because it left nothing to inference and wasn’t written like Austen or Dostoevsky, I turned my nose up at it and potentially blocked receiving the messages!  Isn’t it curious that I had to read to the very last words of this book to have that revelation?  What will your personal message be?

Get this book (click on the book image above to order it here!), read it, and then be sure to share it.  Let yourself be reminded of how authentic generosity can enrich your life and how letting go of fear & control can open you up to infinite possibilities.

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1  Just as an aside, I HAD to look up this name and as it turns out Pindar is the name of a Greek lyric poet remembered for his odes (518?-438? BC)! 

2  If you recall from my last book review, the use of “Story” is one of the aptitudes Daniel Pink suggests we need to develop in order to bring us into the Conceptual Age; Daniel Pink, A Whole New Mind:  Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future.

3  Daniel Pink, A Whole New Mind:  Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future, 2006