Not long ago, writer and minister Rev. Christine Green, who wrote a wonderful post about “Releasing Scarcity” on her blog “Empowered Thoughts,” wrote a brief review of The Go-Giver:
This is a great little book with a powerful message. A very clever way to talk about universal principles. I found it to be a great message for anyone on their spiritual journey. The authors not only give the principle but demonstrate how to put it into action. Great read!
Bob, Fiona and I all happened to find the blog and write comments thanking her. Rev. Christine wrote me this note:
Dear John,
I have recommended many books but never had the author actually write back to comment! Thank you for your kind words.
You will be thrilled to hear how I was given the book. After having coffee with one of the members of my women’s group, she said she had a gift for me. I walked to her car and she opened a box from Amazon filled with your books. Said it made such an impact she plans to give them to friends and clients. I plan to do the same. Thanks for taking the time to write.
I wrote back and told Rev. Christine that I would love to know who was this mystery woman with the Amazon box. She told me: it was a Portland realtor named Kate Eskew.
So I wrote to Kate and thanked her, and she wrote back:
Hi, John!
What a treat to hear from you. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. And the story really begins with my business coach, Garrett Frey.
Garrett and his wife Sarah have a coaching business that they run together. They are on their way to great things. They sent The Go Giver to their clients for Christmas last year.
It incubated on my shelf for a couple of months and then I picked it up and devoured it one weekend. It was just the message I needed at the time. And I’ve turned the laws into affirmations that I read every day.
So (can you guess what’s coming next?) I wrote to Garret and Sarah Frey to thank them. Here is Garrett’s reply:
The book was originally given to me by my mentor and friend Larry Kendall. He is connected with Fort Collins Real Estate in Fort Collins, Colorado, and also the developer of “Ninja Selling.” He put the book into my hands about a year and a half ago, and I have been sharing it ever since.
I have given out over 90 copies of your book the The Go-Giver, and every time I give it out, they love it. Thanks for writing something that is changing the lives of the people around the world.
Can you see where this is going?
So I wrote to Larry Kendall, and thanked him for passing the book on, and here’s what we heard back a few days later:
The viral marketing of your book is truly amazing! I was given a copy by a friend and top producing realtor in Denver named Bruce Dunning. Bruce is also a Ninja-trained salesperson and teacher. Bruce was in the hospital with life-threatening heart surgery when someone gave him The Go-Giver. Bruce said the book changed his perspective and his life.
The first time I saw him after he got out of the hospital, Bruce gave me a copy of the book. I have since given away dozens of copies of the book and promote it in my classes. It is a classic.
Needless to say, we straightaway wrote to Bruce, to ask him the identity of this mysterious benefactor who first gave him the book. This time the answer came back within hours:
My oldest son, Robin Dunning, works at our local Barnes and Noble. He lets me know when new business books come in. I asked him if he had seen anything new come in, and he said yes, they just received a shipment.
I was looking for something to read while I was laid up in the hospital. I was being told I could be on the sidelines from work from two to four months. I knew that would drive me nuts unless I kept my mind busy. So I bought The Go-Giver and read it while I was in the hospital.
I want you to know that after I got home and wasn’t on drugs, I reread it, just to be sure of what I had read. I was back to work in ten days.
It really hit home. I had just started a small real estate company. I felt these were the eternal principles that all businesses are based on, so the Five Strategies became our guiding principles. I have given out about a dozen of these to friends and family.
Thanks again for awakening my heart of hearts.
So there you have it: from Robin Dunning to his dad Bruce, to Larry Kendall, to Garrett and Sarah Frey, to Kate Eskew, to Reverend Christine . . . to you.
John,
This post is a great example of why the “The Go-Giver” is such a great book! Besides it being well thought out and written, you and Bob and Thom all genuinely care for people! I am really curious how many stories like this are out there about this “life changing” gift that you call “The Go-Giver”? I would not be surprised to hear many more stories like this…
Joe Vizi
Oh That just touched me to tears. WILD!
The two of you are truly such gems on earth… thank you for blessing my life… and millions of others who get touched by this book…
Either in reading it, or in service they receive from readers….
Lots of love
Natalie
In a similar vein, the copy I read was loaned to me and I quickly passed in on to someone else. In the short run that doesn’t help you sell more books, but ultimately we all know it will come back to you in a positive way somehow.
Great book.
Right after I finished the book and read this post, I had the opportunity to put one of the laws into action (receptivity).
https://dontmakemestopthiscar.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-goes-around.html
Thank you, everyone, for your terrific comments and feedback. Much appreciated! Sean, thank you for mention in your blog post and for sharing your story with us!
Loved the way you tracked down the “trail” for how the Go Giver was given to several people! I call those ripples… and you never know where or how someone can impact someone else in what might “appears” to be random acts that I say is “God at Work.” My book was given to me by a dear friend, Mandi Harrell as a late birthday gift, because as she said after reading Go-Giver that it was just so me. I agree. Especially the part about connecting others… I so LOVE to be a connector. Thanks for an awesome book. On Wed. November 11th we are doing a networking event centered around the Go Giver in St. Louis. Dixie Gillaspie will facilitate for City of Experts. Thanks again to BOTH of you! Positively, Karen S. Hoffman
Hello there!
I just wanted to chime in on this post. I recently purchased The Go-Giver from Audible.com, after participating in a webinar put on by Larry Kendall, in which he suggested the book. It was just what I needed to hear!
Thank you and thank you to Larry Kendall for recommending the book.
Thanks, Karen and Kristin — we love hearing these stories! And if you’re reading this out there in Unbroken-Circleland: thanks to you to, Mandi and Larry.
Here is a sneak preview of the next book, coming in February — the dedication, which reads like this:
“To all our faithful readers of The Go-Giver who have so generously shared our little story with so many others” …
And you can see why we said that!
Have read both “The Go-Giver” and “Go-Givers Sell More,” I have transformed my business and my life to be a Go-Giver. Since I have been telling everyone I know about it, my Broker/ Owner has asked me to teach a class on the concepts to the real estate agents in our office.
I am now studying “Go-Givers Sell More” in detail and learning more than I did before. You guys have found a way to “change the world” if we “believers” can all get the word out to everyone else.
By the way, I learned about the books from a webinar by Larry Kendall teaching NINJA concepts.
Joe, thank you for your very kind and encouraging words about the books. Much appreciation to Larry Kendall. I continually hear great things about Larry’s teachings. By the way, speaking of “believers” check out the Ambassadors page and join us there. Sounds like you are definitely a “Go-Giver Ambassador.” Thank you again!!