If you have to tell me in advance that you are going to provide value, does that really count as providing value?

It’s funny how the universe works.

This morning I was reading The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann.

I purchased this book a few years ago but never read it until now. For some reason I was compelled to start reading it today.

The book fits perfectly with the theme of announcing that you are going to provide value then give me a thinly-veiled sales pitch. 

Every personal development guru preaches the more you give the more you receive in return. 

Focus on giving with no expectations of people reciprocating.

The Go-Giver is fun story about a struggling salesman who is desperate to close a deal to save his job. 

The harder he tries, the more he falls because his focus is on receiving not giving. 

This reminds me of an article I wrote a while ago. There are ME people and there are WE people. 

My wife Ellen and I are WE people. Our friends are always reaching out to us when they have a problem. 

Of course, Ellen and I drop everything to help them. 

WE people are internally focused. It’s like they are in their own world. 

If you ask them for help, they look right past you or act like they didn’t hear your request. 

These are the people who complain about the table they get in a restaurant because its not the best seat in the house. 

It’s all about them. 

Back to The Go-Giver.

Joe is a ME person who is focused on himself. He’ll do anything to sell you his product so he can make his commission.

He’s focused on making the sale to meet his quota so he receives his commission. 

He doesn’t care about you or solving your problem.

Once he closes the sale, he moves on to the next victim. 

If he came from a place of giving with no expectations, he would be a more successful sales person and a better human. 

Throughout the book, Joe meets a lot of WE people who are very successful because their focus is on helping others. 

So when someone reaches out to you on LinkedIn and starts with “I want to provide value to you…” be ready for a sales pitch in your near future.

My question to you is...

If you are naturally a ME person, can you learn how to be a WE person with sounding insincere?

About the author 

Ted Prodromou

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I'm the #1 best-selling author of Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn for Business and Ultimate Guide to Twitter for Business. People call me America's Leading LinkedIn Coach.

I'm the founder of Search Marketing Simplified, LLC, a full service online marketing agency. The SMS team designs and implements advanced LinkedIn and social media lead-generation strategies for small to medium-sized businesses. SMS will set up and manage your marketing funnels using organic, social and paid traffic.

Did you know I've been working with the internet since 1991, long before Al Gore invented it?

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