A page from the Go-Giver

I've already read through the "Go-Giver" and I have to say it was a good read. I want to give you a page to read from the book.....because I think what it says is so valuable.


The words of Debra Davenport

Twelve years ago I turned forty-two. I got three presents for my birthday. One, a hundred-dollar gift certificate to JC Penny. Two, my kids bought an all day, expense paid day at the spa. Three, my husband gave me the most surprising gift of all. He gave me the wake-up call of a lifetime-when he walked out the door and never came back.

It took me one full year to unwrap, open, understand, and use that gift.

You see, at forty-two I was suddenly single with three kids to feed. I had never spent a day in the mainstream work-force. As a full time mother, wife and manager of a busy household, I had juggled dozens of skills and worked grueling hours. But, I quickly learned that none of what I had done the last twenty odd years were considered marketable. I was turned down everywhere I applied because I was overage and under-qualified. So, I decided in the next few months to pursue my real estate license. The following eight months were busy learning and trying from the advice given from other Realtors in the firm.

They taught me every kind of sales methodology and closing technique ever invented. I learned the direct close, time-driven close, trial offer close, compliment close, embarrassment close, best-time to buy close, and the never-the best time to buy close. I learned every close from A to Z. What? You don't believe me?

I learned the Assumptive close, Bonus close, Concession close, Disraction close, Emotion close, Future close, Golden Bridge close, Humor close, IQ close, Jersey City close, the Kill close, Leverage close, Money's not everything close, Now or Never close, Ownership close, Puppy Dog close, Quality close, Reversal close, Standing Room only close, Takeaway close, Underpriced close, Vanity close, Window of opportunity close, Xaviera Hollander close, Ya-Ya sisterhood close, and the Zsa Zsa Gabor close!! Honey, I learned to CLOSE!!!!!

And let me tell you what happened. At the end of a year, I had not sold ONE, single, property. And I hated it. Every single, desperate, failing minute of it.

That Thursday, I turned forty-three. And a friend of mine bought me a ticket to a sales symposium. Tell you the truth...I didn't want to go. But she was my friend...what could I do? So I went. And the speaker started to speak and said "Whatever it is..YOU can excel by adding value. If you need money...add value. And if you need ALOT of money, add ALOT of value."

People in the audience laughed....but I raised my hand. I stood up and said, "What if you need ALOT of money FAST!!!" He nodded, smiled and said, 'Then find a way to add a lot of value FAST!'

Ladies and Gentleman, I thought long and hard about what that speaker said. And all weekend I thought about it. Sunday evening, it came to me. What could I possibly add? NOTHING. There was not ONE single solitary shred or ounce of value I could think of that insignificant little Debra Davenport could add. After a year of trying, I'd proven I had no professional value whatsoever. What I had to offer these clients was NOTHING. So, that Sunday evening, I made up my mind. It was time to quit. You understand what was going on inside my head? When my husband walked out that door, my self-esteem got up and walked out with him. One year later...I still hadn't unwrapped that birthday gift that he gave me!

So, I went the next morning ready to clean out my desk. I had one last appointment that I couldn't weasel out of, so purely out of obligation, I met the prospect and drove her to see the house. "It was already over" I told myself "So what the heck". I just let myself have a good time with her. I let go of all the techniques. I didn't even bring spec sheets on the house! On the way over, we chattered, talked about everything, silly stuff. I couldn't tell you for sure if I even told her the asking price! It was the MOST UNPROFESSIONAL, SLOPPY, IRRESPONSIBLE, DISGRACEFUL sales presentation in the history of real estate.

I sold the house.

I learned something that day. When I said that my life as a mom, wife and household manager left me with nothing the marketplace wanted, I was wrong. There WAS something else I 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.

The speaker at the sales symposium had said, Add value. I had nothing to add but myself. And apparently that was exactly what had been missing. I've sold a few more homes since then...(She had the real-estate record for most homes sold)

Today I have the honor of selling you something more valuable than a house. Today I'm here to sell you on YOU.

People, remember this: no matter what your training, no matter what your skills, no matter what area you're in, YOU are the most important commodity. The most valuable gift you have to offer is YOU. Reaching any goal you set takes ten percent specific knowledge or technical skills--ten percent MAX. The other ninety-plus percent is PEOPLE SKILLS.

And what is the foundation of good people skills? Liking people? Caring about people? Being a good listener? But it doesn't replace the core value. The core of it is WHO YOU ARE. It starts with YOU.

As long as you are trying to be someone else, or putting on some act or behavior someone else taught you, yo have no possibility of truly reaching people. The most valuable thing you have to give people is YOURSELF. No matter what you THINK you are selling, what you're really offering is YOU.

You want great people skills? Then be a person. It's called AUTHENTICITY and its worth ten thousand times more than all the closing techniques that ever have or ever will be invented.

In closing, I know it gets overwhelming in this business because "we're not Bob Schmidt, or Cory Citron, or Tommy Johnson, or...FILL IN THE BLANK" But...we were never intended to be JUST like those other guys! Be who you are and bring that to the table...what you have to offer in this business is YOU!!!