“The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg and John David Mann teaches a valuable lesson about the power of giving. Based on the combined premise of the Law of Attraction and the old proverb “”Give and you shall receive”, this book is a quick, valuable read for any entrepreneur or businessperson.

That being said, as a social media coach and entrepreneur, you can imagine my disdain when I opened my Facebook page today and read this post:

What a wonderful week in my (COMPANY NAME) business!!!! My new consultants got qualified – Grace and Laura, I’m so proud of both of you!!!!! NEW TRIP FROM (COMPANY NAME) FOR THE WINTER MONTHS – NEW ORLEANS IN APRIL!!!! TEAM, WE NEED TO DO $78K SO I CAN GO – WE JUST GOT DOUBLE SALES CREDIT FOR THE LAST 2 WEEKS OF NOVEMBER OF OVER $13K – AWESOME!!!!!

Could this be more wrong? I looked at the stream following and a few people jumped right in with the obligatory (?) “great job”, “congrats”. One woman seemed almost apologetic that she hadn’t purchased her products yet, due to a death in her family. Really? Then I read a post from one of my coaching clients which read, “So YOU can go to Nola? What about your team?” Bingo! I was so proud that my client jumped in there basically saying, “Hey, it’s not all about you!”

When I read the thousands of posts in my Facebook and Twitter streams, my blood boils sometimes by the blatant, in-your-face sales messages. My marketing strategy is more about educating, telling someone what I do (not sell) and why, not divulging the money I need to make or talking about why my financial goals should become my prospects’ problem or responsibility. I am hopeful when someone signs up for my Social Networking Navigator training, they do so because they trust me and what I stand for – they have possibly developed a relationship with me or read about my coaching and belief in relationship marketing. Or, most importantly, THEY want to learn a business and marketing strategy that is not based on self-centeredness, but on the premise that if you are consistently giving and putting messages out to the Universe that help others and educate them, the rewards will come back ten-fold or more!

The very last line in the acknowledgments section of the “Go Giver” states, “Go give – and remember to stay open to receiving.” Perhaps this woman will make it to New Orleans. If she does, I hope she at least buys her entire team a souvenir for all of their hard work.

Did you react the same way I did to this Facebook post? If you are in Direct Sales, how do you motivate your team? Are you a go-giver?

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