We are all familiar with the game retailers play, you know the one where a store offers a rock bottom price on a limited quantity item in order to get you into the store in hopes you will purchase other more profitable items.  Or the famous "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" deal.

Well, this article isn't about "giving" with the intent to get but rather creating value for the simple sake of serving others.  Giving of your time, talents, treasure, attention, counsel and empathy so as to give people what they need and want.  This is the definition of a truly successful sales person no matter what business you are in.

Bob Burg and John David Mann write in their latest book, "Go-Givers Sell More", that "selling means understanding how people work."  All of us instinctively want to believe that we matter in this world and that we desire to be cared for and to belong.  This is a fundamental part of our human nature.  Operating a business or organization with this basic understanding at its foundation will foster a culture of identifying ways to create value for your customers, clients, constituents and colleagues.

Most sales processes focus on all the activities and tactics leading to the "close" of the sale - the getting part of the equation.  Burg and Mann shift this age-old paradigm and insist that truly successful people and organizations focus their energies on the "opening" - the process of genuinely being for another person through listening for what's important or of value to them and delivering it with excellence and consistency.  You and I remember those businesses, organizations and individuals that make us feel in some way - good or bad.  The more people we can touch in a positive way, the more people will be attracted to what we have to give - it's the simple "law of attraction" in action.

Another law of success put forth by Burg and Mann is The Law of Compensation, which states that "your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them."  The authors state that the subtlety at work here is that "money is an echo of value - create value and money follows."   In other words, put the horse before the cart and watch the number of people that climb on board.

So how can we go about creating demand through giving value and by focusing on the all important "opening"?  Here is a list created in part from the book, "Go-Givers Sell More":

• Create rapport with people by finding points of common interest and experience - connect!

• Listen for what matters most and respond genuinely.  Be authentic at all times.
• Focus out with a sincere curiosity for the person you are communicating with.  When you begin to think about the outcome of your conversation, you will know that your focus has shifted back to yourself.
• Build an ever expanding network of influence by simply helping others get what they want.  Word of mouth is the best form of advertising money can't buy.

Putting into practice the above philosophy takes discipline and a genuine belief in serving others.  I have personally found it easy to stray from this practical ideal in growing my business and relationships, given my instinct to ask myself, "what's in it for me?"   Add to this the scarcity mentality that creeps into my consciousness, given the sluggish economy we all have been living in over the past few years.  But I have also discovered that by surrounding myself with friends, family and colleagues that constantly remind me to focus out, live my purpose and serve others that I can choose at any moment to act out of a place of abundance and value and thereby make a difference in the world.