Today we're in part three of our five-part series discussing the book, The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. 

Who is in your network? When we talk about network, we're not really talking about it in a typical business way. The word "networking" calls to mind chit-chatting over drinks while hoping to put that person in your contacts list for future business opportunities. Network, in our case, is really just the people you interact with on a regular basis. People who like you, who trust you, and who want to see you succeed. This could be your spouse, your parents, your roommate, or your co-workers. When thinking about these people, one of the things they have in common is that they're givers. They give of their time, talents, and resources to help you succeed. 

How can we be more like those people? How can we give of our time, talents, and resources to help others succeed? Service! In The Go-Giver, the authors talk about keeping score. Unfortunately, some of us approach our relationships this way. "If I do for you, then you do for me," is a common mindset when dealing with people in our network. Another way of saying this is "win-win." This is a way to keep score because what you get and what the other person gets is even. The authors encourage people to throw keeping score out the window! Put the other person first and trust that you will eventually get what you need.

Who are you a raving fan of? Do they have a giving personality?


Below: Kevin (left) and Bennett (right) spend time training our new hires. We believe in coaching our team members and giving them the skills they need to succeed.

Continuing on from last week, today we are discussing acts of service. We've all seen those cheesy lists describing Random Acts of Kindness a person could do. Things like "Leave a note of encouragement on a car," or "Pay for the person behind you in the coffee line," are acts of kindness but being kind to strangers and having a service-focused mentality are a little different.

The more people we serve, the more we receive in payment. We discussed as a team who in our lives we serve on a regular basis. Spouses, kids, parents, and friends were on that list. What do we receive in return for our service? Love, respect, satisfaction, happiness, and fulfillment were some of the words our team members used to describe the "payment" for their service.  Serving others at work has the same affect. When we serve our customers and get positive feedback from them, it makes us feel proud of a job well done. 

Who do you regularly serve in your life and what is your payment for that service?
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Below: Ben (left) is working on heat shrink and Ashlee (right) is using our wire cutting machine. These acts of service to our customers help them feel job satisfaction. Way to go, team!

Today we're starting on a 5-part series based on the book The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. Each week we'll discuss a concept, or law, found in the book. We're delighted that the values found in the book align with the values at Bridgeview, and we hope you get as much out of the book as we did.

Who does your company serve? The first law discussed in the book is about value and what makes your company valuable. It says, "Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment." Now does that mean we give away free products? Of course not, we still have to pay our vendors, our team members, our rent, etc. What it means is that we can add value (to our products and our service) that we're not charging our customers for. We're choosing to take an attitude of service versus a transactional attitude. 

How do we add value to our products and service that we don't charge for? One of the things we pride ourselves on at Bridgeview is that we are a very people-centric company. We SEE the people behind the names of our customers. We don't work for companies, we work for the people who make up the companies.  When we get an email from a customer telling us that they're short staffed, under the gun, stressed, and worried, not only do we help by providing them with a quality product on time, but we also send them an encouraging card signed by our whole team cheering them on. We pray for our customers. We send candy or dog toys in our shipments. We have even been known to spend time on the phone just listening to them as they vent about the million things that bother them, whether that be the state of the economy or the naughtiness of their kids. No one gets paid to take a 30 minute phone call or sign a greeting card, but we have taken an attitude of service and serving means giving of ourselves without expecting anything in return.

​How have you served someone this week? What unexpected blessings did you receive as a result?

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​Below:  Kevin (left) is supporting a customer who needs a listening ear. Christina (right) is packing some fun dog toys in with a shipment to a customer.