Coffee's for Closers

3Give, and You Shall Gain

‘The secret of getting ahead is getting started’.

—Mark Twain

I mentioned at the beginning of this book about a fantastic book called The Go‐Giver by Bob Burg and John Mann. As you read the following stories, I sincerely hope that you too can see the value in this genius concept.

I was having a face‐to‐face meeting with Paul from Exane BNP Paribas, a large Parisian bank that you may be familiar with. We were discussing the possibility of me speaking at a sales event they were running in London. They wanted me as the final speaker, so as to end the event with a bang. I asked all the discovery questions as you'd expect – what is your ideal outcome from the event? What is the biggest problem you would like your sales team to overcome? Let's fast forward one month after the event, how do you know it has been successful?

He answered them all and we had a great chat. I asked, ‘What are your plans for the evening after the event?’ He said, ‘I am looking to have some sort of team‐building activity. We don't get together enough, especially after going through the pandemic. So, I am thinking of go‐karting or an escape room, not yet decided. We shook hands, I told him I'd get a proposal over to him and I left.

I headed to my next meeting in Reading, to meet Virgin Experience, one of the many brands of Richard Branson's empire. I had been recommended to this company, and was meeting the MD whom I wasn't recommended to. We had a good 30‐minute meeting and we ...