Give to Grow: Invest in Relationships to Build Your Business and Your Career

by Mo Bunnell

Grow your business by growing your relationships.Nearly all the common advice about growing a business points at getting the deal done. Give the pitch, push the prospect, close the deal. Relationships are rarely mentioned at all, and if they are, the focus is on persuasion and pressure. It just doesn't feel right.

And sure, a great deal might make your year, but a great relationship can make your entire career. 

The better approach is to invest in relationships, creating wins for everyone at every turn, even before a decision is made. When you focus on relationships, you're focused on helping instead of selling. You win more of the work directly in front of you. You create demand for the higher value work you want to do, for the clients you want to do it for. And when this flywheel of success starts spinning, everything becomes effortless. 

Give To Grow will show



The science and steps to get great at growth. It's not rocket science, it's brain science. The Five Lies that keep professionals from becoming successful, and how to remove each from your mind. The Four Gifts to use to deepen relationships and grow your business in ways everyone wins. And how to implement everything you learn to get the highest return on your most important investment—your time. No matter where you are in your career, Give to Grow will help you build the relationships you need to make the impact you want.

Genres: Business, Leadership, Personal Development, Management

296 pages, Hardcover

Published August 27, 2024

Reviews

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the head of Nixon Peabody said he had a book club on business development with upcoming lawyers reading this book, I knew I had to read it. I was not disappointed. Mo Bunnell’s approach of generosity fits in well with my own priorities and approach. “Wake up every day excited to help your friends, some of whom are clients.”

To this generosity approach, Mo adds practical sales tools and philosophies to make the most of the giving - both for my clients and myself. I am excited to hyper-charge my approach and have confidence that authentic relationships truly are the best approach to business development.

And I highly recommend the audiobook version read by the author. I loved the secret chapter, Mo. This is a book I am eager to share with others and will read again.

[buyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book for consultants who are subject matter experts to learn to sell and grow

I was dumbfounded by this book. Being a technology consultant myself, I struggle with building relationships and selling opportunities. The way Mo talks about the difference between do the work and winning the work is spot on for consultants like me. There is a framework and structure which is greatly described in the book which you will learn as you read the book. The book appeals to consulting a lot and it opened my eyes. I want to thank MO for this fantastic book and will recommend this to consultants who struggle in winning the work !!

[Gregory Gilmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspires to Action

Give to Grow inspires and encourages us to take positive action using proven methods that aren’t necessarily mainstream thinking in today's business culture. This book is well-written, enjoyable, and filled with wisdom. I’m excited to incorporate more of Mo’s expertise into my business and am confident I will experience incredible results.

[Kylee Lawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a little torn on how I feel about this book. There are some good nuggets in here, but I almost DNF'd this book because 2/3 of the way through it felt so detached from how women are perceived that I started feeling that the whole book wasn't meant for me. Also, reading I really felt as if most of the stuff framed as revolutionary tactics to grow were just things women do all the time and are not rewarded for because it is just expected for a woman to be giving with her time and energy.

I did find things I liked in this book. It is important to remind yourself of the basics, I just didn't love how it was framed as super special and new. (i.e. being consistent, reaching out so people remember you, and caring about your clients problems.)

Some other things I did like: Keeping outbound emails to 50 words or less, including connection points in the post script of emails because everyone reads them, emphasis on those that keep trying and moving forward are increasing their surface area for luck, and cut to climb (if you want to add something new it is important to also subtract something else out since your time is finite).

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give to Grow is a thoughtful book with a clear message: generosity is the best way to grow. Mo Bunnell shares practical strategies, stories, and research that make it easy to see how focusing on others can strengthen relationships and open doors. While much of the content is clearly geared toward people in sales or business development, the principles are broad enough to be useful in almost any profession. Some sections repeat the same ideas, but overall, the advice feels genuine, practical, and encouraging. If you want to build stronger connections in a way that feels authentic rather than transactional, this book is worth the read.

[Roger J · Rating 1 out of 5]

If there is an interesting and original idea in this book, I missed it. Adam Grant's Give and Take is a much better read for those interested in the theory and application of generosity as a driver of business success. This book is more of a PR piece to win consulting work rather than a meaningful contribution to the subject.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot from this and would keep referencing back to it. Lots of easy ways to move your business forward. I liked the part where he says “ the ball is ialways in your court” meaning I am the one responsible for moving the realtionship forward

[Al Fiorno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal book that will surprise and inspire you.

[Jake · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

4.5/5

So good! Chock full of wisdom and looking forward to making sense of all my notes!