Customer Reviews

The Art of Closing Any Deal: How to Be a "Master Closer" in Everything You Do

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This book could more accurately be titled "How to Ruthlessly Lie, Manipulate and Use Mind Games To Make a Sale." If you're looking for a no-holds-barred guide to getting your way - not just in closing a sale, but in everything you do - this is for you. This exceedingly detailed, candidly written guide to mind control sold more than a million copies. James W. Pickens uses anecdotes sparingly, but weaves in plenty of examples. In a strange contrast to the cutthroat main text, each chapter ends with a short, sweet reference to his mentor Sam. Here's the scoop on genuinely caring about your clients while shamelessly using mind control techniques on them - a contradiction that troubles the author not at all. We from getAbstract recommend this book, as protection, to anyone who buys anything, and, as ammunition, to anyone who sells anything.

A terrific tool for people who want to excel in the sales field. Broken down into subchapters for quick reference. Very motivating and powerful. Useful for distribution among a salesforce, will reveal the 'Masters' from the masses.

While this book had several good tips on selling, I was particularly troubled by the fact that almost every selling example was geared towards selling a nice piece of lakefront property in some new retirement community that will of course double in value every year. There are many references to how the property will gain in value, and how it would be a good long-term investment and so forth and a good family investment. While a piece of property may be a tuff sale, there are few things sold that really appreciate in value and the book fails to cover the basic sales tactics for everyday items that certainly "do not" appreciate in value such as cars, washers, dryers, computers and so on and everyday items we are used to buying at least once in our lives.

I was also somewhat troubled at the many tactics used to basically insult the buyer and make him look bad in front of his family by basically saying he was a fool for not buying that "lakefront" property and making a long term investment in his family's future.

exactly what you need if you consider your self weak in closing like I did. I was selling timeshare and now I'm selling real estate and insurance and I learned a lot from the book and I recommend it to anyone who needs to harden up and sell!

What a great book! I have been in the sales industry for the past 15 yrs. As a Seasoned Stockbroker and Direct Sales professional, I've sold just about everything at one time or another. This book has even taught this dog some new tricks and proven techniques that has helped me close deals and sell more product and services that still earns me more in a month than most people make in a year! I would reccommend this book to anyone who is a veteran salesman or saleswoman, or even a rookie to the sales industry of any kind. It will definitely sharpen your sales axe and teach you to close a sale correctly, so that you're not wasting your valuable time with the wrong people who could care less about your product or service your selling. It's not a slap in the face of the sales industry, it's a big help! Of course sales is about courtesy and freindships created, however at some point you will have to close that sale if you want to make any money in this industry. You have a choice, you can be right or you can be rich!

This is the most helpful book I have ever read in my life. Since reading this book, I have mantained over 100% of quota in my job. You learn how to make those big sales, even if you are lacking information on your product. A must read for winners!

I have learned a lot from this book, however, Pickens encourages people to play fast and loose with the truth. He sees no problem in out and out lying to prospects, "opponents." Are professional sales people fighting a war with prospects or are we trying to form partnerships which should be long term? He also has a section on "pressure, tricks, and traps." Was he a CIA agent in a former life? To me, integrity is everything in selling based on values and ethics, not tricks and traps. We are not hunting Viet Cong.

He does have some brilliant insights in closing, when used honestly. Also he has insights on different types of buyers in different professions and ethnic groups. Buy the book, but toss out the bones.

I thought the book was great. It gave some great closing tips, which I have found useful in my job, and Mr. Pickens wry sense of humor shines through to those readers smart enough to recognize it. I didn't think it was shedding light on the customer in a bad way at all; I think he is teaching us to "enjoy" the sale, and to have fun with the customer, while at the same time, being ethical, and successful in sales. Definitely written for more experienced sales people who understand the sales world, but need to polish their closing techniques.

Excellent book for the seasoned sales veteran, not for beginners or the faint of heart. The author tells you in the Preface that this book is not a beginner's self-help manual; it is a master closer's Bible.

I'm a high ticket salesman and devour sales books looking for the nuggets of gold within them. Even the most shallow of sales books have one or two things in them that you can learn, adapt, and use. Then there are books that have whole veins of gold running through them. This is one of them.
For what it's worth, here's my take on the book: If you need any help on closing, then this book is a masterpiece.