Customer Reviews

Good in a Room: How to Sell Yourself (and Your Ideas) and Win Over Any Audience

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is a strategy guide for people selling a project, product or even themselves. It gives suggestions for getting into a room (landing a meeting with a buyer or employer), staying there (keeping them interested in you or your project) and getting out (following up without being annoying). Where this book really shines for me is in its specific and real-world suggestions. I liked that the author wasn't heavy on theory but instead focused on her years of experience at the other end of the table. In thousands of meetings, she was the buyer listening to people pitch their screenplays, projects or resumes. From that experience she distills the essence of what works and why, including some of the disastrous (and funny) ways you can self-destruct and how to avoid them.

Here are just a few specific areas that I thought were really practical:

1. The chapter on networking is unique in its suggestion that you STOP networking. Or at least, stop networking the way 95% of your competition does it. The author's suggestions make networking sound fun and productive and were refreshing for those of us who just aren't very good at self-promotion.

2. The section on "purposely non-specific phrases" alone is worth the cover price. This section helps you design phrases that describe you or your product in such a way that both retain the right amount of mystery and lead to a dialogue with the buyer that allows you to reel him or her in. Most of us assume more detail is better when describing the thing we're trying to sell. The author suggests going the opposite direction to great effect.

3. What's your name? What do you do? Two very simple questions we've all answered a million times. Believe it or not, the author has some great suggestions on how to respond to these simple questions in ways that start the process of getting people interested in you from the first moment you speak. Rather than waiting for the "perfect" moment to make your pitch, you're actually starting your sales effort from the moment you're introduced.

4. Specific examples are scattered throughout the book. For most topics (like using non-specific phrasing), there is an example of how they can be applied in a conversation, over the phone or in an email.

If you're looking for a practical guide, grounded in the real world, on how to land the perfect job, sale, contract, etc, this quick read will give you effective suggestions you can implement immediately. Highly recommended.

I have been interviewing for a couple months and I thought I was doing okay (it was usually down to me and someone else), but I never seemed to get the job. I bought Good in a Room because I get nervous sometimes and I know that I'm supposed to talk about myself but I'm not a super outgoing person. I have the experience, but I think my competition just must be better at selling themselves.

I loved this because I finally understand what the interviewer is looking for. I get it now and I wish I had read this years ago!

I had an interview this afternoon (for a job I REEALLY want) and I practiced the techniques of Ch. 24: 100 Percent Outward Focus and Ch. 25: How To Ask Great Questions. The interview was so different. She was so interested in what I had to say and it felt so natural. I knew what to expect and what to say and I didn't feel nervous at all. The best thing is, she already asked me to come in for a second meeting with her boss!

Each of us has sat through an important meeting wanting a specific outcome but feeling unable to steer the meeting in the desired direction. Those kinds of meetings keep us up at night, replaying over and over in our minds what we might have done differently. Stephanie Palmer's Good in a Room takes the guesswork (and hopework!) out of these meetings.

Without resorting to recycled corporate clichés, jargon or false `pump-you-up' tactics, Ms. Palmer uses down-to-earth language ("What's the world's most dangerous meeting question?"), insightful exercises ("Square One") and practical techniques ("How to ask great questions").

By walking me through example case studies, important and effective (and straightforward!) exercises and by debunking several commonly held myths, Good in a Room provided me with a pragmatic framework on which I am already positively developing my own unique approach, refining how I interact with potential business partners before, during and after meetings.

By the end of the book, anyone who truly wants a higher percentage of success in meetings, negotiations, sales or network building will have an arsenal of techniques at their disposal. Whatever industry in which you work, novice or advanced, if success ultimately hinges on your ability to "sell" your ideas (and yourself!), then Good in a Room is an invaluable resource.

Palmer was in the movie business and she uses what she learned and applies it for you and me. Her advice is counter to lots of what we read. Drop the elevator speech---too needy, too much the slap on the back, let's do business model. Instead use a teaser(a brief and sometimes cyrptic description) and follow up---if interest is shown---with the trailer, a longer piece. She gives examples on how to develop each. Also forget networking---find people to build relationships with. She also has annotated examples of emails to prospects and contacts showing the wrong way and the right way to ask for information and meetings. And she tells us not to try and show off when meeting a prospect and impressing them with how smart we are or think we are.It is about them, not us. All good stuff. Let the curtain rise, and the show begin.

While I live in an area loaded with people that are obsessed with show business - I don't work in the business. While I'm sure this book helps in that context I found it full of useful tips that will help me change the way I approach sales. This is not a book full of the same boring platitudes (e.g., send out an agenda before a meeting to make it more effective, go to networking events and give everyone your business card) but actual insight as to the dynamics of meetings (and of selling). If you want to get more of what you want from the people you meet with - read this book!

Don't mess around. Buy this book. If you're in the entertainment industry (or any industry where you have to "sell" and idea), this book is an essential part of your arsenal. It is a useful resource for both novice and advanced creative people who want to learn how to master meetings because it is concise and accessible. I'm sure that my copy will become dog-eared, marked-up and coffee-stained.

Before I explain why this is an excellent book, I'll give you some relevant background information.

I spent 6 years working directly for three well-known, high-profile, respected Chairman/CEO billionaires within the business and entertainment industries. What Stephanie writes is EXACTLY what I observed day in and day out, firsthand and up close, every single day. Her book provides the insight, rationale, and step-by-step business etiquette that most people don't have the opportunity to learn, practice, or get exposed to. I was extremely grateful and lucky in that regard. Stephanie's book closes the gap of the age old catch-22. To get invited into the room, one needs to have a lot of experience, to get experience one needs to constantly have successful meetings.

I actually finished the book in one sitting, in 4 hours, because I was that excited to read it. It was extremely well-written and could have been called "A Guide to Life" because not only is it about business acumen, but also the underlying foundation of inter and intra personal awareness. Fret not, it's written clearly, concisely, in layman's terms with a dash of humor to boot! I'm one to read at least two or three books on one topic to get a well-rounded view and to have good critiques and comparisons. As an avid reader of business and entertainment business books, this one is up there with Covey's The Speed of Trust, Goleman's Emotional Intelligence/Social Intelligence, Maxwell's 25 Ways to Win with People, Ferrazzi's Never Eat Alone, and Swanson's Unwritten Rules of Management. If anything, her book surpasses theirs because this one covers the true basics and essentials that no one learns about until it's TOO LATE. She writes about the lessons no one talks about out loud because most often there is that belief that if it needs to be explained to someone they already don't "get it." You'll "get it" thoroughly after you read her book.

Good In A Room was spot on and there were even some tid bits I took away. The one I now follow religiously that I never did before takes 2 seconds. I now always answer yes to the first question one is usually asked upon arriving for a meeting. What is that first question? Stephanie taught me to always accept a beverage when they offer it to you. When you sign up for her free bi-weekly tips at her site, you'll find out why.

Happy reading and good luck! :)

If not for Ms. Palmer's reputation, I wouldn't have bought a book like this. How-to-sell books strike me as inherently manipulative, because they tend to frame buyers as passive variables to be acted upon, targets. Well, She doesn't. You tells the absolute truth: selling is not about getting prospects to do anything, it's about US doing some things. It is what it is. "Success versus respect." There are no rules, but break them at your peril. There is a dance - learn it or go away.

The title. "... and Win Over ...". I like that, because it shows that our task is uphill to begin with. "... the buyer's goal is to disqualify you as quickly as possible." Some authors might have sugarcoated that, fearing that if they let on about the default resistance to us "sellers," they would turn off their audience, consisting of sellers and wannabe sellers like me. Stephanie didn't. Not me, anyway. I appreciate the honesty. It's a refreshing change from the hokey, inspirational, ra-ra b.s. that litters retail book shelves.

The book helped me understand why disqualification is the priority. Being sprayed every day, all day, with a fire hose of scripts, e-mails, phone calls, and meetings, would render even the most considerate buyer incapable of remembering anything, thinking straight, or really caring what they heard from anyone. I got a taste of that when I joined the website triggerstreet, and had to read 4 scripts for every 1 that I posted. Blech! Being forced to read bad scripts is cruel and unusual punishment. I don't want to be a reader, ever, but now I also want to write the best that I can, in order to spare overworked readers and execs. Sitting on the other side of the desk was a real education, though brief, and I don't know that any salary would mitigate how sickening that would be.

"If you are willing to die, it is easier to live." BOOM. "Rapport requires honesty." BOOM. I think these two ideas are the most important ones in the book. If people get these, the rest are easy. Maybe people can't consciously control or change how badly they want something, in such case, those who can't live with losing a sale, or being told no, or not getting with they want, will never be good at selling. But Stephanie suggests that sellers be inclined toward the right kind of honesty: honesty about the buyer's point of view.

"... the difference between 'No, thanks' and a six-figure sale can be just a few words." Wow. Just wow. This is scary, but also encouraging. I don't have a 310 area code, an agent, or perhaps the right kind of last name, but I do have access to words. The right ones. If I am willing to approach their use seriously.

One of my favorite sayings in the book is, proximity does not = access. It's the one thing that people who flock to the various entertainment capitals don't seem to consider. Living within driving distance of a lot is not gonna get me a pass. So, when I read the words on page 54, "A moment's access is not an opportunity," I vigorously pointed at the page. Bravo, Stephanie.

"The best networks are built one person at a time." THANK YOU! The beauty of connecting with "prospects" under sincere circumstances, is that you don't have to figure out how to be taken seriously or establish trust. It will come first, before you 'want' anything from them. And after, whenever you do want something, it's easier to be "straightforward and direct," while acknowledging their POV (e.g., a writer doesn't help other writers get published - that's an agent's job).

I haven't read many self-help books on pitching, but I can't imagine there are many better than this one, no matter what your business.

I picked up this book at the library and after a couple of glances, took it home. Stephanie Palmer, the author, is a former VIP at MGM Studios, where she went from pitching scripts to getting pitched. Along the way she picked up a bunch of important hints and tricks, which she sprinkles throughout the book. Using both product and service business models, she takes you step by step through the sales process, from initial query to presentation to asking for the sale. I've done this progression more times than I care to admit, but her suggestions (don't do an elevator pitch - it's too short to accurately tell your story) and cautions (deal breaking demeanors) made me think about lost deals and things I might have done differently. Important note: After reading the library's edition, I bought the book.

We don't often see everyone giving a book 5 stars - this one deserves it. The other reviewers have touched on some of the important points in the book, don't assume that you can extrapolate and get all the benefits just by reading the reviews - read, re-read, and study this book!

Although the book is focused on business applications specifically sales and moving up the corporate ladder - its tenants can be applied in most any interactions between people - friends, family, organizations, and of course business.

Palmer does not propose flashy or manipulative techniques; it's down in the trenches building solid and genuine foundations. She advocates thoughtful planning, with allowances for mis-steps along the way (and excellent advice on how to handle them).

A few of the gems that stand out for me relate to interacting with others - could be a boss or a (potential) client - organized a bit differently than in the book:

1. Before the meeting starts - do your homework, be prepared, dress appropriately (could be different that how client dresses), don't sit in the wrong chair.
2. Remind the others why you're there - the appointment could have been set days ago and they forgot.
3. Don't start your pitch too soon, develop rapport.
4. DO NOT try to be the smartest person in the room (even if you are) and do not be the center of attention.
5. When the inevitable interruptions happen - determine if it just a pause or a reason to break off the meeting for now. If getting back into the meeting after an interruption, easy back in with a brief summary of what was covered before the interruption.
6. Have a smooth way of informing the attendees on details that perhaps they should know, but perhaps don't remember (or don't know). "As you probably know, the Brothers Grimm are the nineteenth-century German professors..."

I could go on and on, but you need to read the book anyway. Go for it!