The Power to Get In: A Step-by-Step System to Get in Anyone's Door So You Have the Chance to... Make the Sale... Get the Job... Present Your Ideas [Paperback]

Michael A. Boylan (Author), David McNally (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1998

The Power to Get In deals with the single most common and frustrating problem for anyone who's in business, a job transition, or a move back into the work force: the problem of gaining access to the correct audience. Today, no other skill is as directly connected to your ability to earn a living as the skill of getting in to see the right people. Michael Boylan's step-by-step system, The Circle of Leverage, will help you cut through bureaucracy, identify the people you most need to see, and get in their doors. Anyone with something to sell, abilities to offer, or ideas to present will find this book invaluable.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Boylan, who heads his own motivational consulting firm in Minneapolis, points out that such technological advances as the Internet, teleconferencing, fax machines, e-mail and the like have made doing business more difficult for the individual who seeks access to sell a product, a service or him(her)self. Boylan's solution is a system he has developed called the Circle of Leverage (abbreviated to COL). He maintains that the access-seeker should keep in mind the Key Engagers of his prospect: fear of loss, insecurities, competitiveness and the desire to be a serious player. Utilizing this knowledge, the next step is to approach by mail the prospect and his boss and his boss's boss, so that the prospect is, in a sense, backed into a corner and will set up an appointment. Boylan then outlines 10 preparation steps and five executive steps to insure the correct use of the COL system. Boylan, however, is tedious on the page. A good speaker repeats everything at least once to be sure of getting a message across; here, every point is made two and sometimes three or four times, more than a minor irritation.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Boylan (Ethical Issues in Business, Harcourt Brace Coll. Pub., 1995), the founder and CEO of the Boylan Group, Inc., writes about how to get in to see the people in an organization who have the power to decide the issues that affect the caller. (He used this approach himself to sell the idea of this book to the publisher.) It is a brash, exciting approach to marketing and job hunting, though the text is often repetitive. Boylan explains what the reader needs to know about a company and where and how to find it. After doing the research, the applicant writes a letter requesting an interview to the person who seems to have the power to decide; he or she then calls the assistant or secretary to request the appointment. Boylan also explains how to handle turf protectors and use voice mail to the caller's advantage. The premeditation of the effort appears Machiavellian, yet it is an honest, up-front approach. Recommended for general business collections.?Peggy Odom, Texas Lib. Assn., Waco
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (August 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312195222
• ISBN-13: 978-0312195229
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sales System Unlike Any Other, May 9, 2000

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Power to Get In: A Step-by-Step System to Get in Anyone's Door So You Have the Chance to... Make the Sale... Get the Job... Present Your Ideas (Paperback)

This book was written for those who have serious problems with gaining access to others of special importance to them. Boylan offers a cohesive and comprehensive system to overcome all manner of barriers. He calls it The Circle of Leverage™ and explains it within six different sections entitled:

What's Been Keeping You Out

The Circle of Leverage™ System: What It Is, What's Behind It, and How It Works

The Circle of of Leverage™ System: The Ten Preparation Steps

Making Your Move: The Five Execution Steps of the Circle of Leverage™ System

Advanced Moves

Mastering the Circle of Leverage™ System

Obviously, this book can be very helpful to those in sales but if we expand our perspective to include other forms of persuasion, this book offers even greater value. For example, consider the potential relevance of the Circle of Leverage™ System to recruiting and hiring, M&A initiatives, competing with others in the same organization for its resources, use of customers as an extended sales force, use of "alumni" to locate talent, etc.

The Circle of Leverage™ System is sound. Boylan's explanation of it is thorough and lucid. I recommend this book highly to anyone who is both willing and able to make a sustained commitment to applying these principles. What else will you need? Tenacity and patience.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Power to get in, December 7, 2000

By 

Jeff M. Byers (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Power to Get In: A Step-by-Step System to Get in Anyone's Door So You Have the Chance to... Make the Sale... Get the Job... Present Your Ideas (Paperback)

This book has changed my sales career. The ease and common sense, which is supplied, has provided me with an almost flawless method to getting into today's largest corporations. My success rate with the power letter is 95% Plus. I get calls back from SVP's who ask me when the best time for me to meet with them. I amaze my boss. He calls me and says, get us an appointment with XYZ company, and in a matter of days I have the appointment. This book is a must for any sales person that needs to gain access to key decision makers in today's e-mail and phone mail business environment. I will be presenting this selling style to over 600 sales people at our national sales meeting this January. If you want to see dramatic success in gaining access to the key decision-makers in today's largest organizations get this book.

Buy Michael Boyland's Power to get in. And make it your new secret weapon.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're our competitor, don't read this book, March 25, 2002

By 

"danzaroni" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Power to Get In: A Step-by-Step System to Get in Anyone's Door So You Have the Chance to... Make the Sale... Get the Job... Present Your Ideas (Paperback)

I've read "Visionary Selling" and "Selling to VITO" and while they're good books, they fail to provide what "The Power to Get In" offers: a systematic, methodical and proven approach to get in front of key executives within any organization. For years, we've been struggling with getting to the key stakeholder, often getting punted down the organizational chart. "The Power to Get In" changed all that by giving a detailed roadmap to get the attention - and interest - of A+++ prospects. If getting in at the top is crucial to your success, get this book.