Customer Reviews

Three Steps to Yes: The Gentle Art of Getting Your Way

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"Three (3) Steps to Yes: The Gentle Art of Getting Your Way", by Gene Bedell is the best book on persuasion I've ever read. ("How to Win Friends and Influence People" does come close.) I used Mr. Bedell's ideas and wisdom gleaned from the book today very effectively with clients (see below) and enjoyed how well they worked. I felt good, and my clients felt good. I do career management for very difficult, highly skeptical, high-functioning populations of attorneys, physicians, and PhD scientists--all of whom are educated beyond their abilities, esp. their ability to market themselves. Thorsten Veblen used the phrase "trained incapacity" to describe my clients, people who..., well, you get the idea. Some are too smart for their own good. They truly need "emotional intelligence", "social competence", and healthy street smarts. "3 Steps to Yes" delivers. Mr. Bedell is a non-ideological realist and a "people person" with integrity. He clearly understands what makes us tick, and how to make non-manipulative use of our our "personal", "credibility", and "self-interest" needs. I'm recommending this book to all of my "socially-challenged" clients and friends, myself included.

Excellent book that reads like your having a conversation with Gene Bedell. What makes this an exceptional book is that it has an immediate impact on one's selling approach and style. I started using the ideas and 3 steps the next day. It is highly credible process, because Gene Bedell is a well recognized leader in selling anything, but particularly complex computer systems, where the invisible needs to be sold.

Everyone sells and everyone wants to year "yes" in the marketplace of life. Satisfy customers' personal needs and you can get them to "yes," according to author Gene Bedell.

After doing all the research, Gene Bedell shows you three simple skills to get people to say yes to your products and services and feel positive about you, your offerings, and your company. It doesn't get any better than that.

The Three Steps to Yes are powerful in their simplicity: really fill your customers' personal needs; be competent and trustworthy; and communicate persuasively. That's the truth. That's all there is to it.

If these are not already your results, Bedell can get you there in 241 pages of boiled down simple methods you can not only understand but also use realistically in everyday life without changing your personality, personal style or values.

Buy the book and give it to every one of your kids at high school graduation or this Christmas, to you can enjoy your retirement!

I've been in sales and marketing for a long time. Probably read most of the books on the subject. So many times we read and gather all the information, but have just that, clumps of information. This book takes all the clumps and smooths them all together. Easy to read and comprehend. A MUST HAVE for anyone hoping to sell a product but is tired of all the old sales tricks, you know the ones, as produced in "The Closers". If you just follow the lead set in this book, you will find yourself building relationships where many referrals will follow. Fantastic book. Wish I had it at my disposal 5 years ago.

3 Steps To Yes is truly a magnificent work!

Mr. Bedell's book came highly recommended and not only did it live up to its praise, it far surpassed it!
As a student of positive persuasion, I've read numerous books on this subject; many of which are excellent. This book is the best (along with Carnegie's "How To Win Friends . . . ") as, not only is the information top-notch; the author's instruction is simple-to-apply, and immediately applicable. His stories, used as examples from which we all can learn and benefit, are interesting, compelling, and I know it allowed me to see myself utilizing these wonderful win/win methods in my own life. Parents will especially love his advice regarding persuading children in a way that will benefit everyone involved. In fact, although there are lots of helpful business examples throughout the book, if you are a parent or plan to be one, you'll want to own this book for that reason alone.

This is one of those books that you'll most likely want to buy as gifts for loved ones and anyone else you wish to be successful in their lives.

Arms crossed and a scowl on her face, the body language from my prospect was so negative that I could see I was in for a tough meeting. I had worked for months to get this far, had prepared diligently, and now saw the meeting slipping away.

What to do? The previous night I had read about half of 3 Steps to Yes by Gene Bedel. Why not put Bedel to the test? At the end of the hour my prospect and I had built the foundation for an effective relationship. No more scowls. Needless to say, I went home and finished the book!

3 Steps to Yes is a quick read. This is not a book of tricks, gimmicks, and hard-sell tactics. It provides a simple framework, sound advice, and lots of examples for situations at home or office where selling your ideas is critical. I particularly liked the last chapter, a two-page summary of Bedel's major lessons. It's a great quick review.

Three cheers for Gene Bedell. He's written a wise and easy-to-read book with genuinely great advice on how to "gently" persuade the important people around you -- co-workers, bosses, children, spouse. Bedell has simplified the seemingly complex process of persuasion into three logical, simple steps that anybody can use. Plus, the steps actually work. I used his approach in a faculty meeting recently and -- bingo! -- everybody jumped on board to support my ideas. A bonus: Bedell writing is timely, and his examples and anecdotes are current and funny. This one's a keeper.

Gene is my brother, and I know the content of his book works, because I've seen it in action. I was constantly amazed that he always seemed to "get his way," at home during minor scuffles, and in business going head-to-head with some major company players. After reading his book, I understand that his approach is not just one sibling's influence over another, or bullying in the business world. He MAKES people want to do what, initially, they voiced very strong opposition to. I've now tried incorporating his ideas into my day-to-day behavior, and they work! This book truly IS for everyone, from mothers and mechanics, to little sisters and CEO's.

I hadn't really thought much about the psychology of persuasion. As one who has a natural sales talent, I had never really given careful consideration to what I should be trying to accomplish when I want to influence someone. This book thoroughly describes the steps one can follow to help accomplish your goals of attaining desireable outcomes in your dealings with others. Moreover, the author makes it abundantly clear that unless you are competent, fair, and make sure that the person you are trying to influence satisfies their personal needs, you will not be successful. An excellent book...

Whether we are willing to accept it or not, we are in a constant state of selling. Each and everyday we encounter situations that may be significantly impacted by our ability to influence. Spanning both the professional and personal, this book uses everyday examples to help us recognize these situations, the tangible and intangibles surrounding them and most importantly clearly providing a set of tools to help us get results.

While probably an overused cliché, this book truly reads like a conversation over a cup a coffee with a trusted friend. Providing real examples from his life, the author pulls you in by demonstrating situations we can all personally identify with and the varied approaches to "getting your way". Simply stated this book while a quick and enjoyable read, can benefit everyone for all aspects of their lives.