Buying Trances: A New Psychology of Sales and Marketing [Hardcover]

Joe Vitale (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For daring salespeople who want to make the sale every time, these cutting-edge techniques in persuasion offer the key to incredible success." (Retail & Leisure International, June 2007)

Product Description

Praise for Buying Trances

"The genius of Joe Vitale has never shone brighter. This thoroughly documented and easy-to-read book is the first of its kind. Vitale gives you the keys to their minds. All you have to do is turn the keys. They said 'yes' to you long before you said a word and they were begging to buy from you shortly after you uttered your first sentence. Buying Trances is an exciting ride to the edge of the mind. His finest work to date."
-Kevin Hogan, author, The Psychology of Persuasion and Covert Hypnosis

"This book maps marketing's final frontier-the customer's mind-and exposes the buying trance. Frankly, this may be the smartest marketing book ever written."
-Dave Lakhani, coauthor, Persuasion: The Art of Getting What You Want

"As with all of Vitale's books, there are magical secrets chucked out like a mad Vegas poker dealer on every page. Not only will you learn to put people into buying trances with this book, the act of reading it will put you in a trance and force you to master it."
-Mark Joyner, #1 bestselling author, The Irresistible Offer: How to Sell Your Product or Service in 3 Seconds or Less

"Vitale's expertise in hypnotic marketing combined with his extensive research challenges the reader on many different levels. He forces you to delve deeper into the benefits of creating a buying atmosphere and a trance-like desire on the part of your prospect. I found this an absolutelyfascinating book."
-Joseph Sugarman, President, BluBlocker Corporation

"Buying Trances is not your run-of-the-mill marketing book. It's an exceptionally well-written, well thought out, high-level work that gives the reader unique insights into how to capture a prospect's attention. Cutting-edge stuff that is a must for every serious marketer to absorb and implement."
-Robert Ringer, author, To Be or Not to Be Intimidated?: That Is the Question

"Vitale's understanding of how and why people think and act like they do is remarkable. Byunscrambling complex ideas and explaining them in simple language, he reveals how to fashion messages that will turn people into compulsive buyers of our products and services. Now we can take control and create the buying trance. It's a totally refreshing and very effective approach to hugely profitable sales and marketing!"
-Winston Marsh, veteran Australian marketer

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 209 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st. Printing edition (March 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470095199
• ISBN-13: 978-0470095195
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #633,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lying as high (copywriting) art, May 28, 2007

By	Tom Holzel "Tholzel" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Buying Trances: A New Psychology of Sales and Marketing (Hardcover)

This book is another of the thousands of inspirational self-help books that may seem deeply wise upon first reading, but then fade so quickly from memory, a week later you can barely remember anything the author has "discovered." Sales and Marketing is a big subject: it has to do with product positioning, advertising, sales force management, dealer networks, product fulfillment, market research, CRM, internet selling and much more. Although subheaded as being about sales and marketing, this book covers none of these subjects. Instead, the author focuses on devious copy writing tricks aimed primarily at the sub-culture of the self-help industry, vitamin supplements hawkers, spiritual guidance gurus, life extension quacks, etc.

The major point the author makes, over and over again, is for you to ingratiate yourself with a prospect by "genuinely" agreeing with anything he says (no matter what) and thereby gain his trust and make that all-important emotional connection. "In order to lead people into the [buying] trance you want them to go in [sic], you need to agree with them--no matter where they are when they come to you." Lovely.

A second tactic the author finds so powerful is to headline an eye-catching promise he has no intention of keeping. "How to get people to buy virtually anything." "How to create a magical on-the-spot buying trance." "what is the all-time best trance inducer?" Etc., etc. These are the names of his book chapters. Of course none of these promises are kept. "The best all-time trance inducer" can only be obtained by buying another of the author's book. "You probably won't be able to sleep at night," he brags, "until you get my new book. Heh heh heh." Great.

In the first 100 pages, I counted 28 references to his own websites and his own books, and 46 references to books, websites and seminars of other new age snake oil salesmen. This circle of self-referral gives the impression of great erudition but it is nothing more than a bunch of small-time sooth-sayers propping each other up for moral support. I'll bet money most of the 5-star Amazon reviews were written by his best friends and self-help colleagues.

In short, the author leads the reader hip-deep into a dismal swamp of overheated hype. He advocates deliberately lying to attract attention, and making promises he has no intention of keeping. This is called a "new psychology of sales and marketing." You can have it.

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars You are Getting Sleepy, Very Sleepy, June 29, 2007

By	Michael P. Maslanka (dallas, texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Buying Trances: A New Psychology of Sales and Marketing (Hardcover)

This book is a slapped together hodge podge of warm over ideas from other books. It lacks focus. The best thing in it is at the end, where wrtier Blair Warren gives Vitale the green light to re-publish one of his more interesting articles., dealing with persuasion through encouraging the dreams of others and allaying their fears.Vitale has a few good notions on the use of negative words in writing, such as "don't do xyz" because it is more memorable, and a handful of decent suggestions on persuading by offering choices. But otherwise, the book is filler. Lots of better choices on the art of persuading others. There is nothing "new" about this book.

71 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars If I said "I get it" I'd be lying to you, June 2, 2007

By	Mike (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Buying Trances: A New Psychology of Sales and Marketing (Hardcover)

This is the second Vitale book I've read...the first being "The Attractor Factor"...and I've got to be honest with you, I just don't get it.

You can look back to James Allen's quote "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he." There's also George Bernard Shaw's quote "The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them." Finally there's Earl Nightingale's famous "We become what we think about." And if you really want a solid, honest dose of what life is all about, skip "Buying Trances" and buy a collection of Ralph Waldo Emerson's writings.

So where does Joe Vitale fit into all of this? He's one of those authors who devotes no small portion of his books to self-promotion. That's to be expected...every author, especially those who specialize in non-fiction, engages in self-promotion. But there comes a point where you cross the line from "reasonable amount of self-promotion" to "I just paid for an infomercial." Joe Vitale has a virtual truckload of "product" that he'd like to sell you. What percentage of the book is stacked toward getting you what you want in life versus creating a "buying trance" in which you will respond with "Must...buy...MORE...Joe...Vitale...books?"

Second, the whole "believe it and you will achieve and/or receive it" and "draw upon the universe" schools of motivational thought are flawed because they appeal to people who'd like to receive wealth, fame, success as the result of their thoughts rather than their actions. The "universe" (or God, for those who aren't afraid to say it) rewards ACTION, not some kind of slothful rubbing of the magic lamp and invoking three wishes from the genie inside.

Vitale writes "lamp rubbing" books. He wants you to pay him in return for his showing you how to rub the lamp. And he presents his case in a very "trance-inducing" way so that the people who are inclined to do so click the "add to cart" button on Amazon. He'll tell you a story about how he crafted a compelling, teasing "sell the sizzle and you can sell the steak" email or promotion, then he'll wallow in self-congratulatory praise when he describes the number of rubes who lined up to mail him checks.

Ever think you might be one of those rubes?

Example, from page 160: "With Psychic Demand, you can indeed will the universe to give you what you want."

OK, I'm going to test that theory right now. "Universe, I would like a check for $27.11 to appear in my mailbox (the purchase price I paid for "Buying Trances," plus sales tax) no later than Saturday, June 9th, 2007...exactly one week from today.

I'm waiting...If I receive the check on or before June 9th I'll return here and update my review.