Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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67 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Letting others have it your way, June 7, 2007
Years ago, I attended a reception in Washington (DC) honoring a British diplomat who was about to retire. At one point, I engaged in conversation with him and presumed to ask what was the single most important lesson he had learned after 30+ years of public service. He replied, "Always let the other chap have it your way." How simple! Only later did I realize that he was describing what Oliver Wendell Holmes once characterized as "the other side of complexity." And I think this is what Jeffrey Gitomer has in mind in this volume when suggesting how to speak, write, present, persuade, influence, and sell your point of view to others. That is an accurate subtitle because it correctly indicates precisely what this "little book" is all about.
Others have their own reasons for their praise of this book. Here are three of mine. First, I appreciate the visual format within which Gitomer presents his material. Key points are brilliantly displayed with a variety of colors, font sizes, use of bold and italic faces, and page location. Also, I appreciate the strategic insertion of dozens of quotations and insights, each of which is directly relevant to the given context. Here are three of my personal favorites:
"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people, than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you." - Dale Carnegie
"Being a person of influence means that you have reputation, character, credibility, and stature enough that people will take your message seriously. [They] come from your track record and your success record combined with your perceived expertise." - Gitomer
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Finally, I admire Gitomer's characteristically pragmatic approach. All of his observations and recommendations are driven by his determination to explain "why" and "how." The narrative is mercifully free of general theories, pretentious rhetoric, and problematic assumptions. I hasten to add that there is a total lack of cynicism. He assumes that each reader has a point of view that is well thought-out, sincere, authentic, and worthy of careful consideration.
Argumentation is one of the four levels of classical discourse, the others being exposition (explaining with information), description (making vivid with compelling details, and narration (telling a story with a sequence of events or developing a sequence of separate but related ideas). The term "argumentation" is sometimes misunderstood to mean arguing when, in fact, its purpose is to persuade with logic and/or evidence.
Gitomer understands all this, of course, and effectively uses each of the other three levels of discourse when explaining how to "sell your point of view to others." (Be sure to check out the "8.5 key elements that make up your ability to persuade others and get your way" on Pages 40-41.) He also has a solid understanding of human nature. Therefore, throughout his narrative, he includes frequent reminders to take human skepticism, insecurity, and (yes) recalcitrance into full account. As indicated earlier, with all due respect to Gitomer's inventive mind and passion for communicating, he is ultimately a pragmatist. That is, he is almost wholly preoccupied with helping others to understand what "works," what doesn't, and most importantly, why.
More a quibble than a complaint, the next edition should have an index.
This may be a "small book" in certain respects but, one man's opinion, it offers a wealth of practical advice with eloquence and enthusiasm. Well-done!
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51 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Excellent Addition To The Little Book Series, April 23, 2007
As the author of Persuasion: The Art of Getting What You Want I know more than a little about persuasion and I loved this book.
What I like about this book is that Jeffrey has taken key principles of persuasion and influence and broken them down into easy to implement ideas. He makes adding the persuasion and influence principles to your existing sales process not only simple but effective.
One of the areas where I think this book really shines is when Jeffrey talks about speaking to influence. As one of the most prolific speakers working today, he brings a unique blend of personal insight, techniques that have stood the test of time and audiences. These tips alone are some of the most valuable in the book.
If you are new to the area of persuasion this book will be a great starting point for you. If you are a seasoned pro who fully understands persuasion, you'll find this book an exceptional review of core concepts.
Jeffrey has written another book that is fun to read, practical and valuable to virtually any sales professional.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Jeffrey's Best but Still Good, May 6, 2007
In my opinion, Jeffrey's "Little Books" tend to erode a bit in quality from book to book. I think part of this is the fact he returns to the same themes over and over in hs books, so there isn't much here you haven't seen in his earlier publications. He is mostly mining familar Gitomer territory here.
Still, I give his titles to my salespeople and they seem to eat his words like candy. Jeffrey focuses on the basics of selling (being accountable, delivering value, making yourself different) and such themes never go out of style, no matter how many times you read them.
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by Jeffrey Gitomer
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