I just put the book down. I've listened to Joel Bauer speak and sell from the front of the room. I can flat out say that nobody is better. He has held events teaching his methods to the Who's Who of speaking. And you simply can't take your eyes off of him when he's on a platform.
The problem is that the book is titled to appeal to the wrong (although larger) audience. This is not a sales book. It is a book about grabbing attention, keeping attention, and using demonstrations to make a point. These methods work better on groups than on individuals. But selling to a group is harder, so the information is more valuable.
The asides in the book that teach magic tricks seem forced into the book to make use of Bauer's talents in this area. A few of them actually relate to sales points being made, but many are a stretch.
I will say this; His section on creating your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is unique and the best I've ever seen. It completely re-invents what to say when someone asks "What do you do for a living?". His method is better than any I've seen, and qualifies the person you are talking to, without being awkward.
His way of stating a guarantee as a sales technique is clear and makes your pupils dilate just by seeing how well it works in real life.
Mark Levy (his co-author) has taken Bauer's material and done a great job of turning it into a great book with plenty of meat, and making it an easy read.
Frankly, I only found about 20% of the book to be useful to me. But that 20% changed my concept of selling, and will make me money.
The title should have been "How To Create An Audience, Captivate Them, And Create A Thundering Stampede To Buy What You Sell".
If you sell anything, and ever get the chance, watch Bauer on a stage. There is none better in the world. The negative reviews are because the reader thought the book was about something other than the actual content. But publishers determine the title. The description on Amazon's sales page explains what's in the book pretty clearly.
Look at it this way; For the cost of an average lunch, you get verbage that will create crowds, qualify customers, establish that you are the authority on your subject/product/industry, and you learn a few novel ways to demonstrate sales points. Who could ask for more?
If you are a speaker, and sell from the front of the room? This book is a Must-Have.
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