Sales Books

Recently I purchased this book for myself and read it cover to cover! Some really great inspiration here! Information you can really use. I love Ali's style and how she see's things!

Ali's books are full of great ideas. I love this book and refer to it often.

I love her book. She gives you so many ideas to try and to start your own challenges. She encourages you to to it the way you want to. Great book!!!

I love Ali Edwards ideas and she inspires me in so many ways. This book is no exception!

Even if you read the whole book and don't get a single idea for your own scrapbooking, it's OK. And that's one of the first lessons in a book about cultivating an attitude which will free the life artist within you to create pages and albums and other projects which reflect your personality and vision. It's OK.

Although Life Artist is divided into chapters with themes, the book is essentially a series of two-page spreads with reflections about the themes the author, Ali Edwards, feels are an important part of creating work that is unique and personal. Although it can be a fast read, it's worthy of a more reflective approach.

This, the second volume of an awesome collective work, catalogues in rich detail the events and achievements of ancient Greece. But more than that, it tells the story about how the events unfold and gives insight into how science and philosophy came into being for the first time in civilization. For a long time, I had only a very scattered understanding of the ancient Greek world. This work gives me a much clearer view of the whole picture. There were a few sections where I did get stuck on the details - in the enumeration of people, places, and events - but it wasn't very often and it was probably due more to a lack of imagination on my part.

In trying to make a overly short synopsis, the book can be viewed as divided into three parts covering three different eras in Greek civilization. The first part delves into indefinite origins that can be traced back to the culture of ancient Crete, then the Mycenaean civilization, the Achaeans and the Homeric epic of Troy - which the archeologist Schliemann found actually existed in Asia Minor - and then the Dorian invasion. The second part concerns the Persian War and the coming of age of the city-states including Athens, it's friends and foes; and also the great advances in art, literature, science, philosophy and law as well as the decline that results mainly from the Peloponnesian War. The third part concerns the decay of mainland Greece but the diffusion of it's great culture to most of the known world through especially the conquests of Alexander the Great.

Vital to the development of Greek culture was the city-state, which grew in mainland Greece after the Dorian invasion (1100-950BC), and spread across the Aegean to the many islands and far-off shores of the Mediterranean. The city-states were separated and protected by mountainous terrain, which made it difficult to assert centralized control. They were linked principally by the waterways of the Aegean, and this linkage stimulated trade and preserved a common heritage, despite the many squabbles and wars. It was the burgeoning of trade and the opportunity for people to interact with others of different cultures that helped shake some of the ingrained beliefs and traditions and stimulate the inquiring mind. The Greeks were also freed to question supernatural explanations of the universe - and therefore develop science and philosophy - because they did not have a powerful priestly class, and thus were not so readily subject to persecution for the shattering of old myths. They were really quite ingenious in an age that had a very narrow view of the world. For example, Eratrosthenes made calculations concerning the curvature of the earth and computed the circumference of the earth to be very close to what we know it today.

One of the remarkable facts of the Golden Age of Periclean Athens (but not uncommon in those days) is that of the total population of Attica, some 315,000 peope, something like 115,000 were slaves. Of that difference consider, too, the number of woman, who were not participants in the political process. With that kind of distribution - more than half were not eligible - democracy had to be tenuous and fragile at best. For much of the history of the Greek city-states, there was this back-and-forth struggle between an obligarchy, the very richest and the aristocratic, and free citizens, who managed from time to time to rise above menial labor and assert themselves. During the time of Pericles, somehow a significant number of free citizens became active participants in government, signifying the dawning of a democratic process. But it did not last for long.

My set of Durants The Story of Civilization was purchased at a garage sale. Poor fools, they did not know what they were selling. Their loss is my gain. Volume Two, however, was missing, a situation that was remedied when I wandered into a used bookstore and there, on a shelf was Volume Two- The Life of Greece calling my name. I immediately forked out eight bucks and headed down to the local coffee house and began a fascinating and enjoyable read.

Having read through Volume 5, The Age of Faith, this has to be the best volume thus far- I could hardly put it down. To be sure there are areas that one has to plow through, that is to be expected of a work of this scope; but Durant has filled my world with the genius, history and drama of ancient Greece.

What made this book so fascinating is that, over and over again, Durant brought us into the lives of these men. We are not merely dealing with historical figures, but real people who lived, made love, made war, wrote masterpieces and who could act with courage, fall to cowardice or just make stupid mistakes. By far my favorite chapter was The Suicide of Greece. It told how a great civilization could fall. The story of Alcibiades was absolutely riveting. Both a brilliant leader and a scoundrel, he pushed Athens towards destruction by his fraternity style pranks that doomed his invasion of Sicily contributing significantly to the downfall of Athens as a power.

Consistent with all his volumes, Durant again shows us the cycle of civilization. He shows us again that the life of thought endangers every civilization that it adores. He writes:

As civilization develops, as customs, institutions, laws, and morals more and more restrict the operation of natural impulses, action gives way to thought, achievement to imagination, directness to subtlety, expression to concealment, cruelty to sympathy, belief to doubt the unity of character common to animal and primitive men passes away; behavior becomes fragmentary and hesitant, conscious and calculating; the willingness to fight subsides into a disposition to infinite argument. Few nations have been able to reach intellectual refinement and esthetic sensitivity without sacrificing so much in virility and unity that their wealth presents an irresitble temptation to impecunious barbarians. Around every Rome hover the Gauls; around ever Athens some Macedon.

I hope that Durant has not just written our epitaph as a great nation.

Authors Dr. Will & Ariel Durant have compiled the history of ancient Greece in this, the second volume of The Story of Civilization.

At over >700 pages in length, the Durants launch into great detail about: The mysterious lost civilization of the island of Crete, land of the Minotaur and the labyrinth. The violent society of Homer's Iliad. The rise of classical Greece; a society of traders and navigators, explorers and colonists, soliders, sailors, and settlers. The origins of democracy and the political legacy to the Western world. The heroic battles against the Persians. The golden age of Athens. Backgrounds of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the birth of the Academy, and of course....Alexander the Great! Plus much more including plates and maps.

As with all of the volumes of The Story of Civilization, these books were written to stand alone and most likely will be read by the more serious students of history, however, they are composed and written to be understood by the layperson as well. In short, these books are for everyone! I rate it at five stars as the Durant's Magnum Opus!

Durant paints a fascinating portrait of Greek life and culture as well as the history of a country that provided a foundation for modern thought and politics in the modern world. Highly recommend for history buffs as well as serious students.

This is the second of the multi-volume work by the Durant's. It is as good as the first (and not wanting to give anything away, chuckle), they only get better and better. The author's prose is almost as wonderful as the actual historical work. The author apparently spent fifty years in writing these books and it certainly was worth the effort. He, and his wife, make history come alive. Now granted, I am a history buff and simply cannot get enough of it. I realize that not all share my love for the subject, but I truely feel that the entire work should be required reading in our schools. Not only are they superior to any and all text I am familiar with, they are truely a joy to read. This particular volume gave me much more insight to the ancient Greeks, their culture, art and philosophy than any work I have read, thereby giving me a much better understanding to our own culture, etc. It's just me, I know, but an added joy to this work was prowling used book stores and finding these things one by one to add to my collection. Highly recommend these books.

Read this book while its still available! Its language is so simple yet it touches you with a ferocity thats unthinkable!
I could relate to every charecter and that was the most freaky part!

The charecters in this book are rich and full of life. The plot is very engaging and what more can one say about a book thats so beautiful it makes you weep with joy!

Bravo Leavitt and the rest of you read it!

While not as good as his short stories, and awkward and somewhat amateurish in a few places, this is a good, strong first novel. Ideally I would give this one a 3.5, but since that's not an option, I'll err on the side of generosity. This novel explores coming out, family dynamics, and the selfish yuppie attitudes of the 80s.

This book was given to me by a co-worker who believed the subject matter and story would interest me. She was right. There are so many different issues dealt with in this book ranging from the struggle for sexual identity to the struggle of sharing it with you family.....to the ups and downs of living a life that is full of oppression and worry. There are many characters here with many different backgrounds. There is Phillip, the young gay man struggling to win acceptance from his mother. Elliott who fears commitment and leaves Phillip. Owen, Phillip's father who has to come to terms with his own sexual identity after years of marriage and living his life without being true to himself. Then there is Jerene who is basically disowned because of her homosexuality which is so common in this day and age and extremely sad. NO parent should ever do this to their child!!!!! UNCONDITIONAL LOVE is key! Jerene's new girlfriend Laura.....it is just a well written story on all levels.......my only complaint was the ending. There was no real closure. Other than that, I loved it!

Author David Leavit writes a brillant novel that I had a hard time putting down. While Phillip is confronting his changing relationship with his lover, Elliot, his father Owen is finally, confronting his homosexuality. Highly recommended. Each character is richly developed and textured, they feel like real people that you know. While the film is good, it uses London as a backdrop rather than the book's all-to-real-modern-urban life set in New York and in the transistion looses something.

I read this book for a class, and enjoyed it much more than I ever expected, especially in retrospect. I think it takes a little time to really get into, especially because Leavitt jumps back and forth between the three main characters and storylines, but once you get into the rhythm of the story, you are drawn in. Leavitt does a great character study of Owen, Rose, and Philip, and by the end of the novel, I felt like I knew them. Leavitt has an accessible wrting style, but the book itself is very literary and complex. For a first novel, especially, I think it's exceptional.

This was my all-time favorite book as a child. I checked it out from the library every single time I visited for new books. As an adult, I looked for this book as a gift for my god-daughter and had a very difficult time finding it because it had gone out of print. I am so excited to see this book re-issued and can't wait to have kids of my own one day to share this sweet story with!

This book is so chock full of warm fuzzies and beautiful illustrations, I could not put it down in the store. Even if I did not have children that adore bunny books, I would have bought it for myself for a pick-me-up. There are few books out there to match the soft delights of Marshmallow!

This is a delightful tale about two furry animals from opposite sides of the food chain. Oliver is a cat and the established pet in the house and Marshmallow is a young bunny that Miss Tilly has just obtained. Like all young rabbits, Marshmallow is curious, fearless and nibbles on everything. Oliver at first dislikes Marshmallow and appears to want to make him into a dinner. However, Miss Tilly warns him to never harm Marshmallow, so he obeys, although he is unhappy about the whole thing. However, one day when Miss Tilly is gone for an extended period of time, Oliver opens the door and makes friends with Marshmallow. This makes Marshmallow very happy, as he now has what he thinks is a mother who will snuggle with him and lick him. The story closes with the two of them fast friends, sleeping together cuddled up into a giant ball of fur which is one of the best illustrations you will ever find in a book.

The best way, according to the front flap, to describe Oliver, the tabby cat, is that he is "set in his ways". I, personally, would call him a loner. He has never known any real animals(unless you consider a stuffed bunny to be an animal) and lives alone with a woman named Miss Tilly.

When Miss Tilly brings home a baby bunny, named Marshmallow, Oliver's happy world is shattered. He's been thinking that he is the only existing animal. Will Marshmallow and Oliver ever be able to get along? I'll give you two guesses. :D

Newberry's illustrations are classic. I love how she uses only black and various shades of red in this book. Please Parents, look for this book!!!

I love this book! Children are captivated by the simple familiar characters so clearly described. The story line is sweet and well written, NOT "dumbed down". There are lots of words on most pages and it takes more than a minute to read which is so helpful in developing attention span. My three year old was taken in completely! ( Not to mention my seven year old!)

This is definitely one of my favorite Peanuts collections. I pretty much grew up reading this book. Over the years, it had been read so much that it had fallen apart. I was so happy to see this book in the stores again. If you're a Peanuts fan like I am, this book is a must have for your collection.

This is a great book for any Peanuts fan to add to their Peanuts memorabilia collection. I have been a huge fan of Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gangs since I was a child, but somehow Charles Schulz's Snoopy comics have a universal, timeless essence that appeals to people of all ages. Even in my 20's I still enjoying collecting Peanuts memorabilia, and I would recommend adding this book to top of your collection.

Until a few years ago, Peanuts Classics collections were very hard to find except in your local library. But Peanuts Treasury is much better than most of those-better than most of the `60s collections, anyway. Not to say that the Classics books aren't good, but several of the books repeat strips, print the pages backwards, or even repeat stories (or parts of stories). But this collection doesn't do that. Not only that, but this book has about three times as many more pages AND there are more strips per page (five instead of two). A few of the stories aren't finished in this book either, but nevertheless it's a great collection.

This is a highly worthwhile "Peanuts" collection, as it's an unusually [inexpensive] but vast collection of late 50s-early/mid-60s strips that you don't often find in new books, with a lot of wonderful strips in it, and an effort to group them into their original storylines (where applicable) - Sally is born, and Charlie Brown rejoices ("I'm a father!" - and Linus tells Lucy, "You didn't act like that when I was born,") . . . Lucy buries Linus' blanket to prompt him to kick the habit, and Linus is plagued with withdrawal symptoms ("That's the first time I ever dreamed of Hyannis Port!") . . . Linus freaks out when Lucy assigns him to sing "Jingle Bells" at the PTA Christmas pageant - then the new year's pageant ("I will not run around the stage holding a banner reading '1964'!") . . . and, perhaps best, the first time Sally joins Linus in the pumpkin patch - and it's much, much funnier than the TV version ("YOU OWE ME RESTITUTION!!") . . . among many, many others. But anyway, this may be nostalgic for you, too, and even if not, it's still a wonderful book. It's definitely worth it!

Apparently there has been a mix-up: The two "editions" of this book DON'T correspond to each other. I've bought the paperback one, and it does not contain some of the strips mentioned in the review section.

It all starts when Wendell's mom tells him to clean up his room. He goes up to his room and finds a pig lying on his bed eating chips and reading a comic book! Mark Teague's pictures really give us an idea of what's happening. We would be weirded out if there was a pig in our room. We would feel like pigs! It's a great book to encourage people with very messy rooms to clean up!

We used this book for storytime at our children's center to teach, in a fun way,that kids should clean their rooms. We also have a copy of it in Spanish and did a side by side bilingual reading. The 3-5 year olds thought it was funny.

read it when i was a kid and grew up to own it. such a funny-crazy book.

A little boy does not clean his room. Pigs move in and they together make a mess of things. The boy gets sick of the big mess and asks mom to help. She tells him it is his responsibility. He gets the pigs to clean the room and he helps. Soon the pigs find it too clean and leave.

Wendell's mother tells him his room his is looking like a pigsty, but even so he refuses to clean it. Sure enough, real pigs move into his room. He dosen't mind the pigs company... that is, until he finds hoofprints on his beloved comic books. The pigs help Wendell clean his room and finding it too clean for their liking, decide to leave. Teague's whimsical illustrations fit perfectly with the spirit of his story. A great book for those kids who do not want to clean their rooms...and every one else, too.

I recently enjoyed BULLIES, TYRANTS & IMPOSSIBLE PEOPLE
by Ronald M. Shapiro and Mark A. Jankowski so much that I had
to seek out their first book: THE POWER OF NICE . . . and if I had to do it all over again, I'd
probably reverse the order of my reading and read this latter book first.

It gives the background for much of what is taught by the two
authors; i.e., that you should seek to make sure that everybody
wins in negotiations--but you win bigger . . . to do so, you need
to understand the "three Ps," which are described as "preparing better
than the other side; probing so you know what they want and why;
and proposing, ideally without going first and revealing too much."

If you're a sports fan, you'll like the many examples involving
such superstars as Eddie Murray, Kirby Puckett, Cal Ripken,
and Brooks Robinson . . . however, others will be able to relate
to discussions involving President Carter, home purchases
and salary negotiations.

I learned much from this book, including:
* A good negotiation is about dividing the pie so that both sides get a
satisfactory piece. A better negotiation is one that finds a way to grow
the pie (increase revenues, add market share, strengthen resources)
so both sides get a bigger piece. But baseball was playing out the worst
scenario possible. What had been a 2.5 billion dollar pie was actually
shrinking. It had taken decades for it to reach that size and, in a matter
of weeks, it was losing revenue by the millions.

* When people are under pressure, they revert to habits. In order to create
new habits, you need a simple, systematic approach that you can practice
and master. I learned that lesson through skydiving, and I learned it again
and again in negotiation. We do not teach people the 45 best opening
lines or the 75 greatest closing tactics. If you learn it-that is, practice
and master what we preach-when the pressure hits, you'll revert to your
new, learned habit and you'll be a more effective negotiator.

* And this particularly valuable tidbit that I have to put into practice more:
Shh! (That's another secret to negotiation.) People like to talk. Resist
the urge. The other side is human, so they want to talk, too. Encourage
them. Then listen. They're trying to tell you how to make the deal.
Did you ever notice how often the party opposite you thinks what he or she
has to say is more important than what you have to say? That's okay.
Give them a chance and they'll tell you everything you need to know:
What they hope for, what they can move and where they can't. They may
tell you directly or subtly. Ask questions. Listen more. Every moment
you're not talking is an opportunity to learn what it takes to make the
deal. The best negotiators aren't smooth talkers; they're smooth
listeners.

The less you say, the more others will remember. It's simple math.
Say a lot and they're bombarded and overwhelmed. Say a little
and they can retain every word. And, or course, the less you say,
the more you can focus on what they say.

THE POWER OF NICE also presented quotes in each chapter
that pertained to the subject of negotiations, including this
one from Thomas Jefferson that has very quickly become one
of my favorites:

When I'm angry, I count to ten before I speak. When I'm very angry,
I count to one hundred.

That said, I won't even bother doing any counting before recommending
this very informative book to my fellow members of the Negotiations Team
at the college where I teach . . . they'll greatly benefit from it, as will
anybody else seeking insight into what makes others tick when
they want something.

I would imagine that since each of us has different personalities and different likes and dislikes that some would be more inclined toward this book than others. Some like Antigues and some modern furniture. Some love good carb snacks and others a great chocolate bar. Our taste vary, but this book is most probably for everyone.

Becuase while we may differ on what color car we want, or or what type of work we do, we all want to win our negotiations, we all want respect first and we all want appreciation. This book teaches the skill of negotiating in a fair way. Fair like it or not means taking a look at the others prespective as much as we hate to do this. (when you are at a ballgame and the umpire makes a call against the home team 50,000 are booing. Can it be that all of the people on the field saw it one way and the home team and home fans another?

Its human nature to want to be right. And human nature to want to be treated fairly. This is a great read. And will produce better results in your negotiations, withhout burning a bridge, becuase that is not a wise way to live.

First of alll, this isn't the usual kind of book I read. I have not read any of the other "self help" authors, but did pick up on a lot of use from the magazines I read. And there are parts that reminded me of Richard Simmons or Oprah. But it didn't bother me so much to get in a little "niceness". It was refreshing to read about how "nice" can work instead of "mean". I have certainly not know anyone to focus on such before. I picked this up since a friend mentioned how much this book helped them be a better person in their professional life. After reading it I think there's a lot to be said about the power of nice. Nice guys can win... ...and you can be a nice guy and be a winner too.

During my training as a physician, contract negotiations discussions were not part of the curriculum. Such discussions with our staff were, in fact, discouraged, since our only focus should be to learn medicine and take care of patients. Unfortunately, the art and science of negotiations does have a substantial impact in the ability of a professional to maximize benefit in his/her carreer.

This book was my first introduction to this subject. It was easy and fun to read.

During my job search as an anesthesiologist, this book armed me with the tools I needed to confidently negotiate the right position and compensation package.

Becoming a better negotiator is in everyone's best interest so when one of my students recommended Power of Nice, I was pretty excited about ordering it from Amazon and put it in the queue to read. I really enjoyed the stories in this book. Shapiro has been there, done that in some of the biggest and toughest negotiations in the sports world. If you are a baseball fan, it will bring back memories. And I learned more from the stories than anything else.

I have read this book twice, the first time it didn't quite click and I have a theory why. The book's content is pretty good, but the layout is terrible. I just finished reading a book by Addison Wesley press that had at least 4 times the number of facts per page and power of nice and as always the information was laid out professionally; it helps me to absorb the material. There is another thing that is off putting is how the author keeps saying if you follow the principles in this book you'll get better results and more of what you want and similar. Hey, I already bought the book, quite selling. It reminded me of Richard with his Refuse to Lose's 9 principles in Little Miss Sunshine.

Another small problem and then I will start praising the book again. They use a lot of initials, for instance, the three Ps. Everyone who has ever read a business book knows the three Ps are product, price and positioning, but not here. The three Ps in power of nice are prepare, probe and propose.

However, I just came out of a fairly intense negotiation, I had read the entire book once and spent the days before the negotiation preparing. I let the other side propose first, I probed and I proposed. It all worked. So the book was certainly worth the $20.00 I paid for it and much, much more. And I did get better results and more of what I wanted so Shapiro has every write to claim that. I have not read a better book on negotiation, pick it up and deal with the layout already.

Written with the professional in mind: very understandable and credible step by step process for gathering and collecting customer information which will be used in the ROI presentation. Very useful for all sales prefessionals - regardless of experience.

As part of our mantra at Rocket Builders to bring metrics into sales and marketing I was asked to review this book. A very valuable book for those in the enterprise sales market and/or markets where the customer needs material that really shows the ROI from using your goods and services. This includes customers who have become "jaded" by implementations that took longer and cost more than budgetted with little to show for it. They will love the part where you can show them the cost of waiting/not deciding. (So will you)

Not a book for the faint of heart as it is quite thorough and all encompassing wrto getting and using metrics in sales. It is definitely written with VP sales and CFO in mind. The very last chapter discusses ROI used in marketing and despite the brevity, it is a useful chapter. If I was to point to one flaw, it is that this book, like so many others in sales , does not address how and why most marketing materials do not really help the sales process. The problem is as much due to sales as marketing. But that is the subject for another day(s)?

Chapters are quick, short and perhaps a bit too concise in explanation. It takes a while to get through and I would not recommend it as an airplane book. You need quiet, time and reflection to use this. If you do, the results should be very useful to you

.

I really recommend it to any person who wants to learn how to build a solid Roi Model. This is the best tool to show your prospects/customers a truly value justification based on real information from their own company. Improve loyalty 100%!!
I am glad I found this book!
Congratulations to the author!

Having been a sales mentor for 7 years, and having sold large solutions into the Enterprise for 23, this book has been exactly what I have been looking for. The need to quantify value in an easy, neutral fashion, and have your prospect do it with you, is exactly how the deals are being done today in this overheated, competitive technology market.

I have adapted my practice to ROI selling, brought it to my clients, and have found new clients because of it. One of the best elements of the book is the ability to engage with the author, and actually get his help. In several instances, I did this, and it was very competitive and highly professional.

I recommend this to vendors selling software and technology, CEO's who have to buy those solutions, and executives who need to sell there projects to their own C-level. With tools like ROI Selling, you can more easily advance your business and career. Great work!

ROI Selling: I recommend for any individual working on or thinking about implementing value justification/ROI documentation into the sales process. As more and more sales situations increase in complexity the greater the need for a valid credible documentation of ROI will be needed. Customers do not have a sohpisticated method of valuing a solution, those sales professionals that can provide a credible model will win more than lose.

The methodology is great. The process the book uses is very nice to follow and not only is helpful on a general level but is providing actionable results.

My only wish is to have more examples from real life that could be packaged on a cd-rom. However the handful that are provided are a great starting point from which to build.

Even if you think you have a good ROI model you should get this book to validate your model.

This book EXCEEDED my expectations!

After skipping around the book by my interests and taking A LOT of notes, I am now reading it cover to cover.

I have been in sales for years and am learning NEW strategies and ideas. I don't know how someone could read this book and not increase client loyalty, work smarter, make more money, be happier and get more done every day. It's done this for me already and I'm just starting to apply what I'm learning.

THANK YOU to this expert Sales Team for sharing this wealth of information.

Bravo! Finally, a sales manual that has pulled us out of the dark ages and into the new millennium. This is a must-read for individuals currently working within any given sales field who truly desire to evolve from their conditioned patterns of thought regarding archaic selling techniques.

I highly recommend this refreshing and innovative new book for anyone wanting to achieve mastery as a sales person within this highly competitive market. Gaining new insight from a unique viewpoint by the individual authors sheds important light on how to bring effective change to all sales aspects.

By utilizing the alternative approaches presented in this book, preconceived barriers are broken down replacing old beliefs with new concepts allowing the flow of unlimited success within the new parameters.

Maricel Piercey
Business Owner

This book guides selling from the inside out. As a colleague familiar with Mollie Marti's work as a success and business coach, I was able to read a preview copy of this book. Mollie is an excellent writer and presents complex information in a clear way. She also is known for going above and beyond in her work. She's now done this with a stellar team of sales experts.

This book presents multiple layers to selling and certainly merits reading more than once. There are so many principles, tips, examples and new ideas. Some of the ideas can be implemented immediately; some take thought and reflection. I have read the whole book and am beginning to reread parts of it. It's going to take me several times through this book to truly absorb it all and implement it in my trial consulting practice. There are so many practical suggestions.

I am pleased to find a book that provides suggestions applicable to selling services and knowledge as well as hard goods. The principles presented here will improve any type of selling, not just someone selling a tangible product. This is one of those books that I will be constantly taking off my shelf as I attempt to master the area of sales and business growth.

I can not recommend this book highly enough. Absorb the material, apply the lessons - and succeed. No matter what business you are in or what product or service you provide, you will be wowed by this resource. It is overflowing with good ideas that really make a difference in your business. If you implement even a fraction of the information it contains, you undoubtedly will see the results on your bottom line.

Congratulations to Mollie Marti and her colleagues on putting together this excellent sales resource. And congrats to any reader smart enough to buy it and put this powerful advice to work for them!

Looked forward to this book and followed the progress from Kevin's initial invitation to his subscribers.
I am quite disappointed. Except for Gary May's initial chapters, the rest are really bah humbug.
It looks like, and reads like, a self-published book. Full of typos (and not talking about American vs English) and poor design & layout.
The marketing efforts (with all the free stuff on offer)were, by and large, quite disappointing.
It seems to me a cynical exercise in extracting money from people rather than adding value - which is the Kevin Hogan brand.
Having said that Gary's chapters are worth the few buck for sure, and I have added him to my blogroll.

If you can't use the first section of this book ( written by genius Gary May) to double your income in 2008, then it probably can't be done! I had the pleasure of meeting Gary in Las Vegas last year and must say, I didn't expect anthing less than the spectacular contribution he has made to the field of sales and influence. As a speaker that sells from the stage, I soaked up every word of Dave Lakhani's section on selling the crowd. I could go on and on; Hogan, Marti, Lakhani, May, Hoppe, and Adams- I tip my hat to you all. A big thanks to Kevin Hogan for harnessing the power of all of these creative persuaders in one book!

When Trevanian passed away last December, I was intrigued by the descriptions of his thrillers in the obituaries, and decided to try them out. Though I haven't yet read his most famous book, Shibumi, I've now completed Incident at Twenty-Mile and The Summer of Katya.

I found both books gripping. Trevanian likes to play with pacing, point-of-view, and plot twists in such a way as to draw you relentlessly on, even as you're aware on some level that you're being had.

At the same time, neither book delivers in the end on the suspense that has been so well crafted. Instead, the plots in both novels are resolved by eruptions of violence that arise randomly, rather than organically from the story and characters. And I was surprised to find that both books relied on the hoary device of an amnesiac killer.

I came across The Summer of Katya by accident, and am happy to have discovered both the author and the novel. This is a witty, often amusing little story, with dialog that you can practically hear and a mystery that remains a tantalizing, just-out-of-reach secret until the end. Both of the male characters are vitally human - Katya, the love interest, is superficially charming but strangely wooden, the first clue that something is seriously wrong with this picture. The plot epitomizes the old adage that love is blind; although the reader is not sure what the problem is, you know there is one, a discovery that Jean-Marc stubbornly refuses to see until it is literally forced upon him. This book is a little known gem; a quick, enthralling reading experience.

I was reluctant to read this book. I got into Trevanian because of his pre-X-gen notion. "Nothing matters", no holds barred. This one became a page-turner. Damn me and Trevanian! Too many good books...He gets me every time, no matter what! I imagined, the Iternational-Espionage Master bringing me into an exciting World of the Fearless. This one goes somewhere else. Can't explain...you just gotta read.

He tested things I could never imagine. Turns out Trevanian has a heart. This book will fool you if you know the author. A good read, for sure. Romantic at least, confusing at best. You don't know the story until the end...it's tragic, sort of. Won't give away the end...a good journey. There is no side-show. Something else comes into play here...and it writes beautifully.

Trevanian is a wonderful writer, best known for spy thrillers, his artistry however, is most impeccable in this mysterious love story. As it opens, Jean-Marc Montjean, begins telling his story and it flows from there with casual, yet poetic prose, evolving like the day, bright with possibilities in the early hours, full of hope, yet soon twists to the inevitable dark of evening. The reader feels compelled back in time and into the shoes of the narrator. It is tight, organic and fluid. Goes down in history as a classic along side Rebecca and Wuthering Heights.

This really is a work of genious. A love shadowed by the burdens of a painful past. A must read!