The Unfair Advantage: Sell with NLP!

Rating:
Summary: This sales book does what it advertises
Review: I immediately liked the book when I read the Preface, which is about being able to sell exactly as the customer needs it. I couldn't agree more, even if I have been running intro trouble with 50% of the salespeople I met when trying to convince them of that kind of thinking.

Let me first tell you what this is NOT. - if you want a book that applies my favorite aspect of NLP, cognitive styles (metaprograms), to Sales, I'd recommend "Selling the way your customer buys" by Marvin Sadovsky & Jon Caswell.

- Or if you want a book discussing (theoretical) how to apply ALL NLP models to sales, I'd rather recommend other books, such as Genie Laborde's classic "Influencing with Integrity", etc. However all these books tend to suffer from the same problem: it's hard to translate their message into practice, because they lack exercises.

But if the two previous things aren't what you're looking for, this might be the book for you.

How does it compare to other NLP books? If the book doesn't cover ALL of NLP, it has the advantage that it is much more practical. You really can use it as a workbook (as the author promises). I guess that a trainer could do a 2 or 3-day workshop to teach salespeople to *really* master this material. Let me tell you what it includes: It will help you understand how to recognize and use different representation systems (Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic), buying strategies and non verbal mirroring. As for the NLP language skills, it concentrates action language and action commands.

If the author wants to improve his book, I would recommend adding other NLP models (such as meta-program's and the meta-model). But to remain as practical, that would boil down to writing a second volume or make this one double the size.

As for the price: yes it's expensive. So is following a workshop. If you don't use any NLP yet, I agree that the book will pay back for itself if you apply these principles."...

Rating:
Summary: This sales book does what it advertises
Review: I immediately liked the book when I read the Preface, which is about being able to sell exactly as the customer needs it. I couldn't agree more, even if I have been running intro trouble with 50% of the salespeople I met when trying to convince them of that kind of thinking.

Let me first tell you what this is NOT. - if you want a book that applies my favorite aspect of NLP, cognitive styles (metaprograms), to Sales, I'd recommend "Selling the way your customer buys" by Marvin Sadovsky & Jon Caswell.

- Or if you want a book discussing (theoretical) how to apply ALL NLP models to sales, I'd rather recommend other books, such as Genie Laborde's classic "Influencing with Integrity", etc. However all these books tend to suffer from the same problem: it's hard to translate their message into practice, because they lack exercises.

But if the two previous things aren't what you're looking for, this might be the book for you.

How does it compare to other NLP books? If the book doesn't cover ALL of NLP, it has the advantage that it is much more practical. You really can use it as a workbook (as the author promises). I guess that a trainer could do a 2 or 3-day workshop to teach salespeople to *really* master this material. Let me tell you what it includes: It will help you understand how to recognize and use different representation systems (Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic), buying strategies and non verbal mirroring. As for the NLP language skills, it concentrates action language and action commands.

If the author wants to improve his book, I would recommend adding other NLP models (such as meta-program's and the meta-model). But to remain as practical, that would boil down to writing a second volume or make this one double the size.

As for the price: yes it's expensive. So is following a workshop. If you don't use any NLP yet, I agree that the book will pay back for itself if you apply these principles."...

Rating:
Summary: Mind-expanding and brilliant!
Review: I was reluctant to buy it because the price was up there---and I had no idea if it was a hardcover, paperback, spiral bound manuscript, or even if it contained anything I would find new and useful. But I figured it was tax deductible and worth a shot. After all, curiosity is a powerful motivator, and it got to me but good that day. The book is actually breathtaking. I was VERY surprised to see it is written well (many NLP books aren't), that it contains practical examples of how to use NLP in writing sales letters or making telemarketing calls, and that the book, in general, probably contains the best definitions and explanations of NLP I've ever seen. And it's all aimed, as the subtitle explains, to giving you "Practical applications of NLP for sales and marketing."

I'm also a little nervous that this type of heavy-duty artillery may get into the wrong hands, but I'm only letting my trusted friends and peers know about it. Besides, my theory is that a bad writer

will just make themselves more confusing when they try to use NLP tactics, while an already good writer can use NLP tricks to command armies. >Anyway, check out "The Unfair Advantage"

Rating:
Summary: Not only for sales people
Review: I'm not in a sales role as such, and yet I still love this book. Why? Because I have to convince people every day that certain actions need to be taken; I have to delegate work to my team and ensure they follow through and complete it without me looking over their shoulder; I have to negotiate with other companies and departments to get projects up and running.

The book is one of the best I've read on the communication aspects of NLP. It doesn't go into the personal development/

therapeutic aspects of the field, but that's not it's objective.

It contains plenty of examples and exercises to help you learn the skills, and presents them in an easy-to-read style, unlike too many other NLP books, so you don't have to be an NLP dictionary to read it!

As well as covering face-to-face selling, it also includes chapters on presenting to groups, selling by direct mail, and through telemarketing. On a personal level, I've got alot of experience in call centres (indeed I'm based in one now, even though I work in ecommerce), so I found the section on NLP and telemarketing of particular interest. As far as I know, no-one else in NLP has written about this aspect of the sales process at all.

On top of the behavioural aspects of the sales communication process (language patterns, matching and mirroring, etc), Duane also writes about the psychological aspects - learning how your customer will give you clues about their thinking that makes it

easier to ensure that you present your idea to them in a way that makes sense to them. This makes it easier to close the sale.

Other sales books present a process for selling - do this, get this, offer this, get the signature. This book (and NLP in general, I think) go beyond that by saying that no matter what step-by-step process you use, there are certain underlying skills that will make you much more effective. By increasing these skills, not only does it make your sales procedure more effective, it also makes you more flexible in trying other approaches. This can only increase your ability as a salesperson.

All in all, this is an excellent book - easy on the brain (not too much jargon), easy on the eye (good quality presentation and layout), and easy to put into use.

Rating:
Summary: The best "invisible" selling system that really works
Review: It's tough to find selling stuff that works but doesn't sound like some cornball, canned routine out of a used car showroom. That's because talking in a natural-sounding way is rarely effective in high-powered selling.

Yet when you start to deal with the big players and big deals, sounding genuine and authentic is the *only* thing that works. All top sales professionals and wheeler-dealers know this.

Duane Lakin has come up with the first training and language system I have seen that will improve your effectiveness selling to anyone. I know because I've used his techniques with large-dollar sales and seen my results improve. I've also reviewed all the other sales trainers who use NLP as part of their method. Some are very good, but no one comes close to Duane in terms of a transparent, deceptively simple set of methods you can quickly learn and use.

One thing that's great about his book is he also shows you how to apply NLP to telemarketing and writing sales copy. I don't know of anyone else who's done that.

A lot of people interested in sales and NLP think something has to be flashy, complex and technically overwhelming to be any good. As someone who makes his living because of the results he gets, I can tell you that just the opposite is true. Fortunately, this book contains what you need to get better results and still come across like a human being. That's rare and extraordinarily valuable.

Rating:
Summary: The best "invisible" selling system that really works
Review: It's tough to find selling stuff that works but doesn't sound like some cornball, canned routine out of a used car showroom. That's because talking in a natural-sounding way is rarely effective in high-powered selling.

Yet when you start to deal with the big players and big deals, sounding genuine and authentic is the *only* thing that works. All top sales professionals and wheeler-dealers know this.

Duane Lakin has come up with the first training and language system I have seen that will improve your effectiveness selling to anyone. I know because I've used his techniques with large-dollar sales and seen my results improve. I've also reviewed all the other sales trainers who use NLP as part of their method. Some are very good, but no one comes close to Duane in terms of a transparent, deceptively simple set of methods you can quickly learn and use.

One thing that's great about his book is he also shows you how to apply NLP to telemarketing and writing sales copy. I don't know of anyone else who's done that.

A lot of people interested in sales and NLP think something has to be flashy, complex and technically overwhelming to be any good. As someone who makes his living because of the results he gets, I can tell you that just the opposite is true. Fortunately, this book contains what you need to get better results and still come across like a human being. That's rare and extraordinarily valuable.

Rating:
Summary: What I didn't know until...
Review: The title is a metaphor that sleeps until you truly awaken it with action. Complex realties are skillfully hidden within practical insight. A work book that proves experience in the field of highly effective communication.

Rating:
Summary: Really helpful!
Review: Though the title writes "for sales and marketing", I am sure that it will be helpful for anyone who wants to strengthen his or her communication skills. In short, the author focuses on the concept of VAK [Visual (see/watch), Auditory (hear/sound) and Kinesthetic (feel/touch)], that we should pace and lead our target audience according to his/her own language preference. Of course, it's much more complicated than what the above describes, such as the usage of eye cues, embedding of action commands blah blah blah. Anyway, a must read!