Little Green Book of Getting Your Way: How to Speak, Write, Present, Persuade, Influence, and Sell Your Point of View to Others (2007), Jeffrey Gitomer
Reading Jeffrey Gitomer reminded me of attending a Zig Ziglar talk where a lot of information was presented to nodding heads, a lot of motivation was conjured, and takeaway was drowned by the overwhelming amount of information. For being such a short book, there is a lot of information there. Luckily, it is organized very well into chapters then into lists, which makes the book a great reference for subjects like presenting, sales and persuasive writing.
Throughout my reading experience, I felt I was reading an informercial for Jeffrey Gitomer. Each list has an extra half point, so the 8 Elements of Persuasion turns into the 8.5 not because one point is half complete, but because Jeffrey Gitomer wants you to remember his unconventional lists. Oh, and it worked. I can't remember what any list was about, but I remember Jeffrey Gitomer had an 8.5, 11.5, 15.5 and 28.5 list of something. I found this annoying along with entire pages devoted to Gitomer quotes, but sort of expect it from someone whose business is himself.
I feel the real meat of the book is found in the first few chapters where he outlines what it takes to be persuasive. Most of these look and feel like common sense, but I think its worth some thought in the context of persuasion. Without further ado, getting your way requires the following characteristics:
-Personal Conviction
-Believability
-Truthfulness
-Value
There you have it.