Art and Science of Business Persuasion: Mastering the Power of Getting What You Want

The key word in this mouthful of a title is persuasion, which the author describes as ""a sort of verbal martial art."" Burch, who, the publisher claims, is known in the U.S. and England as the ""alternative business guru,"" states that if you want to sell tanks to Genghis Khan when he's still fighting the Mongols with spears, you have to let him know what a tank can do. The author displays a store of metaphorical asides as he tosses out classic sales pitches and adds his own nostrums. The book is full of sample pitches (those that work and those that fail), questions to ask potential customers and tips on when to shut up and listen. Burch uses examples from fable and Machiavelli, whom he calls the greatest of all the philosophers of persuasion and conquest. The question here is, Why would Genghis Khan be fighting the Mongols? Read this for sass, not historical accuracy. (May)