Life's a Pitch Paperback - 1998

First line

I hate obstacles, don't you?

From the jacket flap

"Learn How To Get Everything You Want And More In The Ultimate Book On The Not-So-Gentle Art Of Persuasion From Don Peppers, "Pitchman Extraordinaire And Author Of The One-To-One Future (46,000 Sold).
In business, a pitch is a closed-end, winner-take-all contest. It involves one prospective customer and two or more hopeful suppliers, each struggling to defeat the others and win the account. Sometimes the business is won on the basis of price, but often -- especially where professional services are concerned -- the determining factor is intangible. Who, the client wants to know, will fight hardest for me in court, come up with the most inspired ad campaign, bring my products to the most new markets? In "Life's A Pitch... "And Then You Buy, Don Peppers shows us how to craft a pitch that is guaranteed to simultaneously win the confidence (and business) of prospective clients and defeat the competition. Peppers's fail-safe system teaches mastery of three levels of the pitch: salesmanship, psychology, and game theory. Peppers believes that the strongest pitches appeal to a person's emotional makeup and the very subtle, extremely personal "hot buttons" that make each of us into feeling and thinking creatures. Peppers shows how you can design pitches that capture your clients' hearts and throw your competition off balance at the same time.
In fast-paced prose, Peppers covers all the bases, including: overcoming objections, seeing eye-to-eye with your prospects, speaking the customer's language, prospecting, and follow-up. No matter what field you're in, Peppers's lessons will help you master the art of persuasion.

"From the Hardcover edition.