Having recently read The Pragmatic Programmer and Working Effectively with Legacy Code (both books are amazing - and neither need further review or description as they are globally appreciated as classics), I was feeling ready to read something non-development related, just to get back on my feet again.
I’d heard our CEO speaking highly of a sales book by Frank Bettger, but I’d never really thought more of it. When I found a copy of How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling in a bag I’d borrowed for a trip to Belgium, I thought I might as well give it a try.
While it’s no programming book, I do feel it was a great read, and I believe it’s got some great tips for anyone dealing with clients - no matter if it’s sales or support related. Some of the chapters may be borderline self-help-ish, but he keeps a sane level of thought all the way through. One of the greatest features of the book is that 70% of the text are war stories of how he either accomplished or failed when speaking with a client. Some of the things he mentions will seem obvious at first, but when you think about it, you realize how you’ve never actually thought about the process behind the technique.
It’s a quick and quite enjoyable read due to his light style of writing and war stories. I highly recommend it to just about anyone, no matter your field of work.