Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The nameless protagonist of this slender motivational parable originally published in 1984 suffers from the existential predicament of the salesman: "the quiet fear of rejection" caused by the nagging suspicion that "the customer did not want to buy the product." From a succession of sales gurus he learns the One Minute secret-it's not selling, it's "helping people...to feel good about what they buy." Johnson, author of the business mega-seller Who Moved My Cheese?, offers practical suggestions ranging from sensible (treat customers like people, listen carefully to their needs, use after-sale calls to generate good will and referrals) to questionable (use one-minute positive-thinking rituals to visualize successful sales calls) to sort of depressing (paste sales goals beside your shaving mirror). The "eighty/twenty rule" is paramount: "Eighty percent of our results are produced by about twenty percent of what we do." Unfortunately, the book embodies this rule a little too well: about twenty percent is truly solid advice, while eighty percent feels more like filler ("The man took out his notebook to record what he sensed was going to be useful information") padded further with extra-large type.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author
Spencer Johnson, M.D. is the New York Times bestselling author of Who Moved My Cheese? whose books have helped millions enjoy healthier lives with more success and less stress.His other books include The Precious Present and five books in the One Minute series.He is also the author and series editor of the popular New Value Tales children's books.