Marketing & Sales · Article or course
Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive
Classic business book on relationship selling, negotiation, and management tactics
Harvey Mackay's classic sales and business guide focuses on outmaneuvering competition through human connection and deep relationship building. It introduces the Mackay 66 Customer Profile, a 66-question framework designed to gather detailed personal insights on prospects to turn one-off sales into repeat business. The book covers practical tactics across salesmanship, negotiation, and day-to-day management.
What it's for
- Build detailed customer profiles to personalize sales outreach and follow-ups
- Negotiate commercial contracts by prioritizing terms, leverage, and the ability to walk away
- Improve customer retention and repeat orders through relationship-driven account management
- Screen and evaluate hiring candidates using Mackay's management principles
Features
- The Mackay 66: a 66-question comprehensive customer profiling framework
- Core sales principles emphasizing perceived value, post-sale service, and personal touches
- Negotiation guidelines centered on walking away, written agreements, and counterpart integrity
- Management frameworks focusing on hiring quality, rapid problem admission, and handling bad news
Pricing
Paid. Book purchase price varies by retailer (around $15–$20); profile template available free online
Details
- Type
- Article or course
- Category
- Marketing & Sales
- Topic
- Sales Books
- Open source
- No
- Platforms
- other
- For
- Sales professionals, account managers, entrepreneurs, and business negotiators
- Alternative to
- How to Win Friends and Influence People, Never Split the Difference, The Little Red Book of Selling
- Tags
- sales, books, negotiation, crm, lead generation, business
Why it was saved
- @mann_igor: Introduces foundational relationship selling techniques, including the iconic Mackay 66 customer profile.
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