The 5 Paths to PersuasionThe Art of Selling Your Message Robert B Miller Gary A Williams with Alden M Hayashi FRONT FLAP: In business, even the best proposals can face overwhelming resistance and rejection. Good ideas do not always sell themselves, and to succeed in today's world of tough decision-makers, how you say something can actually be more important than what you say. So how can you make sure your message is getting its best shot? In a two-year survey, customer research experts Robert B Miller and Gary A Williams studied the behaviour of 1,700 executives and discovered that they tend to make important decisions in one of five ways. Now Miller and Williams reveal the five different types of decision-maker - and how best to sell your ideas to each one. Discover: - Charismatics like Jack Welch and Oprah Winfrey, who are easily enthralled with new ideas but rely on others to investigate the details; - Thinkers like Bill Gates and Alan Greenspan, who methodically work through each pro and con of every option themselves; - Sceptics like Larry Ellison and Ted Turner, who are highly suspicious of every piece of information and will rarely trust anything that doesn't fit in with their worldview; - Followers like Carly Fiorina and Peter Coors, who make decisions based mainly on how other trusted people have made similar choices in the past; - Controllers like Martha Stewart and Ross Perot, who must be in charge of every aspect of the decision-making process and need to believe an idea is theirs before proceeding with it. REAR COVER: Praise for The Five Paths to Persuasion "The authors tap into not only the rational aspects of the buying decision, but also the emotional drivers, which are recognized as being crucial to a full understanding of buyer behaviour." Clive Chafer, Director, Vice President of Marketing, Master-McNeil Inc, Europe "The authors' research provides a thorough understanding of each account's needs and a simple way to create and execute overall strategy." Tom Levenick, Vice President of Sales, Labatt USA "The insights from the authors' research data clearly show where and how to focus resources to improve the customer's experience.

" Michael J Jackson, General Manager, General Motors Western Region "Will greatly improve high-level sales productivity by helping sales-people identify the five executive decision styles and show them how to prepare for and present to each of these styles." Reed Hilliard, General Manager (RET), Agilent Corporation In The Five Paths to Persuasion you will learn how to determine which type of decision-maker an individual is: a Charismatic, a Thinker, a Sceptic, a Follower or a Controller. You will develop effective strategies and proven tactics that enable you to tailor your arguments and proposals to ensure that they receive the full consideration they deserve. The result: you'll persuade others, get more business done, and watch your career soar. Subject category: Management decision-making / Business management REAR FLAP: Robert B Miller and Gary A Williams are co-founders of Miller-Williams Inc., which has developed patented research methods that provide accurate measurements of how customers think and behave. Their clients include blue-chip companies such as ARAMARK, Coors, General Motors, Rockwell Automation, Sabre and Sikorsky Aircraft. Miller is one of the original co-founders of Miller-Heiman and also co-author of the best-selling New Strategic Selling.

Alden M Hayashi is a senior editor at MIT Sloan Management Review and a former editor with Harvard Business Review.