The Hidden Agenda: A Proven Way to Win Business and Create a Following

by Kevin Allen Narrated by Kevin Allen

Overview

Each of us pitches ideas every day. Sometimes we sell our ideas to a small room full of skeptical colleagues. Sometimes we pitch to a boss, or a board of directors, a new organization, or for the contract of our dreams. Regardless, it all boils down to the act of stirring someone to join you-to agree to follow you. Yet we consistently underestimate how critical it is to recognize the needs, spoken and unspoken, of the decision maker. Decisions are made by people, and people have needs and agendas. Understanding these needs and agendas are critical to success in business. Kevin Allen's approach is not about persuading, but about creating a connection that assures a mutual win.
Through his years of successfully pitching ideas, veteran ad man Allen has seen a pattern emerge: pitches aimed directly at the needs of the decision maker are winners. By recognizing the unspoken need of the decision maker, and connecting the pitch to that need, the likelihood of winning the sell is virtually assured. In The Hidden Agenda, Allen describes in practical terms an entirely new way to compel people to follow you and embrace what you are selling. The Hidden Agenda lays out concrete steps to identify the "who" you are reaching, "what" elements you can connect with, and "how" to connect with your audience with the end goal of simultaneously winning the sell and establishing an ongoing collaborative relationship.
This entertaining book moves at a rapid clip and is full of lively anecdotes of hard-won advertising campaigns. From Mastercard's iconic "Priceless" campaign to Rudy Giuliani's mayoral campaign, Kevin Allen has seen first-hand how to effectively find, connect, and speak to the Hidden Agenda to win business unfailingly, every time.
Gildan Media and Bibliomotion are proud to bring you another Bibliomotion Audiobook. Featuring exceptional content for today's listener, these notable audiobooks contain the essential tools that can be applied to every facet of your life.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Allen, an advertising vet with a track record that includes MasterCard's "Priceless" campaign, offers concrete and easy-to-implement advice to satisfy the "hidden agenda" inherent in every interaction. Allen uses this term to describe the unspoken emotional motivator behind every decision. Since people make active decisions based on what resonates with this motivator, it's critical that businesspeople at all levels understand and address the factors which stand between themselves and success. To that end, Allen shows how to understand your audience and provides practical strategies for uncovering the needs, wants, and values that drive them. He shows how to find assets you can leverage that help connect using your "core" (the special abilities at the core of your being) and your "credo" (the belief system you and your audience share). He also explores the importance of developing a win strategy once a connection is made and how to utilize the power of storytelling. Using examples from his professional life, Allen demonstrates how he put these principles into action, providing useful context for readers. He also helpfully distills the most important takeaways in a "Remember This" box at the end of each chapter. A modern day Don Draper, Allen shows that he knows how to sell because he knows what his audience will buy. (Apr.)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171358792
Publisher:	Ascent Audio
Publication date:	05/01/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged

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