How to Survive Among Piranhas

INTRODUCTION

I had to think long and hard on what to write this book about.  As a professional speaker I have the opportunity to travel and speak in many countries of the world.  When I finish my speeches, people buy my videotapes, audio-tapes  and my mini motivational books.  They also buy the books that I have co-authored.  Constantly, though, people ask me when am I going to have my own book with all my stories.  Some people tell me that now, more than ever, they need motivation, ideas to help them cope with the challenges of change and the stress of daily life, and ideas to help them succeed.

Is there a secret of success? Does one concept or strategy enable you, if you master it, to develop and improve the skills, abilities and even personality or character traits that lead to success?  The answer is a qualified NO.

However, I admit that many books and seminars explain proven approaches that can boost your chances for success.  Some present a broad strategy for developing the traits and skills you need to make it in today’s competitive world.  Others zero in on specific areas such as communication, decision making habits, strategies, time management and even yoga, meditation and Zen.

Other people who attend my seminars ask me for ideas on  sales, how they can learn to sell and persuade people in a professional way, how to find  what the customer really needs and then offer those benefits of the product that meets those needs.  Other people ask me for marketing ideas, how to attract customers, how to do a marketing plan or decide on what market to approach with their goods and services.  They want ideas that can be applied immediately.  Some people have asked me for negotiation skills, how to negotiate in a win-win fashion and make sure that they are not taken advantage of.  Many others are aware that now more than ever, customer service is very important in order to succeed; hence, I have been asked to write about that too.

Constantly I am asked for a book with my stories, the same stories that I share in my seminars.  Still other people like my questions.  I have shared on the platform how important questions are in life, to find out what people need, to persuade, to understand.  Well, what do I write the book about?  There is a saying that you can’t please everyone, that you can’t be all things to all people.  Makes sense to write about one topic and that’s it.  Then I remembered one of the philosophers I have most admired, Bertrand Russell, and he said a person could become knowledgeable in five different subjects in life.  I think he might have even said that one could become a genius in five topics.

Therefore, I have decided to break the rule of ”you can’t please everyone,” and I have written a book that will give you very valuable information on those subjects that you have asked me to write about.  Not every approach will work for everyone.  That is why you will find several ways, for example, to motivate yourself, to strengthen the process you use to make decisions, to negotiate, to think about what to do and how to do it.

No matter what your age, job, career stage, or goals, you will discover ways to make the most of your potential, to be what you want to be and can be.  I, like you, am operating in the complex and competitive real world.  My practical strategies and ideas take into account the problems and pitfalls we all encounter, and offer ways to deal with them.

There is no one secret of success, but there are hundreds of not so secret ways to achieve it.  You will find them in this book and you will learn about them quickly.  The book recognizes that your time is valuable and that you want to make the most of that time to make the most of your life.

Down the road, I might write more about each of the subjects, but now, I want to give you some good information you can use and immediately apply to your lives. .

Dr. Joachim de Posada