Posted on 10/27/2018 3:50:46 PM PDT by Dr. Sivana
Vanity: I just finished “The Art of the Deal” I had recently gotten the audiobook version of “The Art of the Deal” as part of an Audible promotion. I had heard other freepers suggesting the book, and I had figured that it was going to be similar to the genre of business “self-help” books that make their mark (“Who Moved My Cheese”, “Good to Great”, “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, etc.). The big difference is that the man who wrote the book is now president, and one who is governing as a populist president who is on board with essential conservative values and a genuine love of country. The book was a lot more than that. It was also less than that. You can read or hear “The Art of the Deal”, and come out of it no better prepared to actually make deals, though you might well be more inclined to want think about opportunities as they present themselves. The Donald Trump we see and hear and retweet and applaud today is an extension of the Donald Trump who was all over the place in 1987. I remember when Trump started his campaign, his co-author Tony Schwartz came out and belittled him. Having heard the audiobook, I now know that Schwartz was not a “ghost” writer. First, he is credited. Real ghost writers are invisible, like the guys who write William Shatner’s books, or created Bud Fisher’s Mutt & Jeff comic strips for decades. Second, a ghost writer creates much out of his own ideas, taking only the framework suggested by the credited author (if that) but often inserting his own ideas and sometimes imaginary anecdotes in the case of memoirs or autobiographies (The Obama books come to mind). Schwartz did little more than organize Trump’s words, adding an occasional historical or literary reference, and probably invented the idea of building the book around “a week in the life of Donald Trump”. The content of the book, largely historical, are Trump’s and told from his perspective. Even if it was based on interviews with Trump, no one else could have written it, as the other players weren’t there. Trump himself does not read the audiobook version, though they did find someone with a bit of a Queens accent (pronounced “or” sounds as “au”, though not as much as the Bronx version of same.) This only made it easier to hear Trump’s voice in the stories that only he could tell. Yes, he says nice things about and Barbara Walters. He makes up for it by dumping all over Koch, who was still Mayor and could (and did) interfere with his development plans. I strongly recommend reading this book to get insight into a man who asks for what he wants, and adapts his plans to fluid situations. It is utterly relevant today. Regarding thee Donald Trump I heard in “The Art of the Deal”, I only regret that he wasn’t able to build the “World’s Tallest Building” or even do a full release of the Trump series Cadillac with the built in FAX machine.
I attribute many of my successes, to this book.
* * *
Hey Jane. Wondering what particular tips in Art of the Deal you found particularly enlightening in sales. Cheers.
i recommend it too, but you have to read between the lines to get any understanding about the man from it.
seeking insight i read it after the election. it didn’t disappoint. most everything he does now, what he believes, how he works problems, works the gov’t, people, how he grew up, what he values, his basic character, etc., can be derived from a deep meditation on that book.
i find that many here don’t have a clue about how he works and what he believes. i again give credit to Bannon and Jeff Sessions for turning my around about the man. in fact, i had a completely wrong idea about what made him tick (based on the public persona, his businesses, tv shows, fake news, etc.) until i read that book. i mean. he’s flawed just like all of us, but he’s honest about his successes and mistakes in that book.
Well, it’s been 30 years :) but, the main things I remember were/are to never be afraid to ask for the sale, never be afraid to question the deal and...that there is usually a workaround to what may seem like an impasse/impossible situation.
Mostly...just to have confidence in yourself/your gut feelings...what’s the worst they’ll tell you? No? Okay, so what? You can work things out, from there :-)
I’d have to dig out my old hard copy (I also have the paperback) to see my notes and highlights.
He has been working with the really corupt NYC democrats for thirty years...
Yep.
He knows all of the ropes.
Can we make this required reading every time President Trumps tweets something? Might cut down on all the “I like him but I wish she;d shut up” reactions. ;)
I read the book two months ago. I wish that I had read it three years ago. It wasn’t heavy on practical deal-making advice (but you could glean lessons). But it was a great window to reveal the mind of the POTUS.
Great, Jane.
“You can work things out”. I hear you. The confidence that somehow you can work a deal.
As a lone wolf journalist/analyst selling my reports and marketing services to tech industry clients, the product landscape is constantly shifting, so you need to adapt your own product model to meet new needs or get ahead of what your competitors are doing.
Amazing that the leader of our nation is one of the most accomplished coaches of entrepreneurs. He injected some of his philosophy in his talk with the Young Black Leaders in Washington yesterday.
Trump’s style is to go light on specifics, knowing that if you learn the principle, you can apply it to your particular case.
Thanks, Retrofit. Glad you got something from it...
He’s transcendent.
His lessons and message can reach all ages, all genders, all races, all professions.
Best of luck to you, with your marketing reports sales.
If your postings and writings, here, are indicative of your knowledge and capabilities, then I have NO doubt that you will succeed.
Yes, it was.
 "Great Again: How to Fix Our Crippled America" (Amazon Link) |
Put it to use - convince all the FReeloaders here to start donating....I have a signed copy on my bookshelf ... haven’t cracked it yet, but your review just made it likely I’ll get to it before the year is out.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.