Anne Miller’s new book “Make What You Say Pay!” was a pleasant surprise for me. As a blogger, I am infrequently offered books to review. When they’re good, I like to write about them in this category called “Brooks on Books.”
In the book, Anne explores the role that language plays in a sales interaction. She specifically talks about how metaphors can make a world of difference when presenting to a prospect or customer.
The book is engaging mostly because metaphors are engaging! She ties them in so fluidly that it’s easy to forget that you’re reading a business book and not a collection of short stories.
And that’s really exactly what she does – tie a series of short stories together. Each chapter is a story. And each story could stand on its own. Her breadth of experience working with a large number of organizations shines through in the varied examples she provides.
I was a little disappointed to see my least favorite word in selling — “Pitch” — make an appearance in Chapter 3. But her advice on how to build what we call a Unique Selling Proposition is fantastic! In fact, I’m rethinking my own “elevator speech” to try to incorporate a creative metaphor.
In short, it’s a great book. If you’re looking to hone your story-telling skills, it’s a great resource.
As an aside, I’ve never believed in l-o-n-g book reviews. A book should stand on its own without people writing endless essays about it (and this one certainly does).
