bob burg

Adversaries Into Allies by Bob Burg [Book Review]

Bob Burg is an interesting author. He’s penned the classics The Go-Giver and Go-Givers Sell More as the entire brand of ‘Go Giver’ books has changed the way so many people look at leadership and management. He’s one of those authors that once you pick up his book and start reading, you can’t put it down. Adversaries Into Allies was no different.

This book’s tagline was ‘Master The Art Of Ultimate Influence’ and when you begin talking about influence and persuasion people start feeling a bit uncomfortable. Simply put, you can use influence and persuasion for both good deeds as well as sketchy ones. So while this is a topic I’ve been fascinated with for years ever since I read Robert Cialdini’s masterpiece Influence, I always approach lessons on influence with the utmost respect.

This book is very easy to read. It’s broken up into super short chapters that made for not only an easy read, but an enjoyable one at that. I find great power in simplicity. And when an author can get his or her point across without dragging the message on for 50 pages, I appreciate it. And learn a lot more in the process…

Mr. Burg talks about the Five Principles for ultimate influence. They are;

1. Control Your Own Emotions
2. Understand The Clash Of Belief Systems
3. Acknowledge Their Ego
4. Set The Proper Frame
5. Communicate With Tact And Empathy

At first you look at these principles and say..Yeah, of course! That makes complete sense so why do I need to read 240 page book to understand them even more? That’s the beauty of this book. It takes things you may ‘already know’ but frames them in a way that you start having ‘ah ha’ moments page after page.

I mean it’s hilarious, how many times have you heard me harp on consistency but then I get to page 235 of 240 and chapter 73 breaks consistency down to a science…He states;

bob burg

Wow! He’s basically saying, let’s start looking at consistency as putting deposits into your bank account. The more you do this, and keep ‘doing this’ the more dividends it will reward you with. That is brilliant and one of the biggest take aways from the later chapters in Adversaries To Allies.

I really enjoyed this book. From the first page to last it’s filled with useful information on how you can use influence and persuasion for GOOD and start mastering ultimate influence for your business and life. This is a must read!

9 thoughts to “Adversaries Into Allies by Bob Burg [Book Review]”

  1. Hi, Jon. Bob Burg’s book sounds great! That’s awesome how he mentions consistency. You have brought up consistency many times over the years and it’s so important. I have an idea for a blog post. Consistency would even apply in advertising.
    Congrats on Bob Burg leaving a comment, Jon! 🙂

  2. Consistency… is something Jon practices. He said at the beginning of the year he will write a book review every week and he has done it. It’s only natural to see some of those dividends show up, like authors expressing gratitude for reviewing their books. Well done!

  3. Hi Jon
    Thanks for the Book I am anxiously waiting for its arrival. From your review it sounds like an easy flowing book which is exactly what I like. WTG on getting the author Bob Burg to comment here on the blog and interacting with you on Twitter

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