Introduction 7
Introduction
C 7 c
COMMUNICATION IS THE transfer of information from one mind to
another mind, or to a group of other minds. It can be in the form
of an idea, a fact, an image, an emotion, or a story. It can be
written, spoken, drawn, danced, sung, or mimed.
Whatever the medium, if the message doesn’t reach the other
person, there’s no communication, or there’s miscommunication.
The simple premise of this book is that every time you open
your mouth, in order for communication to happen, you have to
sell yourself. If you don’t sell yourself, communication is nearly
impossible. If you do, your message will get across.
We think of selling as being product-oriented. But that’s only
one aspect of selling. In the case of product sales, the governing
factors are usually the salesperson and the price. Even when there’s
a slight price difference, we rarely buy any big-ticket item from
someone we really dislike.
Ideas aren’t much different. The only time we pay close atten-
tion to an idea being communicated by someone we don’t like is
when we have a heavy personal or emotional investment in the
subject.
I grew up in prehistoric times when ice was delivered by a man
in a wagon. Frigidaire was the generic name for electric and gas
“ice boxes” because it was the only one. There was no television.
Think of it...no television! Phone calls were made by calling an
operator. Most public transportation cost a nickel. So did a Coke.
Underage smart-alec kids could buy “loosies,” single cigarettes at