Acknowledging People Who Need Acknowledging
All too often when a book is written and people are acknowledged for their roles, readers skip by. I know I have and I bet you have too. I don’t want that to be the case with my new book, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents.
In this week’s post I want to share who I acknowledged in the book so they get their 15 minutes of fame and know how much I appreciate them. Not only that, if you’re considering writing a book you might just want to reach out to some of these people for help. They’re fabulous!
Jane and Abigail are my wife and daughter. Part of my personal mission statement reads, “I want to earn my family’s respect and be the kind of husband and father they can be proud of.” I hope writing this book adds to that.
Anthony Iannarino for writing the foreword. He is a sales guru and I’m glad to call him friend.
John Petrucci was a coworker and boss for many decades. I cannot overstate how much I learned from John when it came to sales, leadership, and integrity. I was thankful to call him boss and more thankful to call him friend.
Nancy Edwards introduced me to Robert Cialdini’s work. She had no idea how sharing a video would change the course of my career and life. I’m thankful she remains a friend, coach, and editor of this book.
Robert Cialdini is both friend and mentor. You’ve seen his name throughout the book. Coming in contact with his work then him as a person changed my career and life. I’m grateful to him for all that he’s done.
The INFLUENCE AT WORK team of Bobette Gordon, Cara Tracy, and Eily VanderMeer have been incredible resources and friends over the years.
Clyde Fitch was an executive vice president at State Auto Insurance until his retirement. He was a consummate salesman who reminded us, “It’s all showbiz,” and encouraged us to “Go forth and do God’s work.” His “Clyde-isms” still resonate with me and that’s why a few made their way into this book.
Loring “Pud” Mellein encouraged me to get back into the field to interact with agents on their turf so I could better understand them and the challenges they faced. Pud also reviewed this book and gave me feedback based on his 40 years of insurance industry experience.
Jeffrey Pollock is a business coach who helped me think through aspects of this book when I felt stuck. Specifically, he helped me realize I could turn the book into a workbook of sorts for my Persuasive Selling Workshop.
Barbara Grassey is my book coach. She helped my first book reach Amazon best-seller status and become a top 100 influence book. I turned to her again for help marketing this book.
Michael Franzese created the cover for my first book. It received so many compliments that I had to ask him to come up with the cover for book #2. You can find him at Franzeseink.
Katlynn Henry worked for me when I ran The State Auto University. Because of her creativity and dedication to her craft during those years I asked her to create the online resources for this book.
Dave Saliaris, Nick Glimsdahl, and Alan Demers are in a mastermind group with me. They continually checked in on the progress of the book and encouraged me to keep at it which was tougher than I thought it would be during the Covid pandemic.
A special thanks to the following people who took time to read the book, give me testimonials and much needed feedback: Al Jannett, Rick Miley, Mark Blackburn, Dean Hildebrandt, Jason Cutter, Steve Berry, Tony Burkhart, Tyler Simmons, David Baily, Kurt Hetherington, Tory Pachis, and Meg McKeen.
Ann Strausburg is my mother. When I wrote my first book she always kept a copy with her. When people would ask what she was reading she would brag about her son. Now she has a second book to keep with her at all times.
Brian Ahearn is my father. As a youngster he set an expectation that I would always put forth my best effort and never quit. That came in handy when I hit sticking points with this book. He passed away months before I finished the book but I’m sure he would have enjoyed it and been proud.
Brian Ahearn, CMCT®, is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE, LLC. An author, TEDx speaker, international trainer, coach and consultant, he’s one of only 20 people in the world personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.
Brian’s book, Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by BookAuthority. His LinkedIn Learning courses on sales and coaching have been viewed by more than 100,000 people around the world. His newest book, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, reached Amazon bestseller status in several insurance categories.
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