Sell Like a Spy - by Jeremy Hurewitz (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Praise for Sell Like a Spy by Jeremy Hurewitz

'Your most powerful weapon is your mind!' an Army Special Forces recruiting poster from the late '60s proclaimed. That remains true today because no matter what weapons special forces soldiers employ, they must have the ability to build and establish trust and rapport with foreign partners around the world, men and women of often vastly different cultures, languages, and histories. As readers of Sell Like a Spy will find, they can learn and absorb the same principles and ways of thinking from the special forces that results in operational success in our environment, to apply to the world you live and work in.

--Lieutenant General F. Mulholland Jr. (Ret.), former Deputy Commander of the United States Special Operations Command

In Sell Like a Spy, Jeremy Hurewitz does an excellent job of identifying best practices in information gathering, understanding people, and assessing situations from people with decades of experience honing these skills in the intelligence and law enforcement world. He shares with the reader how to use these skill sets to succeed in all sorts of aspects of their lives. A useful and fascinating read for just about anyone.

--Mark Sullivan, former Director of the Secret Service

In Sell Like a Spy, Jeremy Hurewitz has given us a unique and intriguing look into the communication-and relationship-building skills used by FBI hostage negotiators to gain a peaceful surrender, by criminal interrogators in gaining cooperation, and by CIA case officers when recruiting spies. Viewed from his background in journalism and business consulting, Hurewitz explains how these highly effective methods can be used more broadly in the business world to achieve success. A well-written, great read that I highly recommend.

--Gary Noesner, former FBI Chief Hostage Negotiator, and author of Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator

We'd like to think of spy craft as all cloak-and-dagger work in the shadows. But Jeremy Hurewitz, in this remarkable new book, shows that the best spies are really elite salespeople at heart. They can connect with, well, just about anyone. Having had remarkable access to top spies through a career in corporate security, Jeremy reveals the secrets they used to succeed. Not surprisingly, if you can sell while deeply undercover you can sell just about anything--and the lessons in this book will serve anyone working in corporate America today.

--Paul Sullivan, former New York Times columnist, author of Clutch: Excel Under Pressure, and Founder of The Company of Dads

Jeremy Hurewitz knows what good intelligence officers know: when it comes to closing deals, creativity matters. He shows that throughout his engrossing new book, Sell Like a Spy, which puts the reader in a position to learn real spy tradecraft to connect more deeply and influence people in their lives. His book is a page-turner, with real-life examples of how spies have used these techniques for generations. An essential read for anyone interested in broadening their social skills.

--Juval Aviv, former Mossad officer, Founder of Interfor Inc., and author of Staying Safe: The Complete Guide to Protecting Yourself, Your Family, and Your Business

Jeremy Hurewitz spent years working side-by-side with CIA case officers, FBI agents, and other government officials. With Sell Like a Spy, he taps that unique experience to provide crucial insights that can help businesspeople develop relationships, collect information, and overcome challenges.

--Gregory Zuckerman, Special Writer, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Times bestselling author of The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution

Sell Like a Spy is flat-out a great read and an innovative playbook--really a master class for serious sales professionals looking to up their game and become elite in their field. Ubiquitous information, macro forces, and competition make selling harder than ever with every pipeline opportunity a mission and every negotiation a complex operation. Jeremy Hurewitz does a brilliant job tapping into the clandestine world of espionage to extract unique best practices, leverage proven techniques by arguably the world's best sellers--SPIES--to give any sales professional willing to invest in their craft a serious competitive edge.

--Pat Donegan, former Senior Managing Director of Sales Excellence, The Riverside Company

The lessons of espionage directly relate to sales: it all comes down to the art of human persuasion. That's why this book is so useful and fascinating, because modern sales teams can adopt practices that have been employed by governments for years....And not in a nefarious way, but in a way that actually builds trust. Sell Like a Spy is a great read and a lot of fun!

--Sam Jacobs, CEO & Founder of Pavilion, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Kind Folks Finish First: The Considerate Path to Success in Business and Life

The most brilliant spies play convincing roles while staying true to their mission. That's the essence of persuasion--and the power behind this book.

--Jay Heinrichs, bestselling author of Thank You For Arguing

Review Quotes

Praise for Sell Like a Spy by Jeremy Hurewitz

"'Your most powerful weapon is your mind!' an Army Special Forces recruiting poster from the late '60s proclaimed. That remains true today because no matter what weapons special forces soldiers employ, they must have the ability to build and establish trust and rapport with foreign partners around the world, men and women of often vastly different cultures, languages, and histories. As readers of Sell Like a Spy will find, they can learn and absorb the same principles and ways of thinking from the special forces that results in operational success in our environment, to apply to the world you live and work in."

--Lieutenant General F. Mulholland Jr. (Ret.), former Deputy Commander of the United States Special Operations Command

"In Sell Like a Spy, Jeremy Hurewitz does an excellent job of identifying best practices in information gathering, understanding people, and assessing situations from people with decades of experience honing these skills in the intelligence and law enforcement world. He shares with the reader how to use these skill sets to succeed in all sorts of aspects of their lives. A useful and fascinating read for just about anyone."

--Mark Sullivan, former Director of the Secret Service

"In Sell Like a Spy, Jeremy Hurewitz has given us a unique and intriguing look into the communication-and relationship-building skills used by FBI hostage negotiators to gain a peaceful surrender, by criminal interrogators in gaining cooperation, and by CIA case officers when recruiting spies. Viewed from his background in journalism and business consulting, Hurewitz explains how these highly effective methods can be used more broadly in the business world to achieve success. A well-written, great read that I highly recommend."

--Gary Noesner, former FBI Chief Hostage Negotiator, and author of Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator

"We'd like to think of spy craft as all cloak-and-dagger work in the shadows. But Jeremy Hurewitz, in this remarkable new book, shows that the best spies are really elite salespeople at heart. They can connect with, well, just about anyone. Having had remarkable access to top spies through a career in corporate security, Jeremy reveals the secrets they used to succeed. Not surprisingly, if you can sell while deeply undercover you can sell just about anything--and the lessons in this book will serve anyone working in corporate America today."

--Paul Sullivan, former New York Times columnist, author of Clutch: Excel Under Pressure, and Founder of The Company of Dads

"Jeremy Hurewitz knows what good intelligence officers know: when it comes to closing deals, creativity matters. He shows that throughout his engrossing new book, Sell Like a Spy, which puts the reader in a position to learn real spy tradecraft to connect more deeply and influence people in their lives. His book is a page-turner, with real-life examples of how spies have used these techniques for generations. An essential read for anyone interested in broadening their social skills."

--Juval Aviv, former Mossad officer, Founder of Interfor Inc., and author of Staying Safe: The Complete Guide to Protecting Yourself, Your Family, and Your Business

"Jeremy Hurewitz spent years working side-by-side with CIA case officers, FBI agents, and other government officials. With Sell Like a Spy, he taps that unique experience to provide crucial insights that can help businesspeople develop relationships, collect information, and overcome challenges."

--Gregory Zuckerman, Special Writer, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Times bestselling author of The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution

"Sell Like a Spy is flat-out a great read and an innovative playbook--really a master class for serious sales professionals looking to up their game and become elite in their field. Ubiquitous information, macro forces, and competition make selling harder than ever with every pipeline opportunity a mission and every negotiation a complex operation. Jeremy Hurewitz does a brilliant job tapping into the clandestine world of espionage to extract unique best practices, leverage proven techniques by arguably the world's best sellers--SPIES--to give any sales professional willing to invest in their craft a serious competitive edge."

--Pat Donegan, former Senior Managing Director of Sales Excellence, The Riverside Company

"The lessons of espionage directly relate to sales: it all comes down to the art of human persuasion. That's why this book is so useful and fascinating, because modern sales teams can adopt practices that have been employed by governments for years....And not in a nefarious way, but in a way that actually builds trust. Sell Like a Spy is a great read and a lot of fun!"

--Sam Jacobs, CEO & Founder of Pavilion, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Kind Folks Finish First: The Considerate Path to Success in Business and Life

"The most brilliant spies play convincing roles while staying true to their mission. That's the essence of persuasion--and the power behind this book."

--Jay Heinrichs, bestselling author of Thank You For Arguing

About the Author

Jeremy Hurewitz started his career overseas, spending a decade abroad as a journalist and helping to build the international media association Project Syndicate. Since returning to the U.S., he has worked in corporate security consulting, and his clients have included some of the best-known companies in the world. He continues to write regularly, with contributions to Bloomberg, USA Today, The Hill, Forbes, and elsewhere. Hurewitz is also a strategic advisor to the corporate intelligence firm Interfor International and a policy advisor on national security for the Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy. He resides in New York.