Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive: Outsell, Outmanage, Outmotivate, and Outnegotiate Your Competition

by Harvey MacKay

This straight-from-the-hip handbook by bestselling author and self-made millionaire Harvey Mackay spells out the path to success for readers everywhere. They will learn how to:

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Self Help, Leadership, Management, Personal Development, Buisness

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Ray Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive is Harvey Mackey’s first book. It’s an outstanding guide for anybody in a sales career or leadership position, and especially useful for new managers. His pointed advice is extremely useful and easy to put into practice. The book is broken up into a bunch of mini-chapters what the author calls Lessons and Quickies. Each lesson gives a little bit of advice or wisdom and are often simple parables versus specific advice. These simple lessons have titles such as, "If You Don't Have a Destination, You'll Never Get There," or "Make Decisions with Your Heart and What You'll End Up with Is Heart Disease" or "It isn't the people you fire who make your life miserable, it's the people you don't". This is an entertaining book and a must read!

[Mike Ogilvie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the late '80s, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the content didn't feel dated at all.

In a very short read, the author conveys some critical business concepts that any business owner or salesperson should take to heart. Perhaps what drives it home so much is that the lessons are timeless.

Ideas like really taking the time to know your customer and having true customer service. They seem so obvious and not worth mentioning. But as we all know, even though core business practices like that SHOULD be obvious, they aren't really practiced. MacKay drives home their importance through some clear stories of his success. Some are just as important but aren't as obvious in the real world - we need reminding. For instance: being willing and able to say "no" and walk away.

Particularly based on how short of a read it is, I'd highly recommend it to anyone in business. (The audio book is, unfortunately, abridged and so came in at an ultra-short 1.5 hours. I listened to it twice, back-to-back.)

[Sergey · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all this book is a bit different from what I was expecting after reading of annotation. My expectation was "one more book about negotiations and surviving in complex situations".

Actually "Swim with the Sharks" is rather brief handbook about everything (negotiations, management, decisions etc) rather then detailed paper about particular topic. I would recommend it to read for those people who has no idea how to be successful and not going to spend time to read many books.

For those who already read more deep explanations of negotiations, presentations, strategies, management etc there would be nothing new. May be just few real stories from "one more successful guy". Nothing more.

[TarasProkopyuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Книгу для деловых людей «Как уцелеть среди акул» считаю, стоило бы назвать «Как плавать среди китов». Мне кажется, что так было бы ближе к её содержанию.

Именно её название настроило меня встретится в книге с чем то сравни того «как выжить в подковёрных склоках и интригах». Но очень обрадовался, когда мои ожидания разрушились об очень высококачественные советы опытного, умного и весьма ловкого человека.

Такие книги довольно редкие. И эту можно смело внести в списки лучших деловых книг в мире.

[Maddelline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Know the people with whom you are doing business.

[Anand Iyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a refreshing approach to jumpstart your firm, something no Harvard book can teach. If you can stomach his "punk-American" style, the book has some practical wisdom to offer. Most important though, this 20th century tactics should be treated as a foundation on which the 21st century guidances are built, that too if you are in manufacturing/production side of business.

[Sasidhar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives you pragmatic approaches to practical situations. If you dont know baseball or a few America's who is who, you feel disconnected sometimes. The 66 questions to know your customer and the other questionnaire to know your competitor are handy if you are looking for a direction in these areas, yet quite exhaustive and ideal. Probably the message that the author wants to convey is that no information about the customer or competitor is not useful. It has been a nice read but I think "What They Dont Teach You at HBS" and "What Got You Here Wont Get You There" are more interesting.

[Theresa Connors · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical advice for anyone in a sales or leadership position.

[Dmitry · Rating 1 out of 5]

(The English review is placed beneath the Russian one)

Абсолютно типичная книга по самопомощи из категории бизнес литературы, т.е. если книги Карнеги можно найти на полке в книжном магазине в отделе психология, то эта книга обычно стоит в отделе бизнес. Конечно, мне всегда было забавно видеть, как эта книга стоит рядом с книгами Траута, Котлера или Портера. Хотя, я не исключаю, что кому-то такая книга действительно помогла. Правда, шансы на это примерно такие же, как у книги Кови «7 навыков высокоэффективных людей» стать полезной студентам факультета психологии. Короче говоря, для меня эта книга стала абсолютно бессмысленной, да и к тому же она сильно устарела. Возможно, в XX веке она могла быть актуальной, но для XXI века я не вижу какого-либо смысла в ней. Точнее, некоторые идеи автора будут актуальны ещё долгое время, но ради них не стоит тратить ни свои деньги, ни время на чтение этой книги.

Что ещё важно сказать об этой книге, так это причина по которой эта книга всё ещё продаётся в книжных магазинах. Мне трудно сказать, насколько популярной была эта книга в тот момент, когда самое первое её издание появилось на свет, но допустим, что книга произвела в то время фурор. Так вот, теперешнее переиздание этой книги связанно не с ценность высказанных в книге идей, а с той популярностью, что книга получила в XX веке. Другими словами, это шлейф былого успеха этой книги, который сформировался на волне популярности книг по самопомощи в XX веке в целом. У меня такое ощущение, что такие книги как Богатый папа, бедный папа (Rich Dad Poor Dad), Думай и богатей (Think and Grow Rich), Как завоевывать друзей и оказывать влияние на людей (How to Win Friends and Influence People), 5 языков любви (The Five Love Languages), Мужчины с Марса, женщины с Венеры (Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus), Искусство мыслить масштабно (The Magic of Thinking Big) и пр. пережили свой успех в XX веке, а теперешние продажи этих книг связаны не с тем, что в XXI веке у них много поклонников, а с тем, что у них БЫЛО много поклонников XX веке.

Переходя непосредственно к книге, стоит отметить, что я эту книгу читал дважды, однако во второй раз я дочитал только до середины. Когда я читал книгу впервые, я ещё подмечал какие-то интересные мысли, но теперь, когда количество нехудожественной литературы скоро перешагнёт за 1,000, я понял, что успех книги базируется на неподготовленности читателя. Другими словами, книга будет «открытием» для школьника или человека, который практически не читает нехудожественных книг, ибо главы книги напоминают типичный пост на Facebook, а суть написанного настолько проста и понятна, что её поймёт каждый. А вот для читателя, который прочёл много книг, всё сказанное автором сведётся либо к банальности, либо к советам, которые не так и просто повторить. Я хочу сказать, что автор делится историями, которые невозможно или практически невозможно применить, ибо у автора все истории идеализированы. Какую историю не возьми, чувствуется, что над её описанием у автора ушло довольно много времени, чтобы сделать её максимально убедительной, а также простой, понятной и легко реализуемой. Но вот меня такая простота скорее насторожила. Вот возьмём историю с подписанием более выгодного контракта, которую описывает автор. Суть заключается в том, чтобы уметь сказать «нет» на переговорах, чтобы в итоге получить более выгодное предложение. Проблема заключается в том, что история выглядит настолько простой, что возникает ощущение, что для успеха любых переговоров достаточно всегда говорить «нет» до тех пор, пока вам не предложат действительно выгодные условия. А если бы в примере была бы ситуация, когда бы автору отказали бы оба клуба, тогда что он бы сказал? Да, автор пишет в конце, что ему «просто повезло» и что «интуиция подсказала, что подписывать не надо», что намного важнее информированность. Но понимаете, последнее приложение из всей главы сводит всю суть истории к нулю, обессмысливает. Информированность важна в переговорах, заключает автор. Ребят, это настолько банально, что даже школьник этой поймёт! Для этого не нужно писать книги. И вот так по каждой истории. В каждой истории можно найти что-то, из-за чего читатель не сможет воспользоваться советом в своей собственной ситуации. И это является той причиной, почему я написал, что книга содержит либо самоочевидные вещи, либо советы которые затруднительно реализовать на практике.

Мы не знаем, что в действительности происходило в тех историях, о которых пишет автор, т.е. какие существовали детали, о которых он умолчал. Поэтому слепо копировать ег�� действия, не стоит. Автор пишет, что никогда не нужно покупать что-либо в комнате с канделябром. Это аксиома? Насколько она истина? В каких случаях? Как видим, все советы автора довольно расплывчатые и можно их трактовать и так и эдак. Да, это может сработать. Но это может и не сработать. Офисы компании Google и Apple, можно назвать современными комнатами с канделябрами XXI века, и только на этом основании не подписывать контракт с этими компаниями?

A typical self-help book from the business literature category, i.e., if Carnegie books can be found on a shelf in a bookstore in the psychology department, this book is usually in the business department. Of course, I was always amused to see this book standing next to books by Trout, Kotler, or Porter. Although, I don't rule out the possibility that such a book has helped someone. True, the chances of it being about the same as Covey's book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" are useful to psychology students. In short, for me, this book has become meaningless, and in addition, it is very outdated. Perhaps, in the XX century, it could be relevant, but for the XXI century, I do not see any sense in it. To be exact, some of the author's ideas will be relevant for a long time, but for the sake of them, it is not worth spending either your money or your time reading this book.

What else is important to say about this book is the reason this book is still for sale in bookstores. It is difficult for me to say how popular this book was when the very first edition came out, but let us assume that the book created a furor at the time. Now, the current republication of this book is not due to the value of the ideas expressed in the book but to the popularity that the book gained in the twentieth century. In other words, it is the plume of this book's former success, which was shaped by the popularity of self-help books in the twentieth century as a whole. I have a feeling that books like Rich Dad Poor Dad, Think and Grow Rich, How to Win Friends and Influence People, The Five Love Languages, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, The Magic of Thinking Big, etc., had their success in the 20th century, and their current sales are not because they have many fans in the 21st century, but because they WERE many fans in the 20th century.

Turning directly to the book, it is worth noting that I have read this book twice, but the second time I only read to the middle. When I first read the book, I noticed some interesting thoughts, but now that the amount of nonfiction I've read will soon cross 1,000, I realize that the success of the book is based on the unpreparedness of the reader. In other words, the book will be a "discovery" for a schoolboy or a person who reads almost no non-fiction books because the chapters of the book resemble a typical Facebook post, and the essence of what is written is so simple and clear that everyone will understand it. But for a reader who has read many books, everything said by the author will be reduced either to platitudes or to advice that is not easy to repeat. My point is that the author shares stories that are impossible or nearly impossible to apply because the author's stories are all idealized. Whichever story you take, it feels like the author has taken quite a long time to describe it, to make it as convincing as possible, and to make it simple, clear, and easy to implement. But such simplicity put me off. Take the story of signing a better contract that the author describes. The point is to be able to say "no" in a negotiation to end up with a better offer. The problem is that the story seems so simple that one gets the feeling that to be successful in any negotiation, it is always enough to say "no" until you are offered really favorable terms. But if, in the example, there was a situation where the author was turned down by both clubs, then what would he say? Yes, the author writes at the end that he was "just lucky" and that "intuition told him not to sign," which is much more important than being informed. But you see, the last appendix of the chapter reduces the whole point of the story to zero. Awareness is important in negotiations, the author concludes. Guys, this is so trivial that even a schoolboy would understand it! You don't need to write a book for that. And that's how it goes with every story. In every story, you can find something that makes the reader not be able to take advice in their own situation. And this is the reason why I wrote that the book contains either self-evident things or advice that is difficult to put into practice.

We do not know what happened in the stories the author writes about, i.e., what details existed that he did not mention. Therefore, we should not blindly copy his actions. The author writes that you should never buy anything in a room with a candelabra. Is this an axiom? How true is it? In what cases? As you can see, all of the author's advice is pretty vague and can be interpreted either way. Yes, it can work. But it might not. The offices of Google and Apple can be called modern rooms with XXI century chandeliers, and only on this basis not to sign a contract with these companies?

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a good read for anyone in the sales business, or even other business people who can't figure out why their business isn't succeeding.

I'm a female college student, and some of his examples were a little outdated for my generation. Also, if you're not into sports you might not understand some of his references. Harvey McCay does a brilliant job giving examples for every single idea he puts out, but as stated above not everyone will hit home. He also incorporates humor into the book which helps it flow smoother.

In conclusion it's a short enough read, and valuable enough that if you're thinking about reading it, then just go ahead and pick it up and start.

[🤓🌶️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a simple manual for entrepreneurial enthusiasts. It's smart, exciting and easy to read. Above all, the book gives some cunning tips on how one can succeed while doing work that is supposed to be not a job, but actually something that is to be loved by the doer. Everything genius is simple, sir Mackay is another living proof of this Golden Rule of success, all it really takes is a creative approach and lots of patience.

[Liz Bromley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really don't know why I picked up this book. It was there, I needed something to read. I had a high-power job interview coming up and I thought this book would put me in a go-getter frame of mind. I can't say it taught me anything. It is basically a big disorganized assortment of platitudes and self-aggrandizing anecdotes with very little useful insight.

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title fits the book. It has amusing titles for its short chapter. There's a lot of golden nuggets in this book even though the writing style is not my type.

My takeaways:

The value of objects are derived from the demand created for it, and how much we think its worth.

To sell, it helps to know your customers. There are 66 questions provided in the book that helps to understand and know your customers. Followed by stories on how to get customers to do business with you using the information you collected about your customers.

Besides knowing your customers, knowing your competitors is important too. There is a questionnaire for competitors in the book. While filling the questionnaire out, you will have a strategic plan.

I like the chapter about creating your own private club. You can make any where your private club with advance planning.

Showing personal recognition, courtesy, and interest goes a long way. You can do this by sending a short note on the same day that the item appears, or is announced, or as the meeting shows.

Two important lessons in negotiation are, be prepared to say NO and information. A powerful tool for winning a negotiation is the ability to walk away from the table without the deal. The deals seldom get worse when you walk away from the table. You'll be able to go back to the table and get even better terms.

Always remember your roots and the people who helped you. No one succeed without the help of others.

Stay Sharp by Predicting the Future. You can play a game with yourself by making a prediction of anything that is interesting to you. First, you write down your prediction, and then the reasons. If you lose, analyze and write down why your reasons didn't work. If you keep playing this game, you will become more accurate over time.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad insisted that I read this book. He read it around the time that was published in the late 80s. There are definitely some obsolete recommendations, but the majority of the information holds up well. Mackay's got a succinct writing style and a keen sense of humor. He incorporated suggestions that we've probably all heard before (without being condescending) and also presented some advice that maybe we've never heard before but should definitely be following.

A personal favorite passage of mine from this book was about the four-minute mile. I fortuitously stumbled upon this section about an hour before I was supposed to run a 10K. The passage explains that humans deemed a four-minute mile physiologically impossible for thousands of years, and it wasn’t until Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile in 1954 that people started to change their beliefs. I definitely didn’t run any four-minute miles in my race, but I came in six minutes faster than my running app predicted I would. When I read the passage, I was thinking to myself, "this is cheesy, but I love the message." He's right: our minds are the strongest tools we have, and only we decide what we can and can’t do. I witnessed the book's suggestions positively influencing my own life moments after putting it down. Perhaps other readers might not find this particular passage to be the most pertinent or moving, but I can assure them that there's something valuable in here for everyone.

[Ian Kloester · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read book when I was starting out in business (1980's) and the lessons are probably just as relevant today as they ever were. Not sure I want to swim with sharks or feel the need to outsell, outmanage, outmotivate or outnegotiate anybody these days, especially with as much fervour as Harvey seems to. Well worth reading though, if only to know the sort of tactics sharks like Harvey like to use on people they meet. Harvey Mackay's list of '66 questions you want to keep tabs on' must be an inspiration to the algorithmic data-miners of todays cloud computing world. Creating a #1 New York Times Best seller is pretty good effort by anyone, especially someone writing from his years of experience as envelope salesman. Looking over the yellowed pages again I can see a lot of pithy wisdom that couldn't hurt revisiting if I'm forced to keep swimming with sharks, but hindsight tells me I'd rather just swim with dolphins.

[Leezette Lopatic · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to succeed in life, it is worth ‘diving into’ Harvey Mackay’s ‘Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive.’ Although it was published years ago, his How-To advice still applies today. I utilize his ‘formula’ in my professional and personal life. Simple: People buy from and/or hire and/or befriend whom they like. Get to know your prospects/customers (demographics, psychographics, etc.) Mackay helps you think out-of-the-box. Ie: How-To:
1. Outsell: Schedule appointments with no-see prospective customers. Once you’re there, they feel they benefit from your meeting and product/service.
2. Outmanage: Be prepared with your impressive armamentarium / mini business plan with data on target audience, current customers, competitors, etc via the ‘Mackay 66.’
3. Outnegotiate: Know cues on when to smile and agree or say no.

[Peter Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harvey McKay is phenomenal! This is technically a business / management book, but McKay combines such an enormous wit and practical wisdom that it reads like a novel. He's a great storyteller and an accomplished man. My favorite chapter is entitled "If you can afford to buy your way out of a problem. You haven't got a problem." In one headline that shows what kind of book and entrepreneur Harvey McKay is. The book was written in the late '80s, and I remember reading it in the early 200s, but it hasn't lost any of its zest since then. Timeless truths combined with good humor are always relevant.

[Mike Kowis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swim with the Sharks is an EXCELLENT book for salespeople! Harvey Mack really knows how to sell products and his advice is very practical. The only thing that bothered me about this book is that some of his advice is borderline unethical to me. For example, he advises sending in a decoy buyer to make a lowball offer to the seller of a business and then using the info that the decoy discovered about the deal to make an effective offer on the business. I'm sure that tactic is effective, but my conscience would not allow me to do that.

[Mike Phung · Rating 5 out of 5]

There a some book is extraordinarily good and can be seen as a guide for your living, at least in a domain you already have experience and can acknowledge it. I ran my start up since 3 years and i know how things goes and i can tell you that Harvey has absolute right!

He ran a company to sell envelope which is the toughest one, and even extremely difficult to survive not even to success but he made it!

I love most from this book: you can achieve everything if you have a goal, a good plan but you have to stick with it, don’t fear to be nr 2 because you‘re close to the number 1!

The mackay66 is also great idea but then you need to invest a lot time and effort, the question here is how far you would go?

It‘s really worth reading book!

[Milan · Rating 4 out of 5]

zlatn grumenje
imaj spisak o svojim kupcima i dobavljacima
traži savete od starijih ljudi ideja formirati sajt old man council
ne postoji nesto kao rasprodat restoran neko uvek nesto otkaže
zlatno pravilo
predvidja buducnost i onda gledaj da li se ostvarilo ili zasto nije sport berza ili sta god navedi sovje razloge
zamislja svojeu buducnost svakodnevno
think big
budi svuda drugi u redu kat tad prvi ce nestati
misli misli misli
nikada ne dozvoili zvezdama da izaberu naslednika
setaj svojom radnjom
veruj da ces uspeti
budi uporan i koncetrisan

[Cj Rey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I picked up this old chestnut from a FREE/TAKE pile in the break room at a former job a long time ago.

Published in 1988, this book is showing its age. There are a few gems in here mixed with a few cringe-worthy stories. I wrote “barf” in the margin more than once.

But still, it was an interesting trip down memory lane. I started my career in 1987 and I remember when this book was hot. Just 30 years late to the party.

[SVEN · Rating 1 out of 5]

I recently heard a quote that "a" Fact is not "a" Truth unless it's full realisation brings a general insight that greatly exceeds it's individual relevance. This book has a summary of useful facts , following the guidelines in this book will bring you no harm - that said if you have the kind of competition that can still be outcompeted with these insight..you are a luck, lucky individual

[Klavdiya Fokina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Книга Харви Маккея - классика американского менеджмента.
Сегодня очень мало книг, в которых важных идей больше одной. В этой - больше, намного больше.
Порой простые, но очень значимые вещи, которые мы забываем и которые важны каждый бизнес-день.
Такие книги растаскивают на цитаты и задачи в календарь.
#капитализмпожираетсвоихдетей

[Luke Gruber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize Harvey Mackay is a Minnesota boy! Hearing hometown examples make this book more interesting than it already is. It's a generalist book, but it seems his expertise is primarily sales. Overall, the book is very good.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was quite possibly one of the best books about business that I have ever read. It's an entertaining and relatively quick read with helpful suggestions and anecdotes. I especially enjoyed the tales - and there were many - about Minnesotan historical figures. Lots of food for thought.

[CJ Katz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic. If you can't find a zillion inspiring ideas to help you be the best you can be in business, then you're truly missing something. An amazing book. One I know that I'll be going back to again and again and again.

[Deborah Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old business book, but worth the read, the tips are still relevant. As I consider more leadership roles, I felt this book had some great perspective for me. It was also a great book to discuss with my mentor.

[Andrii · Rating 5 out of 5]

Хорошая. Читается легко и есть, пускай и не уникальные, но изящно и занимательно поданные мысли. В отличии от кучи подобных книг где автором выступает успешно-успешный Коуч, заработавший деньги только на коучинге, здесь виден опыт в реальном бизнесе.

[Bill Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read---mixed with real stories---

[Afonso Bento · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really simple, but interesting guide in sales, management, negotiations and general tips for a successful business.