How to Succeed in Business by Breaking All the Rules

Book excerpt: In How to Succeed in Business by Breaking All the Rules, Dan S. Kennedy debunks twenty treasured maxims to show would-be millionaires that the techniques they thought were helping them are actually holding them back.A successful entrepreneur and highly sought-after motivational speaker, Kennedy writes in a brisk, no-nonsense style to show how the advice of so-called ?experts? run against the experience of most successful people. The first rule of success, he argues, is to throw out all the other rules.For instance:? Forget just about everything you were ever told about positive thinking. Optimism is helpful, but blind optimism is just plain stupid. Identify and plan for every possible objection or setback that could come your way or be prepared to be thrown for some real loops.? The customer is not always right. Make an effort to understand people?s dissatisfaction, but a pain in the neck is a waste of time. Be prepared to ?fire? customers who are never satisfied and concentrate on those you can make happy.? Forget about creativity. Plain, ordinary ideas make people rich every day, as long as they are willing to work very, very hard at the run-of-the-mill things they do.Full of anecdotes about people who defied convention, this energetic, plain-talking guide offers practical, hands-on advice to help you become a successful entrepreneur.