Book Review of “Dare To Prepare” by Ronald M. Shapiro
August 19th, 2011 by Diane Conklin under Diane's Book Reviews. No Comments.
Plan and prepare is something you hear us talk a lot about and I thought we were well versed in planning, but Ronald Shapiro takes it to a whole new level in “Dare to Prepare.”
From understanding your objectives to timelines, to defining your interests, to writing the script, to adjusting and learning from your mistakes, to the right kind of practice…Ronald Shapiro covers it all in great detail AND, with stories too.
Being a sports fan, I particularly like the sports greats and sports stories that are incorporated in “Dare to Prepare,” but even if you aren’t a sports fan, the stories are compelling and make their points in such a way that you will enjoy them.
Ronald Shapiro is a sports agent and attorney who has used the strategies he writes about in the book – and still he uses others stories to make his points. He uses others who he feels are experts at particular things to illustrate his points.
One of the big things I resonated with was when Mr. Shapiro talked about practicing – especially as practice relates to speaking. I have said for a long time that one of the reasons more people aren’t more effective from the platform is that they don’t practice enough. Some people would rebut that and say that you have to read the audience and feed off their energy when you speak.
While you certainly have to relate to your audience, and match their tone, and use relevant examples, if you haven’t practiced and to some degree scripted your sales presentations (whether on a teleseminar, webinar, or from the platform) you will not sell as well as those who do. This much preparation actually makes the talk or presentation seem spontaneous and not scripted.
My typical practice time for a presentation is about 8 hours for every hour of talk time – as a minimum. Our dogs have complained for years about being forced to listen to my presentations, but they do live through them!
One of the other things I like about this book, and you already know this if you have been reading my reviews, is that I love it when an author summarizes the key points at the end of chapters, and Ronald Shaprio has a “Key Points” section at the end of each and every chapter…makes me so happy!
As somebody who had become known for talking about and teaching strategy I certainly appreciate the fact that there is a whole chapter devoted to the subject.
There are a lot of things I like about this book. And, I was surprised by that because I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy it, but began reading it because a mentor recommended it. I’m very glad I read it.
Here is one concept I want to share with you from the book that really hit home with me. On page 236 Shapiro talks about coaches and he say that a coach prepares you and corrects mistakes in the hope that it has a long term impact on you – that really speaks to me and it’s what I hope to be to all the people I work with…a coach, that lives up to that definition and standard.
This book is worth the time to read it, especially if you are looking to be better at anything in your life.
I also very much appreciate this concept – organization alleviates anxiety. WOW! That’s a powerful concept!
Until the next book review….
To purchase this book click here: Dare to Prepare: How to Win Before You Begin
