READER REVIEWS

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Hands down, this is one of the best self-help books I’ve ever read! 

This book is about conversations. It’s relevant for anyone who cares about improving their relationships . . . one conversation at a time. 

Starting with Lesson 1 on building rapport, I have been able to apply Ivan's principles to my conversations. I'm thrilled with the immediate results I’m seeing.

I talk with clients and prospects every day. When I got to Lesson 2 on using questions skillfully, I realized I’ve been making a big mistake in the way that I've been asking questions. Ivan provides specific strategies on how to ask questions. I admit I was doing it wrong! By applying his techniques, you can change the direction of your conversations, and strengthen your relationships.

Success hinges on relationships. If you want to improve your performance in business, read this book! 

In this book, Ivan offers ten lessons that enable you to have better conversations. He provides examples of how to apply each of the strategies. Applying these techniques takes practice. Lifelong habits take time, effort and desire to change!

I've been an avid reader of self-help books for decades. I've read many popular relationship books such as How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, and The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey, and How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing with People by Les Giblin. Ivan’s book belongs on the shelf right next to these quintessential classics!

By the time I got about halfway through this book I realized that Ivan's book is one that will stand the test of time like these other great classics. If you love reading self-help books, this one is a must to add to your list! 

This is a book I plan to read again and again, once a year or more, until I’ve mastered the techniques. 

It’s obvious that Ivan respects the opportunities to converse with others, and he knows what a difference it would make if everyone did the same. His compassion and humility is evident in how he handles conversations and how he gently offers advice to his readers.

Ivan has studied over 10,000 conversations, yet he’s humble enough to admit that he will continue to find ways to improve them. I respect self-help authors who are committed to lifelong learning and mastering their expertise!

If you want to improve your business and personal relationships, start reading this book today!

— Lorraine Haataia PhD. Founder of ProlificWriters.Life

Best book on building mutually beneficial relationships I've read in a long time!

This book gets a 5 star rating because the content, format, and excellent modeling of a conversation flow through the better use of questions make it easy to apply. As an executive coach and management consultant myself I highly recommend it as a handbook to equip and upgrade leaders, relationship managers, sales, customer service for the times we live in.

As we move into an era where we have even greater need for collaboration and stronger relationships Ivan has written succinctly and modeled well the rut we commonly fall into when discovering needs and re-frames a response empowering the reader to raise their own bar. This book also contains excellent insights on how to address skepticism, misunderstandings and indifference with a conclusion of the 10 Lessons Learned from 10,000 Conversations that make it easy to use for self or within an organization.

—Principal Business Strategist & Small Business Mentor

This Really Works! 

Conversations is a how-to deepen all relationships. The 10 step process really works and the more I follow the steps the better I connect with my clients. It is written with a logical sequence to follow and just the right amount of stories to help drive the concepts home.

—Wealth Advisor, Seattle, Washington

Instructive & Impactful

This book is a manual for someone who wants to optimize business and personal relationships through effective conversations. The focus is on business relationships, which is why I was first attracted to it. What I found was a cohesive plan for having more meaningful conversations in my business and personal relationships. I strongly recommend this book.

 —Financial Services Professional

Puts you in control

Written in an engaging and easy to follow format, this book helped me use open-ended questions with clients to better understand their needs and develop a stronger relationship. Especially liked the tips for handling objections using questions to better understand the “why” behind them. This is a book you’ll want to read more than once! 

 —Marketing Manager, New York City

The conversation bible for any business professional

Such an excellent collaboration of real life scenarios to help the business professional and relationship manager. Communication is key and Ivan lays it out beautifully.

—Financial Services Professional 

A Must Read 

I've probably read 20 very good books about communication, and several great ones. My favorite so far is the classic "How to Win Friends and Influence People". If you had to consolidate the best of the other books, you'd probably end up with the 'How to Win Friends' book as a summary of the rest, that's how much it leads the field. However, what that book lacks, is a specific "How To" on managing your CONVERSATIONS so you and everyone participating in them can get the most value out of those conversations.

That's exactly what THIS book is. A "How To" apply those timeless lessons to show respect for the other person, to truly listen, to understand where they are coming from, and to get to a mutually beneficial result. This book presents actual examples of how to structure conversations and explains why and how this logic was arrived at.

I've been in business a long time, and been professionally communicating more than 25 years, in business, as a coach, and as a teacher, and I found a lot of value in this book, so I'm sure you will too. I think this book will be ESPECIALLY beneficial for those that want to build great relationships, which is why I bought it for a friend. To be clear, my friend is a good communicator already, friendly, kind, and genuinely interested in people, which is all anyone could ask for in a professional. Those skills will take anyone a long way, and buy them a lot of leeway to correct small mistakes that naturally happen in conversations between people, but how do you go beyond that? That's exactly what this book teaches, which is why I bought it for a friend who is a little newer to the business of dealing with people than I am. *ahem* i'm getting old.

Buy this book. More importantly READ this book. MOST importantly, apply the lessons of this book, and let it inspire you on your own journey to have great relationships, one conversation at a time. 

—Investment Counselor, Portland, Oregon

More Aware of How I Speak 

I never gave much consideration to the power I have in my conversations. I can make or break the direction of a call by failing to ask a few simple questions. Employing the strategies in the book help me to hear my mistakes as I make them. This takes practice. And I will continue to reference this book to improve my rapport with my clients.

—Company Founder/Principal Insurance Archaeologist, Indianapolis, Indiana 

Review 

They don’t teach you how to manage client relationships in business school, but they should. I plan to read Conversations more than once—like the scriptures. At the same time, this is not just another business book. It’s a life book. I strongly recommend it. It will help a lot of people.

—Global Investment Advisor/Relationship Manager, Portland, Oregon

A conversation starter 

I enjoyed this book very much. I am in sales, and it was a great reminder of what it takes to have a meaningful conversation. Not just to secure a sales, but to improve all of your relationships. Many of the points are things I had heard before in various selling courses. However, this book was a great read to get back to those fundamentals. I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to improve they way they communicate with loved ones, or business associates.

—Field Sales Trainer, Indianapolis Indiana

Testimonial 

This is an excellent and essential read for people in our profession.

—Outside Sales Professional, Orange County, California 

Very readable! 

I worked in customer service a good part of my life and this book distills the essence of being connected to the people with whom you speak. It is clearly written and an enjoyable read as well as packed with helpful information. As Ivan’s mother-in-law I also rate him high on the dependability and believability scale. Follow his advice, as he himself does, and see yourself increase in customer skills!

—Mother-in-law

Not just for businessmen and women

This isn't a book I would normally have chosen to read on my own, just because it appears to be marketed more towards the higher ups of the business world, of which I am not. However, this book is actually for everyone. Everybody has conversations and everybody can learn from this book. I picked up some tips on how to talk to my boss as well as my significant other, and I am excited to try them out. Fingers crossed for either a promotion or a marriage proposal lol. Even if the only person you talk to is yourself, you can benefit from this book.

—Customer Service Representative