The Trusted Advocate

Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity, first published in March 2008, is a self-help business book written by John Mehrmann, and co-author Mitchell Simon.

The book applies management techniques and leadership skills to the sales profession. Each chapter is a self-contained topic that can be referenced independently, or as a step in a linear process. This format allows for presentation of a wide variety of seemingly unrelated concepts, with a central theme of encouraging responsible obligation for the goals of the client.

Throughout the book, Mehrmann points to principles as an approach to develop relationships, and to expedite the sales process. The premise is that customers will be more responsive with a sales associate who demonstrates honesty and integrity. While this approach may seem old-fashioned and common sense, Mehrmann and Simon introduce a series of stories and challenges that illuminate the degree to which these principles are lacking in practice. The Trusted Advocate proposes that the principles popularized by Stephen Covey are in such rare supply as to be a differentiating competitive edge in modern business.

Mehrmann and Simon encourage the reader to be an active participant by providing an activity in each chapter. The activity is typically a series of questions that prompt the reader to personalize the concepts. The approach of identifying individual strengths is a management technique widely evangelized by Marcus Buckingham. The Trusted Advocate uses a pragmatic methodology for sales professionals to discover individual strengths through the use of these activities. Then, applying relationship techniques popularized by Keith Ferrazzi, the reader is challenged to apply these strengths for a positive influence in a personal network, the community, and mutual success.


The Be-Do-Have Paradigm

The Trusted Advocate contains thirty-five chapters, presented in three sections, as the three obligations. In the introduction, the authors outline a recurring process of Plan-Do-See. Make a plan, do it, see the results, and then use the experience to plan again. This circular process is then associated with the concept of the Be-Do-Have Paradigm. The Be-Do-Have Paradigm challenges the order in which things much be accomplished to achieve personal fulfillment. A common paradigm is based on the belief that people must have what they desire before they can do what they want to do, and only then become the person that they want to be. The Be-Do-Have Paradigm reverses that order, and proposes that an individual must begin by being the person that he or she wants to be. Then, by doing the actions of the person that he or she wants to become, the person will eventually have the appropriate results. The combination of the Plan-Do-See methodical process, and the Be-Do-Have philosophical paradigm, are the basis for the three primary sections of the book.


Awards and Reviews


Publisher's Choice Award from iUniverse: The iUniverse Publisher’s Choice designation is awarded to those new titles that exhibit both editorial integrity and outstanding design quality. During the publishing process, these titles undergo a stringent editorial review and design evaluation.



Related Articles by the Authors

101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Vol 3: Publisher: Self Improvement Online, Inc. (February 1, 2007). Paperback, 405 pages, ISBN 978-0974567297. 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 3, contains inspirational articles from 101 different authors. The book features articles submitted by John Mehrmann, Ken Blanchard, Mark Victor Hansen, , and Byron Katie

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