“Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story” Peter Guber; Crown, 272 pages ($26)
Peter Guber has had an interesting and diverse career with plenty of ups, downs, miscues and missteps. He and his former partner, Jon Peters, led Columbia Pictures, and he had a turn working with the late and legendary Neil Bogart at Casablanca Records.
The premise of this new book is that everyone loves a good story, so it’s the perfect way to pitch anyone on anything. It’s the perfect marketing tool. This is not new; I’ve read and reviewed many other books saying exactly that.
What differentiates Guber’s rap is his inclusion of celebrities (and others) from a diverse group of industries and professions — and their stories. He’s gathered tales from President Bill Clinton, Deepak Chopra, Pat Riley, Steven Spielberg and many other lesser-known lights. Of course, Guber also includes his own sundry tales of triumph and woe.
Though Guber doesn’t offer step-by-step tips for doing so, there are enough examples embedded throughout the text so that most of us can figure out how to use storytelling to connect with people based on their needs and our goals. Richard Pachter, McClatchy Newspapers
