After transitioning away from stand-up comedy, Jason Hartz gravitated toward a different kind of performance: sales. Entertainers and salespeople have more in common than you might realize.

Audience members and sales prospects are both skeptics. Like comics, most salespeople get five minutes (or mere seconds) to win over their audience. Rapport is everything. Humility sells. Selling and performing are transactional. You’re rewarded for dressing the part. You can’t plan for everything, but you can work from a script and refine your improvisation skills. You never win over every audience; sometimes you need to just close it out and move on to the next room.

The Hartz Method takes a holistic approach to sales, offering a complete guide for both newbies and veterans alike. Is it the only sales book you’ll ever need? That’s up to you, but if you never read another one, you can feel confident this book will give you the foundation you need for success.

So buy it. Read it. Study it. Practice it. And perpetually revisit it as you refine and customize your own selling strategy.

Forget about whatever did or didn’t happen in your sales history up to now. The Hartz Method will ensure you’re ready when it’s time to take the stage. Your set is coming up. Let’s prepare.