I read “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive” by Harvey Mackay in 1992. It was a life-changing, and career-changing, book for me and millions of other readers (including you, I hope).

The No. 1 New York Times best seller contains a hundred short business lessons that are both impactful and actionable. After its initial success, the book has become an iconic classic, rivaling any other business book in the past 100 years.

Fast-forward to 2011. I just finished reading Mackay’s new book, “The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World,” and it’s better than “Swim With the Sharks.”

If you’re reading this column, it’s probably because you already know me as a world-class expert in selling who has written and published 11 books in the past 20 years. I make it my business not to read new books, because I don’t want to be influenced by, much less accused of copying, someone else’s idea or style. I have my own style.

But I could not pass up the opportunity to devour the intelligence, insight and strategies that Harvey Mackay has gained in the past five decades in one of the most successful writing and speaking careers.

Harvey Mackay has made a career out of networking, befriending, giving value and selling. He sells his business and his product. More important, he sells himself. People buy Harvey Mackay. I do.

In “The Mackay MBA,” he has taken all of those characteristics and broken them down into lessons you can use immediately in your sales life, your business life and your personal life.

One look at the sections of the book – You, Imagine, Stick With It, Setbacks, The Championship Stride, Connect and Excel – will give you an idea of the depth of information that will create new patterns of thinking and provide new actions you can take to become a better salesperson and a better person.

Here are a few chapter titles so you can get an idea of the diversity and completeness of content:

• Loyalty in the Little Things Is Huge

• Rain Can Make Your Parade

• Enthusiasm: Only You Can Ignite It

• Watch Out for These 4-Letter Words

• Networks Have Power Ratings

• The 7 C’s of Success

Harvey uses short chapters to provide condensed information. He has taken out all the fluff, but left in all the meat. You can open the book anywhere and get a practical, real-world lesson that you can take out into the street and turn into money one minute after you read it.

At this economic moment in our world, every business person and every salesperson needs new answers and hope. This book provides a plethora of both.

• He gives you inspiration: Every accomplishment begins with the decision to try.

• He gives you strategy: The Mackay 25 Sales Call Prep Checklist is worth the price of the book.

• He gives you new information: Social media sites are rapidly becoming the customer service desks of the 21st century.

• He gives you hope: Some people succeed because they are destined to; most people succeed because they are determined to.

Stop what you’re doing right now, head to your local bookstore (or Amazon.com and click on the “Buy Now” button) and get two copies – one for you, and one for your best customer.

When you get the book, follow Harvey’s classic advice: “Don’t just read it; study it.” Set aside time so you can take each chapter and create an implementation game plan.

Bring your fellow salespeople to a meeting and create a Mackay mastermind group that will help you understand and implement these classic principles of business and sales success.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by email at salesman@gitomer.com. © 2011 Jeffrey H. Gitomer