Publisher Description

If you're looking for Polly Clark, she'll be the girl wearing Doc Martens and a Bad Brains T-shirt at the punk show. She'll be (almost) losing her virginity to a high school dropout, accompanied by the Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Till Brooklyn." She'll be looking for her artistic soul while trying to solve the mysteries of guys, life, her seriously dysfunctional family . . . and herself. In eight chapters, Polly is shaped by eight relationships in this honest, tender, original, and utterly endearing story of one girl's stumbles and successes in the world of punked-out 1980s suburban romance — the unforgettable debut of an extraordinary new voice in contemporary fiction.

Flap

In today's turbulent and volatile marketplace, even the most experienced professionals are struggling with the rapid commoditization of their complex, high-value solutions. The complexity of the problems to be solved and the competitive threats we face are increasing at an alarming rate. At the same time, your customers are wrestling with mission-critical decisions and evaluating solutions that all sound the same and come packaged with a high degree of risk and a low probability of success. Your success demands an exceptional strategy and precise execution that must clearly set you apart from your competition. Continuing to evolve the breakthrough thinking of his bestselling classic Mastering the Complex Sale in this new edition, Jeff Thull once again pushes the envelope to give professionals-from individuals struggling with their first call, to senior executives trying to figure out why their value strategy is falling short-a comprehensive guide to navigate and win high-stakes sales. You will find yourself rethinking your beliefs about selling, applying this straightforward strategy, and achieving the success you are looking for. Jeff will lead you through Diagnostic Business Development, a complete and effective system derived from years of experience with top sales professionals and executive teams worldwide. It is a proven diagnostic, value-based approach that positions you with respect and exceptional credibility as a valued business advisor and contributor to your customers' success. In fact, it's not about selling-it's about guiding quality business decisions that will connect and quantify your unique value and remove your customers' internal barriers that prevent them from moving forward. This book will show you how to: Gain access and connect to the highest levels of powerand influence Separate real business from resource drains Navigate complex decision networks Prevent self-commoditization Connect your value to your customers' performance metrics Quantify value with an amount your customers believe Co-create compelling solutions customers will invest in Rich with detailed examples and real-world case studies and thorough in its challenge to conventional sales wisdom, this edition of Mastering the Complex Sale gives you the precise guide you've been looking for to win and win big in complex sales.

Author Biography

A native of suburban Washington, D.C., Amy Bryant now lives in New York City. This is her first novel.

Long Description

POLLY is an engaging, edgy and real coming-of-age novel with a unique and sellable structure -- each chapter focuses on a different guy in her life from 8th grade through her sophomore year in college. Although this may sound like your ordinary chick-lit set-up, it's far from it. It's the 1980's and Polly is the kind of girl who wears all black, lives in her Doc Martens, and wears concert t-shirts from bands like Bad Brains. She spends her free time going to hardcore rock shows and has her first sexual experience -- with a soon-to-be high school dropout -- while listening to "No Sleep 'til Brooklyn" by the Beastie Boys. But while she might run with a more deviant crowd, she's smart, does well in school and eventually goes to college, where she continues to grow with each relationship. All along her friends and family provide the backdrop to her story as she comes to terms with her alcoholic father and learns to accept her stepfather as someone who does care for her. From failed pompom girl falling in love at the roller rink to punk rocker to budding art student, Bryant's eye for detail lends insight and humor to Polly's teenage romances, and reminds us all of the relationships we'll never forget...and the ones we wish we could. Bryant has created a perfect narrator in Polly who is both relatable and honest and sure to find a fan club.

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