Unlock Your Inner Spy: Master the Art of Influence, Connection, and Reading People

Jeremy Hurewitz shares 5 key insights from Sell Like A Spy: The Art of Persuasion from the World of Espionage.

Want to learn the secrets of secret agents? Naturally, spies themselves aren’t likely to divulge, but Jeremy Hurewitz has spent time in the world of spycraft and brought back techniques all of us can use in business and in life. Jeremy has worked as a journalist, a corporate security consultant, and a policy advisor on national security for the Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy. He’s written for Bloomberg, USA Today, The Hill, and Forbes, and his new book is called Sell Like A Spy: The Art of Persuasion from the World of Espionage. Read or listen to his big ideas below.

The 5 Key Insights:

1. Misconceptions.

2. Connection.

3. Elicitation.

4. Diffusing difficult encounters.

5. Detecting deception.

1. Misconceptions.

Spies are not who you think they are. Spies are not James Bond or Jason Bourne. They don’t typically wear tuxedos, hang out at casinos, and drive Aston Martins. They’re not typically engaged in gunfights, car chases, and seduction.

The work of spies is much closer to that of a psychiatrist, therapist, or a great relationship manager like, say, a wealth management consultant. Spies, in my estimation, are the world’s best salespeople because spies must make the most difficult sale in the world: convincing someone to commit treason against their country or organization.

Spies are not superheroes. They’re incredibly good at relating to people, understanding people, and influencing people. If we can take the world of espionage away from the glamorized and sensationalized fare of Hollywood and bring it down to the everyday level where actual spy tradecraft takes place, you’ll see that their skills can be incorporated into our careers and everyday lives.