A practical guide to bolstering your business strategies with proven spy techniques, from a New York Times–bestselling author. "Entertaining. . . . There is serious information here that could be used beyond the business setting."— Booklist Common wisdom has held that the most successful businesspeople in the world possess fancy degrees and unlimited access to wealth and connections. But the truth is that education and connections don't matter if one doesn't have the skills with which to use them. Spies, however, have spent their careers learning how to successfully persuade others. In fact, intelligence officers are among the best salesmen in the world. And the product they sell? Loyalty to the United States. Whether we realize it or not, each one of us is a salesman. Every day, we sell our talents, values, and ideas to colleagues, friends, and even our partners. At the office, we maneuver in code to receive promotions, higher salaries, and recognition. In Agent of Influence, former CIA officer and New York Times bestselling author Jason Hanson pulls back the curtain on how anyone can use spy tactics to become a more successful and business-conscious individual. Hanson will teach us how to spot the perfect business opportunity and make money by using the SADR cycle of "spotting," "assessing," "developing," and "recruiting." He will zero in on skills such as alliance building, matching and mirroring, and building bridges between people, showing us how we can more confidently maneuver in our professional and personal lives. Great for fans of Jocko Willink's Extreme Ownership and Chris Voss's Never Split the Difference. "Hanson has written a must-read manual on how to be a better businessperson. This book shows you what games are being played below the surface and gives you the CIA-tested methods on how to win them every time. Read this book and learn from one of the best."—Oren Klaff, author of Pitch Anything