Arguably, one of the most important books of the 20th century was How To Win Friends And Influence People. Whilst hardly a literary classic, it was groundbreaking in that the author, Dale Carnegie, explained that if you want people to buy your products or services, you must turn on the charm. This, he pointed out, was a technique that could be learned, not a gift that you had to be born with. The knowing application of some basic social skills can now help you get a lot closer, a lot sooner, to what you want.