A buddy of mine dubbed my newest book, "The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World," "Harvey Mackay's economic stimulus plan." It's custom-tooled to boost the take-home pay of sales pros, from novices to veterans.

Right now, war is raging between the old school of pound-the-pavement sellers and New Age techno-mavens. Should you still smile-and-shoeshine your way to prospects? Or do you poke the traffic of today's 200 million tweeters? The truth is, you better master both. And this book lays out the two worlds with 100 percent ease of access.

Coaching legend Lou Holtz, who wrote the introduction, calls me a "playing-field psychologist without rival." Outdo Lou? Not a chance. But this I can promise: Every competitive tip I've learned from Coach and titans like him are squeezed between the covers.

When galleys of "The Mackay MBA" were mailed to lecture-circuit colleagues, I asked these experts which tips they thought readers would find most valuable in the book. They came back with these picks:

1. Nothing can beat a hungry fighter with a positive attitude. Success is 90 percent mental, and your attitude determines your altitude. Sir Winston Churchill nailed it: "I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else."

2. The difference between failure and success is doing a thing nearly right and doing it exactly right. Selling is a skill, and it takes practice to perfect it. Practice makes perfect ... not true. You have to add one word: Perfect practice makes perfect. The Beatles performed together live 1,200 times before their 1964 breakout success!

3. Confidence can do, well ... almost anything! "I will" beats IQ nine times out of 10. Believe in yourself or no one else will.

4. Do your homework. "The Mackay 25" checklist zeroes in on how prospects communicate. Know the channel of choice. Some cellphone hounds are strictly texters. If the customer is a company, do you surf the Internet for breaking news? Are you tracking the vast resources of the invisible Web?

How many salespeople thumb a magazine in the reception area of a prospect company? Can you really afford to ignore that video on the firm's new product launches? Those softball trophies are statements of company pride. The speech, pace and apparel of employee passers-by are a case study in company culture.

5. Salespeople who choke in the clutch almost always think too much. Gifted pros closing a hard-fisted negotiation will visualize the effortlessness of a perfect golf swing. And stay true to yourself at your very best. You can't play outside your range. At the Super Bowl, play the game that got you there.

Mackay's Moral: You can't direct the wind, but you sure can shift the sails.

Harvey Mackay is the author of the New York Times best-seller "Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive." He can be reached through his website, www.harveymackay.com, by emailing harvey@mackay.com or by writing him at MackayMitchell Envelope Co., 2100 Elm St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414.