Praise

READER Reviews

“Fabulous insights on being a great human, building success, and enriching your life. Building success with kindness and authenticity – everything in this book rings true. When Stan sold into my organization, he and I built trust, transparency, and friendship. We made a win-win deal and both realized huge value from our collaboration.

Throughout my career, I have had wins and losses; learning, developing, and building competency on that journey. Karmic Selling does work, and success is born in helping people solve problems. This book lays the foundation for successfully solving other people’s problems and achieving greater life enrichment.”

Richard Ward
Former Senior Vice President, Baker Hughes

“I’ve known Stan for many years and can personally confirm his approach. When I first met him, the relationship was quite different from anything I had ever experienced from someone “selling” something to me. What I came to truly appreciate was how he always tried to help me and my company, even when there wasn’t a “sale” to be made – at least at that moment.

Stan’s thoughtful guidance works, and not just in business–you can use it to make all the relationships in your life more rewarding.”

Steve Henderson
Executive Vice President, Leggett & Platt

“I’ve learned some great lessons from Stan over the years, and I’m very excited to see he put all of his thoughts and ideas into a book so that everyone can learn his valuable lessons on how we can conduct ourselves in both our corporate and personal lives in order to achieve greatness. 

In every page of this book, you can see Stan’s passion for approaching every situation with a ‘clean heart.’ The case studies are very relatable, as well as Stan’s openness about his own life experiences.  No matter what type of job you have, we are always selling, and Stan lays the foundation for how to be truly genuine and achieve success.”

Stephen Lazar, Jr.
Fortune 1000 Operations Director

“Stan demonstrates that kindness is serious business and proves how successful one can be by valuing the currency of kindness over money.”

Marly Q Casanova
Kindness Influencer

“A must read for everyone, not just the business professional. These are basic principles of making and growing relationships in business and life. The strength of this book is in the case studies and reflection exercises. This is not a read and forget book – apply the principles in your conversations, notes, and follow-ups for an enhanced business and personal life.”

R. Kevin Wells
Lecturer, Auburn University Harbert College of Business

“Having been on both sides – consulting as well as leadership positions in the chemical industry – I highly concur with Stan in terms of what works to build long-lasting business relationships that benefit both companies.

Building trust through integrity, competence, authenticity, and perseverance is critical for success. In this book, Stan provides guidelines and examples of how to do this. Knowing Stan now for almost 15 years, I have seen how this has worked for him. His problem-solving approach is contagious for the people he works with and drives success.

As a reader, you can reflect on yourself and determine how you can make this approach work in your own authentic way. And make sure you surround yourself with good people who share your values. Enjoy practicing Karmic Selling!”

Boudewijn van Lent
CEO, VanDeMark Chemical

“Great storytelling and insights … points to a better way of living and engaging in the business world.”

Michael Blatz
CEO, Kothar Group

“Like Stan, I had a near-death experience that began a better life. Mine was at sea rather than the road, but it granted me similar epiphanies on work and relationships. The world needs more leaders with a how-can-I-help mindset, so I’m hopeful Stan’s book will inspire more paradigm shifts with less dramatic catalysts!

Stan’s story reminds us about integrity – doing what’s right when no one is looking – and the value and rewards of servant leadership. Humble authenticity in a leader is the strongest magnet for building successful, high-performing, teams of leaders, and Karmic Selling delivers the proof points in rapid succession.

At home, at work, in all relationships, helping others is its own reward – and sometimes, as Karmic Selling demonstrates, it can take us places we only imagined.”

Wayne Lucemoni
President Government Solutions, Global Engineering Company

“I really enjoyed Karmic Selling. Many books explore similar concepts, but this is a more meaningful, personal story. It’s not just about successful projects or big wins – it is about people, interactions, and relationships. I’ve spent my career in supply chain, but the same lessons hold true in my field: be authentic, don’t play games, and maintain a “how can I help” mindset. Stan, thank you for defining a clear way to establish connections and foster long–term relationships founded on trust.”

Guiseppe Muzzi
Fortune 500 Supply Chain Director

“I enjoyed Karmic Selling immensely! It is especially applicable for physician executives who, although skilled at communicating with patients, are under-prepared for establishing rewarding business relationships and interacting with administrative executives. The same is true for other professionals with a scientific background, such as engineers and IT experts, when promoted into positions offering services to other business enterprises. This book will help a wide variety of professionals – I plan to purchase copies for my entire leadership team. It’s an essential guide to rewarding business relationships.”

George Williams, MD
Healthcare Executive

“I could not put it down … Karmic Selling is enjoyable, insightful, and engaging. So many themes resonated: a clean heart, helping others, being authentic, and demonstrating credibility. Stan’s approaches will benefit people in all aspects of their lives, not just earning business. This book is truly authentic and speaks to Stan’s character and desire to help others.”

Patrick Hastings
Healthcare Executive

“Stan’s book is a timely reminder about the power of authentic human connection – something many of us have lost touch with. Karmic Selling is proof that approaching life with a “however-I-can-help” mindset is the most powerful way to build genuine, long–lasting business relationships and a more fulfilling professional and personal life. Quite frankly, nobody does it better than Stan!”

Paul J. Tudor
CEO, Private Equity

“Very concise, practical, and in my experience, absolutely the right way to sell.”

Bruce Hoechner
Board Member and Former CEO, Rogers Corporation

Editorial Reviews

★★★★★
“In his brilliant, transformative business guide, Karmic Selling: Earning Business by Earning Trust, Stan Gwizdak explains how to grow an authentic business through building relationships and connecting with people … He shares his remarkable journey and the decisions that led him to succeed in his personal and professional life.

This is a terrific guide that is both articulate and practical. As someone who has worked in the traditional corporate world, I could relate to Gwizdak’s experiences. I loved his emphasis on building relationships and approaching people with the aim of helping them and not just making a profit. Such important elements are often ignored in the corporate world. The case studies are eye-opening and expand the book’s discussions. The reflection questions offer room for reflection and include helpful suggestions for applying the information offered. Karmic Selling by Stan Gwizdak is a must-read not only for professionals who want to escape the corporate grind and build people-centered businesses but also for anyone who wants to be more authentic in business and establish longstanding business relationships.”

Edith Wairimu
Reader’s Favorite

★★★★★
“Karmic Selling is a powerful book. Author Stan Gwizdak turns the concept of sales on its head, encouraging his readers to think about what their potential clients want and need, not what they, as salespeople, want. Gwizdak gives many examples of how Karmic Selling has worked for him but also tells his readers about failures that he’s experienced, wisely knowing that readers learn from others’ mistakes as well as their successes. I found the case studies and reflection exercises to be immensely valuable because both help apply Gwizdak’s concepts. I especially must point out that this book is not only for salespeople. It’s for anyone who wants more success in business or personal relationships. It reminded me of Dale Carnegie’s immortal How to Win Friends and Influence People. I highly recommend Karmic Selling to anyone who is looking to improve their lives.”

Joe Wisinski
Reader’s Favorite

★★★★★
“Not everyone is enamored with the modern corporate approach to selling, where businesses prioritize profit margins over client satisfaction. After working for noted companies such as Goodyear, GE, and Honeywell, Stan Gwizdak finally had enough of the corporate culture of greed and opened his own consultancy firm, The Kormac Group, to help clients get what they want … In Karmic Selling, Gwizdak explains how helping others without an agenda helps forge connections that inevitably lead to success. The book will teach you to plant the seeds for long-term relationships, how to approach the first, second, and third meetings, identify the needs of the clients, and much more.

With Karmic Selling, you will learn to use questions to direct conversations, anticipate uncomfortable questions, and build trust through conversations … This is one of the most unique books on selling I’ve ever read. Stan Gwizdak’s approach is refreshingly authentic and very much needed for our times. Highly recommended.”

Pikasho Deka
Reader’s Favorite

★★★★★
“Karmic Selling: Earning Business by Earning Trust by Stan Gwizdak is a refreshingly unique perspective on selling in business. It takes selling out of the realm of sales in the traditional, one-sided manner and encourages a gentler, more approachable method. Stan emphasizes connection. The sincere connection between people long before a sale or business deal happens is imperative. People need to know that you have integrity and are authentic …. Stan endorses the maxim that trust begets trust. These key aspects can result in short-term victories but also long-term friendships. However, it all starts with a clean heart.

If I had read Karmic Selling by Stan Gwizdak when I was starting as a saleswoman, I might have stuck to selling a bit longer … Stan is honest and straightforward. He includes business quotes that demonstrate his mantra of living with karma in mind. Stan supplies practical advice and explains how it worked for him and other successful people in his circle. The book is thorough in that it covers all the potential rationalizations you may meet as a salesperson and the best way to handle various situations. Stan encourages people to learn the cultural norms of a potential client, which is excellent.”

Bryone Peters
Reader’s Favorite

★★★★★

“Traditionally, the idea of dealing with a salesperson has the reputation of engaging with one who practices deceit. Karmic Selling: Earning Business by Earning Trust is a revolutionary book that links professional success by proving there is another way—a 180-degree turnabout that redefines reward.

The book’s theme is that the path to a fulfilling life depends on being an authentic, ethical person, something impossible to achieve working in a toxic environment. Upon demonstrating the ‘why’, the narrative turns to a how-to approach, illustrating successful ways of changing priorities and cultivating respect for all, along with defining effective preparation and underscoring ways of possessing valuable knowledge and establishing lasting connections.

One of the book’s many strengths is the mode of expression, seemingly casual and anecdotal yet appreciative of how difficult this transition can be … We live in a society where initial distrust is frequent and often met with suspicion. Karmic Selling revisits the tenets of Hinduism, Buddhism, and other ways of perceiving. These principles have long existed but needed updating, translation, and integration. This is what Karmic Selling does exceptionally well.”

Constance Stadler
Readers’ Favorite

★★★★★
“Karmic Selling by Stan Gwizdak is a book that takes a reader through concepts of sales and business. The author shares his transformation from a traditional corporate career to a philosophy rooted in authenticity and kindness. After a life-changing experience, he redefines success as building trust and helping others.

After a near-death experience in 2004, Stan Gwizdak transformed, shedding the corporate “success at all costs” mindset in favor of genuine connections and service-oriented approaches. The book introduces the concept of Karmic Selling, drawing inspiration from Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism and emphasizing the positive return of good deeds. Stan’s narrative highlights the power of authenticity, kindness, and connection in the business world, with real-life anecdotes illustrating how small acts of kindness can lead to meaningful connections and success.

One thing I loved about this book was how Stan Gwizdak’s narrative used case studies and reflective exercises to further authenticate the points of the book. The concept of Karmic Selling itself is a unique take on the world of sales and business. The inclusion of real-life case studies and reflection exercises throughout the book enhances its practicality. Readers can relate to the stories and use them as learning experiences, thereby making this book a useful guide for anyone looking to improve their approach to business and networking.”

Chinenye Sus
Online Book Club

Editors Pick:

“‘Karmic selling,’ according to Gwizdak, starts with approaching each sales encounter with a ‘clean heart’ and the earnest question ‘what can I do for you?’ In this upbeat debut, Gwizdak emphasizes and explores ‘the power of human connection,’ which he presents as the key to his success, and throughout he links karmic selling to the broader idea of doing good in the world. Gwizdak touchingly reflects on a career that, despite his work with major companies such as General Electric, Honeywell, and Goodyear Tire, he built on the standard of helping others. His firsthand, hard-won knowledge and advice is invitingly frank as he considers the impersonal and cutthroat nature of his early success. After a devastating car accident, Gwizdak gained the perspective and insight to finally pursue a career in line with his values, morals, and kind-hearted nature.

The result: a life in sales focused on connections, authenticity, and meeting clients’ needs—helping them rather than just selling to them. Karmic Selling is ultimately about building trust, cultivating long-lasting business/client relationships, and ‘meeting people where they are…[and] about adapting to their style in a way that makes them comfortable.’ To that end, Gwizdak offers practical tips and guidance, covering the hard and soft follow up, how to demonstrate trust and credibility, steps to ensure that business conversations ‘matter,’ and what to do when facing problems like ‘alligator arms’ (which describes a prospect’s increasing reluctance the closer they get to signing).

Sharing personal anecdotes, case studies, much actionable advice, and reflective exercises guiding readers to understand their own powers, Karmic Selling is an inviting guide to closing the deal and building lasting partnerships. Readers who enjoy personable yet informative business guides will find inspiration and nuts-and-bolts know-how here.

Takeaway: Insightful guide to authentic connections and building trust in sales.”

Booklife by Publishers Weekly

Our Verdict: GET IT
“Gwizdak, a management consultant, details his approach of listening to and helping potential clients in lieu of giving them the hard sell in this business strategy guide.

‘Before the crash, I was sometimes your stereotypical corporate jerk,’ writes the author, a former operations leader at GE, Honeywell, and other companies, describing how a 2004 car accident acted as a wake-up call to change his life and form his own management consultancy. In this book, Gwizdak outlines his way of doing business, which is a ‘non-sales’ approach guided by two maxims: ‘I can succeed by being authentic and kind’ and ‘Success begins with asking the question, “How can I help you?”’

Gwizdak is an engaging writer, admitting to his own issues … and offering up colorful and powerful anecdotes about how he went the distance for clients, including assisting one client with selling her husband’s Jeep. His inclusion of client and colleague testimonials and thoughtful quotes, from Keanu Reeves reflecting on karma to Maya Angelou to Zig Ziglar, are enjoyable additions to his argument and narrative.

Practical and inspiring tips to forge rewarding ‘business friend’ relationships.”

Kirkus Reviews

“Karmic Selling is a sensible career guide whose recommendations reflect open-eyed, realistic understandings of human behaviors. Filled with stories about life-changing professional and personal moments, Stan Gwizdak’s business book Karmic Selling takes a fresh, authentic approach to sales.

Herein, the Buddhist concept of karma—the ways in which a person’s actions influence consequences—is integrated into business exchanges, along with a “clean-heart” emphasis of serving others first. The book encourages career values like being prepared to adapt and grow, listening during meetings, and following up to strengthen relationships. Such principles gained primacy for Gwizdak himself after a life-threatening car accident prompted him to undertake a fundamental life review. He made an honest assessment of his personal feelings of discontentment and mused on aggressive, rude practices in the corporate world; from these experiences, he mined lessons that helped him to grow his independent consultancy. And the book’s anecdotes are complemented by documented findings from research journals, people-centered case studies, and reflective exercises that reinforce Gwizdak’s key points.

Down to earth and straightforward, the prose draws power from its personal observations most. These begin in Gwizdak’s childhood and continue through his adulthood. His early memories of success selling seeds, for example, are drawn upon to underscore the importance of learning about people and taking notes about their interests. And the planting image itself recurs throughout, emphasizing good foundations—and complementing the book’s caution that years may pass before one sees the results of cultivating and nurturing long-term relationships …

Gwizdak’s coverage of potential sticking points like encountering skeptics, others’ discomfort during the sales process, and the recognition that everyone does not welcome “helpful” intentions widens the book’s reach. Further, it models its own recommendation to share useful information and resources without a set agenda or targeted return, both through its tips and via directions to a no-cost download that includes an adaptable meeting preparation checklist.

Karmic Selling is an uplifting business book that recommends methods for fostering genuine, authentic connections in professional realms.”

Foreword Clarion Reviews