
Book One · The lead volume
The Manifesto
Nine arenas. One code. A standard worth practising.
The lead volume and the foundation of the first ten books. The code, the map of all nine arenas and ninety principles to practise, in one place.

Arena Four · Book 5 of 10
How to Handle Objections, De-Escalate Dickheads, and Win Every Argument You Never Wanted to Have in the First Place
Win the person, not the argument.
Most people handle conflict like a spider in the bathroom: freeze, panic, overreact, or pretend it's not there and hope someone else deals with it. This is the field guide for salespeople who hear "too expensive" in their sleep, managers who inherit other people's messes, and anyone cornered at a barbecue by a bloke with no off switch. De-escalation, the Harvard method, tactical empathy and the art of the pause, then price, timing, trust and committee objections, hostile buyers, hard conversations at work and recovering from a blow-up. It is commentary, not legal or clinical advice, and no script guarantees agreement. It just gives you a better next sentence.
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Add The Silverback's Guide (the map to all nine arenas) for A$24.
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See the libraryWho it is for
Salespeople who hear "too expensive" in their sleep, leaders who inherit other people's messes, and anyone who has drafted an email like a prosecution speech.
01
The six-second pause, a five-step de-escalation framework and the boundary ladder: talk, pause, leave
02
The Harvard method in plain English: interests not positions, options for mutual gain, an agreed yardstick
03
Tactical empathy with a spine: labelling, the accusation audit, mirroring and strategic silence
04
Price, positioning, timing, trust and committee objections, the silent treatment and hostile buyers
05
Difficult conversations at work, conflict with clients and teams, and recovering from a blow-up
06
Forty scripts, thirty laws, a one-page conflict playbook and seven days of practice
The Silverback says
The aim is not to leave every room victorious. It is to leave fewer rooms needing repairs.
The Nine Arenas
01
Being a Man
Character, purpose and the daily work of becoming dependable, including asking for help.
The field manual →
02
Money
Habits, risk and financial decisions, from the bottom of the world.
The field manual →
03
Selling
Listening, explaining value and following through. Remember the person across the table.
The field manual →
04
Conflict
Difficult conversations, composure and repair, without demanding the last word.
The field manual →
05
Bullies
From the sandpit to the nursing home. Strength without becoming another bully.
The field manual →
06
Dating
Honesty, curiosity, consent and rejection. Meet people without an exhausting performance.
The field manual →
07
Divorce
Separation, children and rebuilding. Keep your head and protect what matters.
The field manual →
08
Leadership
Decisions, responsibility and listening. The standard others experience.
The field manual →
09
Spotting a Con
Pressure, flattery and missing information. Pause before committing.
The field manual →
All 9
Plus the Manifesto
The complete library. Ten books for A$99, saving A$35.91.
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The Complete Library
Every volume in the series, delivered together: the Manifesto and all nine companion volumes as PDFs, in your inbox within a minute. Lend them to mates. Argue with them. Underline them. Spill beer on them.
Ten books
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The Books
Read in any order. Come back when the next arena lights up.

Book One · The lead volume
Nine arenas. One code. A standard worth practising.
The lead volume and the foundation of the first ten books. The code, the map of all nine arenas and ninety principles to practise, in one place.

Arena 1
The standard you practise when nobody is arranging an audience.
Integrity, mental health, fatherhood, friendship, work, failure and starting again. The first arena taken deeper, in twenty-three chapters about the man people actually live with.

Arena 2
Make money your tool, not your master.
Household basics, super, the ASX, index funds, global investing, property, bonds, risk, tax and crypto, with the foundations laid first. Twenty-one chapters, forty golden rules, three field sheets.





Arena 8
Stepping out of the shadows without the costume.
The lie of leadership. Goggins, Robbins, Brené and Jocko, translated. The seven fears of being seen. Hard calls, hiring, firing and the 3am founder mind. Twenty-eight chapters, fifty laws.

Arena 9
Fog, speed and shame, and the answer to each.
Cialdini's six levers. The scam factory. The Man in the Lanyard. Romance, crypto and the changed bank detail. Twenty chapters, fifty laws of not getting done, and twenty-five lines for pausing, checking or declining.
01
Pick the arena
One book, or all ten. If none is on fire, start with the Manifesto.
02
Pay by card
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03
Read tonight
Download the PDFs straight away. The links are emailed to you too.
A PDF of each book, delivered instantly. After payment you land on a download page and the same links are emailed to you. Read on a phone, tablet, laptop or e-reader, and print whatever you want to spill beer on.
If most of the books apply to you, yes: the library costs less than buying them separately and you get all ten. If only one arena is on fire, buy that book. Come back for the next one when it lights up.
Yes. Use his email address at checkout and the download links go straight to him. Or buy it to your own address and forward the link.
Open the receipt email and use the "Your downloads" link; it re-checks your order and issues fresh links. Or contact us with the email you paid with and we will sort it.
No. The books are general information and commentary, with FACT panels that name their sources. They tell you plainly when to see a GP, a lawyer, a mediator or a licensed adviser. If life is in immediate danger, call 000. For 24/7 crisis support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Digital books cannot be returned once downloaded, but if the file is broken, you bought the wrong book by mistake, or the book is not what the page said it was, email us within 14 days and we will make it right.