The 24 sales traps and how to avoid them : recognizing the pitfalls that mislead even the best performers

Cyril Charney

For the sales professional with more energy than experience and more ambition than knowledge, the fast lane to success can be riddled with potholes. But the last thing these go-getters want to do is get bogged down with some huge book of sales techniques. The Instant Sales Pro offers instead a quick yet comprehensive guide to the basics of successful selling: prospecting, getting on the customer's wavelength, dealing with objections, negotiation, closing the sale, and more. Readers will learn every step of the sales process, starting with sales letters and cold calls, as well as how to sell to different personalities, use technology, troubleshoot problems, and plan and manage a territory. The Instant Sales Pro is designed for easy access, with all the information presented in short chapters and bullet points. There's no complicated theory, no magic formula. There are just hundreds of great tips for turning any sales rep into a sales professional — instantly. About the Author: Cy Charney (Thornhill, ON) is president of Charney Associates, a consulting firm that helps organizations and individuals maximize performance. He is the author of The Manager's Tool Kit and The Trainer's Tool Kit . Fortune magazine "Ask Annie": It's [the book] a crash course in cold-calling, closing, managing client relationships and surviving office politics. Leer más…

Josh Costell; Ebsco Publishing (Firm)

The Science of Sales Success shows readers how to achieve the perfect win-win sales situation. Providing a system for giving customers more measurable benefits than competitors, Josh Costell shows how sales professionals can make fewer calls to win higher-profit orders. Costell used his "selling is a science" theory to propel him from rookie status to national sales manager of a Fortune 500 company just three years out of college. Now he reveals how to:\* Apply a quantifiable approach to selling in order to duplicate success \* Speed up "advance or abandon" decisions to make productivity explode \* Create bonds and motivate customers to share decision-making information Filled with examples and case studies, the book shows how to build value-driven solutions from the perspective of customers' goals rather than the products and services being offered. Featuring templates and a unique sales milestone map, The Science of Sales Success is every sales professional's key to faster sales growth. Leer más…

William "skip" Miller, Ron Zemke

For salespeople, prospecting is as important as it is difficult. For some, it's downright terrifying - especially the cold calling. Knock Your Socks Off Prospecting shares the hardwon, in-the-trenches prospecting and cold-calling secrets of the most successful salespeople-in the trademark, fun style of the best-selling Knock Your Socks Off series. This practical book gives sales people renewed energy for a critical (yet often dreaded) phase of the sales cycle. Knock Your Socks Off Prospecting shows how to approach prospecting more positively and productively, and how to maximize return on prospecting efforts. Features include: - Practical, logical, and easy-to-use tools- Step-by-step skill-building exercises- A combination of research and "feet on the street" wisdom- Real stories and lively anecdotes that prove the power of Knock Your Socks Off Prospecting" Leer más…

William ''skip'' Miller

Many sales experts focus on a cookie-cutter sales "strategy," encouraging reps to push the customer through a pre-planned sales process7mdash;an approach that can drive customers away. With ProActive Selling, reps have a wide variety of flexible and effective selling tactics to choose from. This enables them to adapt and approach each sales call uniquely and keep the customer at the center of every sales presentation.By learning to think like the customer, sales professionals will learn to shift their own focus from the selling process to the buying process, and how to use the right tool at the right time. Miller's 15 practical selling tools let sales professionals in any industry: * double the number of calls returned from prospective customers * call high (where buying decisions are really made) and stay there * increase the effectiveness of in-person and telephone sales interactions * own the process and own the deal Plus, they'll learn how to speak the right language to buyers at any level, get rid of the "maybes" in the sales funnel, and master the 7 Qualification Questions that keep their efforts focused on only the most worthwhile accounts. Leer más…

Sue A. Hershkowitz-Coore

Power Sales Writing is a brisk, no-nonsense guide to writing sales messages guaranteed to grab and hold a prospect's attention. With this book in hand, everyone from salespeople to marketing managers to business executives will quickly and painlessly master the essence of effective sales writing to win the sale or client. This book includes: Lists of power words and phrases Editing and revision techniques Tips on how to break bad news and achieve desired outcomes Advice on translating sales skills into copy Techniques for getting prospects to act by articulating their needs Leer más…

By Robert Bacal And William T. Brooks

The Right Phrase for Every Sales Situation A powerful command of words is the number one requirement for succeeding in the field of sales. Whether you’re cold-calling a prospect, presenting to a group of decision makers, or dealing with price objection, the make-or-break point of every transaction lies in saying the right thing to the right person at the right time. The Complete Book of Perfect Phrases for High-Performing Sales Professionals is the ultimate field guide for speaking and writing your way to sales success. You’ll find perfect phrases for: Lead Generation - Turn cold calls into profitable relationships - Expand your customer base - Write engaging letters and e-mails Sales Calls - Get access to decision makers - Present your product in compelling language - Resist objections and stalling tactics Customer Service - Develop a rapport with every client - Handle the most difficult of customers - Close every conversation on a positive note About the Authors: Robert Bacal is the bestselling author of Perfect Phrases for Performance Reviews. For over 15 years, he has owned his own consulting firm and has been active in providing help on performance management and customer service issues. His books have been translated into a number of languages, including Chinese, French and Spanish, and are in use around the world. Bill Brooks was CEO of The Brooks Group, one of the worlds premiere resources for sales and business leadership. Renowned as a corporate... Leer más…

Tom Richard

Smart Sales People Don't Advertise forces you to think outside the traditional marketing sphere. Imagine a concept that will help small business and sales people increase their exposure and market, without spending a dime on advertising? Tom Richard's fast paced style and pin-pointing strategies will get your mind racing with new ideas and concepts on how to jump-start or revitalize your sales force with guerilla marketing. Tom Richard will show you how to implement guerilla marketing to outsmart your competition without having to out spend them. Leer más…

By Stephan Schiffman

The strategies for winning more sales...The skills that will close more deals...Mistakes that could lose money...The habits that will lead to success...That's what you'll find in 101 Most Successful Sales Strategies, the indispensable new edition that combines time-tested tips and strategies from four of his most popular books in bestselling ''25'' series - 25 Sales Strategies, 25 Sales Skills, 25 Sales Habits of Highly Successful Salespeople and the 25 Most Common Sales Mistakes. With a unique package and the essential information that top salespeople need to get the job done, Stephan Schiffman's 101 Most Successful Selling Strategies is a must have for top performers and Schiffman fans alike. Leer más…

Jackie Jarvis

This book is for the many people who run their own small to medium-sized business and who want to make it grow. The book sets out to be your own, pocket, marketing consultant - without the expense. Not only does it offer some great ideas but it explains how each idea will benefit your business, what you need to do to make it work, and how you can apply it to your own business immediately. Through a series of special response questions it cleverly gets across marketing ideas in combination with the vital thinking behind their application. Furthermore, it does so in a way that transfers 'ownership' of these strategies to you the business manager so that you feel thoroughly motivated and inspired to act. Whether you run a product or service-led business, it will help you to: - Understand your market place, your competition and your customer - Create a clear and focused business proposition - Develop credible marketing messages that attract your target customer - Decide on the most effective marketing methods for your business - Attract new customers, and boost business with existing customers - Build your business profile so that it's always working for you - Sell yourself and your business with ease and confidence - Complete your marketing plan and create a successful marketing system The ideas are presented separately in bite-sized chunks so that you can devote just a little thinking and reflection time to each one before - most importantly - making it all happen. Leer más…

Michael Gamble, Teri Gamble

Whatever the scenario, effective salespeople know how to immediately establish customer rapport, build trust and self-confidence, overcome resistance and objections -- and win sales. Completely updated with all new material, Sales Scripts That Sell puts the most powerful selling scripts at readers' fingertips, providing solutions for a wide range of sales situations. An all-in-one training manual for every level of experience, the book is arranged by selling activity, including: * prospecting * controlling the sale * countering objections * handling stalls * closing * getting referrals. Complete with new scripts for e-mail and voicemail, this go-anywhere, easy-reference guide ensures that the language salespeople use is positive, effective, and on target. The book contains motivational introductions, warm-up exercises, memory joggers, and even "stage directions," with instructions on use and delivery. Proven, practical, and all new, this is a must-have book for sales professionals everywhere. Leer más…

Stephan Schiffman

Follow the advice of Stephan Schiffman—America's #1 Corproate Sales Trainer—and take your career to the next level. This special anniversary edition of his perennial bestseller, Cold Calling Techniques (That Really Work!), provides you with all of the right tools for turning prospects into meetings, and meetings into big sales.This easy-to-follow guide helps you beat today's cold calling obstacles, such as voice mail, cell phones, and e-mail. Schiffman's professional experience and corporate wisdom guarantee your future success. The anniversary edition of Cold Calling Techniques packs in plenty of potential leads to help you hunt down more business.Give yourself the edge. Cold Calling Techniques is the one book you need to make your sales opportunities better, pitches stronger, and commissions greater. Leer más…

Charles D. Brennan, Jr

This volume gives salespeople at all levels guidance for asking the right questions. It shows them how to: formulate questions that generate meaningful dialogue; funnel a prospect from an opportunity to a sale; determine a client's true motivation; pace a conversation, gain and keep client interest and maintain control of the conversation; present solutions; and deal with a prospect who won't "follow the script". Leer más…

Robert W. Bly

THE LEAD GENERATION HANDBOOK How to Generate All the Sales Leads You'll Ever Need -- Quickly, Easily, and Inexpensively All businesses need sales. But you can't get sales without getting leads first. This is a comprehensive guide to multiple marketing techniques for generating sales leads in every imaginable way. Filled with samples, forms, worksheets, and other ready-to-use tools, the book covers direct mail (letters, postcards, entire packages, and more) * telemarketing * inquiry advertising * publicity and public relations * seminars and presentations * trade shows * the internet * CD-ROMs and more! Bob Bly explains how to design a lead-generation campaign, create an irresistible offer, monitor and measure results -- and how to turn those leads into sales! ROBERT W. BLY (Dumont, NJ) is a copy consultant and author specializing in business-to-business marketing. He has written lead-generating materials for IBM, AT&T, Grumman Corp., UniSys, and many other leading companies. Leer más…

Jeffrey H. Gitomer

Sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer's bestselling classic is now available in paperbackJeffrey Gitomer's Sales Bible was listed as one of "The Ten Books Every Salesperson Should Own and Read" by the Dale Carnegie Sales Advantage Program. Now completely revised, this book is available for the first time in paperback. The Sales Bible has helped tens of thousands of salespeople all over the world reach their potential and close the big deal. Gitomer gives sales professionals the right answers to the toughest questions:How to make sales in any economic environmentTwenty-five ways to get that most-elusive appointmentTop-down sellingHow to fill the sales pipeline with prospects ready to buyHow to use the right questions to make more sales in half the timeThis book is everything its title claims to be Leer más…

Jeffrey Gitomer; Randy Glasbergen

Salespeople hate to read. That's why Little Red Book of Selling is short, sweet, and to the point. It's packed with answers that people are searching for in order to help them make sales for the moment--and the rest of their lives. Soundview Executive Book Summaries Strategies and Answers From a Lifetime of Selling Jeffrey Gitomer, the sales guru and author of the bestselling The Sales Bible , has produced another gem of a book that addresses sales with a lively combination of humor and professionalism to help salespeople get their feet in many more doors. For those who are running into dead ends, stale leads, price objections, and unreturned phone calls, Gitomer has created The Little Red Book of Selling to show them how to get past the usual obstacles and sell their products and services with new zest and vigor. Filled with more than a dozen principles of sales greatness, as well as numerous lists and attack plans for dealing with difficult customers, The Little Red Book of Selling offers the answers to just about every sales question a salesperson could ask, and provides the firsthand experiences and positive enthusiasm to drive them home with vitality and optimism. Why Red? Gitomer explains that The Little Red Book of Selling has so much red ink in it and on it for a number of reasons. These include: Red is the color of passion. Passion is the fulcrum point of selling. No passion, no sales. Red is the color of love. If you don't love what you sell, go... Leer más…

Zig Ziglar, Ziglar

Want to be on top in your sales career? How do you succeed in the profession of selling―while also maintaining your sanity, avoiding ulcers and heart attacks, continuing in a good relationship with your spouse and children, meeting your financial obligations, and preparing for those "golden years,"―and still have a moment you can call your own? Zig Ziglar shows you how, sharing information, direction, inspiration, laughter, and tears that will help you make the necessary choices for a __balanced__ life―personal __and__ professional. Selling is a magnificently rewarding and exciting profession. It is, however, more than a career. It is a way of life―constantly changing and always demanding your best. In __Ziglar on Selling__, you'll discover the kind of person you __are__ is the most essential facet in building a successful professional sales career. You've got to __be__ before you can __do__. "I will see you at the top―in the world of selling."―Zig Ziglar Leer más…

By Mike Weinberg; Foreword By S. Anthony Iannarino

No matter how much repeat business you get from loyal customers, the lifeblood of your business is a constant flow of new accounts. Whether you're a sales rep, sales manager, or a professional services executive, if you are expected to bring in new business, you need a proven formula for prospecting, developing, and closing deals. "New Sales. Simplified." is the answer. You'll learn how to: identify a strategic, finite, workable list of genuine prospects; draft a compelling, customer-focused "sales story"; perfect the proactive telephone call to get face-to-face with more prospects; use email, voicemail, and social media to your advantage; overcome-even prevent - every buyer's anti-salesperson reflex; build rapport, because people buy from people they like and trust; prepare for and structure a winning sales call; stop presenting and start dialoguing with buyers; make time in your calendar for business development activities; and much more. Packed with examples and anecdotes, "New Sales. Simplified." balances a blunt (and often funny) look at what most salespeople and executives do wrong with an easy-to-follow plan for ramping up new business starting today. Leer más…

Mark Roberge

Use data, technology, and inbound selling to build a remarkable team and accelerate sales The Sales Acceleration Formula provides a scalable, predictable approach to growing revenue and building a winning sales team. Everyone wants to build the next $100 million business and author Mark Roberge has actually done it using a unique methodology that he shares with his readers. As an MIT alum with an engineering background, Roberge challenged the conventional methods of scaling sales utilizing the metrics-driven, process-oriented lens through which he was trained to see the world. In this book, he reveals his formulas for success. Readers will learn how to apply data, technology, and inbound selling to every aspect of accelerating sales, including hiring, training, managing, and generating demand. As SVP of Worldwide Sales and Services for software company HubSpot, Mark led hundreds of his employees to the acquisition and retention of the company's first 10,000 customers across more than 60 countries. This book outlines his approach and provides an action plan for others to replicate his success, including the following key elements: * Hire the same successful salesperson every time The Sales Hiring Formula * Train every salesperson in the same manner The Sales Training Formula * Hold salespeople accountable to the same sales process The Sales Management Formula * Provide salespeople with the same quality and quantity of leads every month The Demand Generation Formula *... Leer más…