In my review of
Asking Questions The Sandler Way
by Antonio Garrido posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars. This means it is Worthwhile.
Here is my book review.
Questions are the only way to find out what the customer is thinking.. unless you’re a psychic
As an introvert, it has always seemed obvious to me that you should ask questions during the sales process. After all, I’m happier listening than talking.
Unfortunately the stereotype image of the fast talking sales person is one who charms, persuades and convinces with his or her confidence. It sounds good until you get in the sales process as the buyer and then, most of all, you want to be heard and understood. You want to buy through right product and not be sold something unsuitable.
The Sandler approach always portrays buyers as having dubious motives, intent on deceiving the poor, honest salesperson. The remedy is to take control. Perhaps I’m too straightforward as a person but I don’t think this is always or even often true although I accept there is a stimulus-response situation here. If a salesman comes over as sleazy or hard-sell from the beginning, the buyer will resist.
However, in my experience, buying can be tough. Instead of there being many qualified sellers who you can play off against each other, it can be tough finding a few to work with. This buying-selling dance is not a battle but an opportunity for win-win except on one aspect. A lower price is always good for the buyer and bad for the seller.
One minor irritation I have is that the Kindle book cover is tiny and at an angle. This is a stupid thing to get wrong but it looks ridiculous in my kindle library and its very easy to overlook. Sadly it is a common fault of this series.
The book gives you an overview of the entire Sandler Selling System so you can understand how the pieces fit together if you haven’t seen it before.
Inevitably there is considerable overlap between this book and the one called “Why People Buy” which looks at the importance of the pain step in the Sandler system.
I felt the book descended into a long rant about life not being fair and that all buyers are meanies. Perhaps it caught me in the wrong mood. I started getting irritated by the book and dropped a star.
I think the Sandler system has a lot to recommend it but I’m not convinced you need this book.
If you’re new to Sandler, start with the unusually titled “You Can’t Teach A Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar“, by the originator of the system, David Sandler. I haven’t read the second edition revised by David Matson, which updates the ideas to include modern issues like LinkedIn but the original is excellent.
If you’re already familiar with the overall ideas but you want to learn more before working with a Sandler coach, this is one if a series that has been released in recent years. I suggest you decide which is the weakest area in your sales approach and focus on that. For example, if you gate your prospecting method read the book on Sandler style prospecting.
If you’re already committed to Sandler, you’re probably going to want to buy them all. That reminds me, if you find yourself thinking that there are a lot of five star reviews, take a look at their history and see what else they have reviewed for evidence of impartiality or bias.
[bestbooks]
Get To Know Me
[sos]
[6Steps]
