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Reviews of Sales Training Books

Be a Sales Superstar by Brian Tracy

The full title of this book by Brian Tracy is

Be a Sales Superstar: 21 Great Ways to Sell More, Faster, Easier in Tough Markets“.

In my review posted at Amazon.co.uk, I rate the book at the Four Stars level. This means I think it is Good.

Here is my book review.

If you’ve never read a book about selling, this is a good place to start.

The author believes that most salespeople have never been professionally trained and that 95% can increase their sales (benefiting themselves and their employees) through additional knowledge and skill.

There are several key principles.

1 – Small differences in ability can make a big difference in performance.
2 – We are often held back by our weakest skill set.

[continue reading…]

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Sales On A Beermat by Mike Southan and Chris West

When I reviewed

Sales On A Beermat by Mike Southan and Chris West

on Amazon.co.uk I gave it a rating of Four Stars. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my review.

A British approach to consultative selling aimed at helping the customer to buy

The popular Beermat Entrepreneur book has been followed up by this one with the key message of:

Be Liked. Qualify. Close. [continue reading…]

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The full title of this book by Michael Port and Elizabeth Marshall is

The Contrarian Effect: Why it Pays (Big) to Take Typical Sales Advice and Do the Opposite“.

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Four Stars. This means I consider the book to be Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

A well argued and powerful punch against the old, tired, hard-sell tactics

This fascinating book is a well argued and powerful punch against the old, tired, hard-sell tactics.

The world has changed from the time when John H. Patterson introduced sales training to overcome objections and how to close a sale which was eventually developed into the NCR Primer in 1887. That’s over 120 years ago but if you read some of the sales training books, the ideas still seem horribly familiar. [continue reading…]

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The One Minute Salesperson by Spencer Johnson

The full title of this book by Spencer Johnson is

The One Minute Salesperson: The quickest way to more sales with less stress“.

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Four Stars. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

A book to help you to feel good about selling

This is a short, simple story based book which is designed to communicate the basics of selling.

It is anxious that you see your role as a sales person – and the book says that everyone is selling something – in a positive way. It defines the purpose of selling as “to help people get the good feelings they want about what they bought and about themselves.” [continue reading…]

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The Sandler Rules by David Mattson

The full title of this book by David Mattson is

The Sandler Rules: 49 Timeless Selling Principles and How to Apply Them

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 3 Stars.

Here is my review.

Starts strongly with counter-intuitive sales ideas but fades away and the layout is irritating

This book based on the Sandler Sales System created by David Sandler back in the late sixties and seventies and presents “49 timeless selling principles and how to apply them.”

It is written by David Mattson, CEO and partner at Sandler Systems, Inc. and if you are not familiar with the Sandler name, it has become one of the best established sales training franchises throughout the world.

The Sandler Selling System ® is different from many selling approaches since it de-emphasises the closing stage and puts the emphasis on qualifying (giving the buyer permission to say NO early in the process) and on digging deep into the pain of the problem the prospective customer wishes to solve.

I know some people feel the approach is disguised manipulation but that charge can be levied at a lot of sales and marketing techniques since they all want the buyer’s money.

I bought “The Sandler Rules” because of the great reviews on Amazon.com but having read the book, I fear that it is another example of vested interests giving a biased impression of the book.

Part of my problem is that I think you need to understand the Sandler Selling System® to appreciate the book but it is not described here. While I have some issues with it, I recommend that you read David Sandler’s book “You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar” first if you are new to the Sandler ideas

Each rule has a two or three page explanation together with a chance to test your understanding (with the answers irritatingly written in very small print against a shaded background and upside down). There is also a brief guide to the behaviour you need WHICH IS WRITTEN IN CAPITAL LETTERS AND THEREFORE DIFFICULT TO READ.

It makes some good points and after the first 10 to 15 rules, I was expecting a review rating of 4.5 stars, then it dropped to 4 stars and finally to 3.5 stars so I have the impression that it starts strongly and finishes weakly. The cynic in me says that’s OK because it is well known that most business books that are bought and started are never finished.

I was disappointed but I like a lot of the Sandler System. One such idea is the fall back. Traditional sales approaches teach you how to keep battering down any objections the customer dares to come up with but the problem is that you can meet force with force. The stronger you resist your buyer’s resistance, the more they will resist. The Sandler system challenges the buyer to keep you in the game and as a counter-intuitive approach, I think it’s very insightful.

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Close The Deal by Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman

The full title of this book by Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman is

Close The Deal: Smart Moves For Selling: 120 Checklists To Help You Close The Very Best Deal“.

It has been written with The Sandler Sales Institute.

In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book as Four Stars. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

A series of list based articles to improve your selling, based on the Sandler sales system

This is a very interesting and practical guide to sales training written in the form of 120 list based articles for sales success. It is based on the Sandler Sales system which is one of the best known international sales systems sold through franchisees and is well known for the different approach to selling. [continue reading…]

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The full title of this book by Harry Washburn and Kim Wallace is

Why People Don’t Buy Things: Five Proven Steps to Connect with Your Customers and Dramatically Increase Your Sales“.

In my review on Amazon.co.uk, I rated this book as Four Stars. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

How to adjust your sales process to the different types of buyers

This is an interesting book and stands out from a traditional sales training book which looks at topics like prospecting, getting past the gatekeeper, handling objections and closing.

One minor gripe is that I don’t think the title reflects the book. I didn’t get the book I thought I was buying. The focus is very much on the customer or buyer, their buying process and how you can use buyer path selling. [continue reading…]

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Upselling Techniques by Stephan Schiffman

The full title of this book by Stephan Schiffman is

Upselling Techniques That Really Work!

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 3 Stars.

Here is my review.

More of a general sales training book.

This reads like a general sales training book that also includes upsells rather than the focused book on upselling that I was expecting. [continue reading…]

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More Gross Profit by Bob Oros

The full title of this book by Bob Oros is

More Gross Profit: Increase Your Gross Profit On Every Sale Starting Right Now

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 3 Stars.

Here is my review.

A book of sales tips that include how to resist price pressure

I’m a believer in the old maxim “turnover is vanity but profit is sanity” so I welcome books that focus on profit or margin growth.

However this proved to be a disappointment because it wasn’t the book I was expecting from its title. [continue reading…]

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How to Influence Buying Criteria by David J. Pannell

The full title of this book by David J. Pannell is

How to Influence Buying Criteria and open doors to More Business, Better Margins in Less Time

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 3 Stars.

Here is my review.

Worth reading if price versus value is a consistent problem

This book looks at the issue where customers focus on price when there are clear differences in value between competing products. The challenge for the sales person (this book is sales rather than marketing focused) is to open up the conversation. [continue reading…]

in Other Business Books