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Reviews of Sales Training Books

The Language of Trust by Michael Maslansky

The full title of this book by Michael Maslansky is

The Language of Trust: Selling Ideas in a World of Skeptics“.

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

Here is my book review.

A challenge to traditional selling

This book is well written and although the authors specialise in financial services – an area where there is a huge problem of sceptical customers – it provides plenty of examples that are easy to relate to.

However the book does challenge a lot of the orthodox sales thinking and it’s a challenging read since it says that many beliefs and common practices are wrong or at least don’t work any more with sceptical prospects. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

The full title of this book by Nicholas Bate is

How to sell and market your way out of this recession and get your business buzzing like never before (even though your customers don’t want to know!)

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars. This means Worthwhile.

Here is my book review.

This is a short book of practical tips with the emphasis very much on selling rather than marketing.

It is a general sales book written for you to read quickly without any unnecessary fluff. It has some additional sections added to identify priorities in difficult times.

Each chapter also has short tips for applying some of the ideas mentioned to particular types of small business e.g. a green grocer, tailors, consultancy etc which I think helps to a) think they you can do it and b) see other businesses doing the similar things. If you’ve read other sales books, you won’t find much new here but it’s a good refresher and it emphasises the urgency of taking action quickly. [continue reading…]

in Other Business Books

How Customers Think by Steve Deery

The full title of this book by Steve Deery is

“How Customers Think: Or, How Customers Like to Buy“.

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

Here is my book review.

Your customers aren’t you

This book reminds me of the distinction that Tony Alessandro made between the golden rule (treat people as you’d like to be treated) and the platinum rule (treat people as they’d like to be treated).

Is it more important for the buyer to adapt to the way the seller likes to sell or for the seller to adapt to the way the buyer likes to buy?

Common sense says that it should be the seller who changes because otherwise the buying experience is frustrating and, understandably, often fails to result in a purchase. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

Boost Your Sales by Lisa Sasevich

The full title of this book by Lisa Sasevich is

Boost Your Sales: How to Use Irresistible Offers… Without Being Salesy

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

Here is my review.

A poor educational book but a fascinating pitch

First don’t bother with the Kindle sample. It only has testimonials for the author and the index of chapters so it gives you no idea of what the book is really like.

If you’re interesting in learning how to speak to sell (stage presentations, talks to small groups, webinars, teleseminars etc) and you have a “heart centred” business (i.e. you want to help people rather than just make money) go ahead and risk the current price of 99p. [continue reading…]

in Other Business Books

BrainScripts for Sales Success by Drew Eric Whitman

The full title of this book by Drew Eric Whitman is

“BrainScripts for Sales Success: 21 Hidden Principles of Consumer Psychology for Winning New Customers“.

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

Here is my book review.

Interesting book on the psychology of selling

This is an interesting book to read but the contents is hard to remember.

The contents includes:

  • 8 primary desires
  • 9 secondary desires (or learned wants)

[continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

The Secret Of Selling Anything by Harry Browne – 5 Stars

When I read

The Secret Of Selling Anything” by Harry Browne

I was so impressed, I gave the book Five Stars in my review posted on Amazon.co.uk. This means it is Excellent and Very Highly Recommended.

Here is my book review.

This is probably how you’d like to be treated as a customer

This is a short quote from the book to give you a flavour:

“Selling is easy. It’s always easy if you think of the prospect as someone you’re trying to help. It becomes difficult when you think of your prospect as an adversary who must be out-maneuvered.” [continue reading…]

in 5 – Lead Conversion, Best Business Books

The NEW Game of Selling by Mitch Axelrod

The full title of this book by Mitch Axelrod is

The NEW Game of Selling: Attract, Convert and Keep More Customers and Multiply Profits“.

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

Here is my book review.

Great ideas to help you to boost your revenue by doing good for your customers

Mitch Axelrod has been one of my mentors for about five years and I have a great empathy with how he believes customer relationships should be developed.

Many years ago, a long term client asked me “what selling system or sales techniques do you use?”

I replied “I help people to buy if I believe that I can really help them to achieve their goals.” [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

Selling to the British by David Peers

The full title of this book by David Peers is

Selling to the British – How to serve your customer, increase your sales and make more profit

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 1 Star.

Here is my review.

I want to hurl this book across the room it’s so bad

So many sales and marketing books available through Amazon are written by Americans for Americans but the British are much more wary of hype and big promises, even if there is alleged proof.

I was looking forward to reading this book as I was expecting to learn ways to persuade in a way that wouldn’t cause genuine potential buyers to pull back in alarm as their BS detectors went off. I was encouraged by the number of five star reviews. [continue reading…]

in Other Business Books

You Can’t Teach A Kid To Ride A Bike
At A Seminar by David Sandler

Book Review Rating – 5 Stars

In 1995 when I started my self employed adventure, a former boss of mine who had ploughed the same path told me to read a book about sales training every year.

Since then, I’ve read plenty of sales books and listened to sales training CDs and watched sales DVDs.

You Can’t Teach A Kid To Ride A Bike At A Seminar by David Sandler with John Hayes PhD is the most different and the most memorable but it might not be the best.

As far as I am concerned, this is a must read book for you to establish how far you are prepared to go to manipulate a customer to get the money. There’s something here that makes me feel very queasy because it’s asking me to be someone I’m not.

At the same time, this is a “no manipulation” manipulative selling system. It’s dressed up in a way to appear as if you’re not really that interested in selling to the potential customer and he or she must convince you that the deal is right. [continue reading…]

in 5 – Lead Conversion, Best Business Books

The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes

Book Review Rating – 5 Stars

This is the long-awaited book from Chet Holmes. The full title is “The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business With Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies.”

The Big Idea in The Ultimate Sales Machine

People over-complicate what is needed for business success.

Chet Holmes believes you just have to:

Focus on 12 key strategies rather than trying to master hundreds of different ideas and techniques.

You implement these 12 strategies with pigheaded discipline and determination.

I fully commend the last point. Too often people try something that looks a great idea in a half-hearted way. They are then disappointed with the results, decide that the idea wasn’t so good after all and move on to the next big thing. [continue reading…]

in 2 – Your Inner Game, 5 – Lead Conversion, Best Business Books