Book review: THE BEST DAMN SALES BOOK EVER
16 Rock-solid rules for achieving sales succees
Genres:
- Sales
Review posted on:
25.01.2018
The number of pages:
208 pages
Book rating:
3/5
Year the book was published:
First edition published 2006
Who should read this book:
- People in sales, Marketers, Entrepreneurs.
Why did I pick up this book and what did I expect to get out of it:
You have to admit that you have to be very confident about what you have to say to name your book “The Best Damn Sales Book Ever”. Well, Warren Greshes is sure that he has the answer for everyone working in sales. I have been working in sales for many years and have visited many sales seminars, watched a lot of online courses, and read a good number of books about sales, so I have seen many “tricks and tips” on how to close a sale. And If you are in sales for the long run you know that “pushing hot buttons” to close a deal is not always the right way. That is why when going through the table of content of this book It was refreshing to see that Warren Greshes is not focusing on how to close a deal quickly but on the other part of sales, and that is the mindset and everything that goes along before the closing part.
Since there are chapters such as “Persistence: People don’t fail, they just stop trying”, or “Successful Salespeople Create, and Deliver Value, They don’t sell price” I have high expectations that the author will provide a blueprint of what a “day in the life of a successful salesman” is. What are the mental traps and benefits of doing certain not-so-glamorous tasks that most sales books do not discuss. I hope that Warren will provide some examples from his life of how he did things himself or at least some of his clients that he coached.
My thoughts about the book:
The Best Damn Sales Book Ever is an easy and quick read that will take you on a journey through the mindset of a successful salesperson. You will not read about sales tricks and techniques for closing a deal quickly. The book gives you more than that. It will help you develop a mindset that will make a difference in your career and in your business. Too many salespeople use tricks to make a sale, but what does that give them in the long run? A lot of dissatisfied customers, which do not trust them the next time they see them. If you are in sales for the long run you need to be the person that is indispensable to your customers. You are able to do that by being knowledgeable, delivering more than you have to, loving what you do, and having the right attitude and mindset. The rest you will learn, even the smaller “innocent” tricks that will help you tip your prospect your way. But even though you are “tipping” them “your way” you are the one who is always adding value to your customers and sharing your knowledge. That is the key to becoming a successful salesperson. The author even shares with us a couple of his own experiences with good and bad salespeople.
It is an interesting book, but if you are looking for tricks or phrases to persuade your customers this is not that kind of book. On the other hand, if you are struggling with the mentality of being a salesperson, then this is the book for you. It will help you get your mindset on track for the “long run”. I wish every salesperson good luck in his/her business and be sure to take care of your customers. In the end, they will be the ones taking care of you… you will see.
My notes from the book:
- The biggest reason salespeople do not bring in enough business is that they don’t see enough people, and they do not see enough people because they fear rejection.
- Basic human nature: Everybody wants to associate with a winner. People want to be part of a winning situation and they run like hell from losers.
- You don’t sell the product or service, you sell your attitude. Attitude and commitment are not something we’re born with. They must be developed through setting goals, planning, and creating a sense of focus, purpose, and direction.
- First and foremost, successful salespeople create visions for themselves, and they’re also able to create and communicate visions to their clients and prospects.
- If you let them, salespeople will come up with every excuse in the “book” as to why it can’t be done. That is because they don’t see themselves as successful, they only see themselves as failing. For that, they need a reason, so they prejudge almost every prospect they come in contact with and decide ahead of time why he or she won’t buy.
- You need to write down your goals so you don’t forget them. The act of writing down your goals is the first commitment to actually going out and accomplishing it. And writing down a goal makes you accountable to the only person you can’t fool: YOU.
- Successful salespeople are not afraid to take the heat when something goes wrong. It is their attention to detail and willingness to take that step back in order to plan ahead that keeps them in control of their lives, businesses, and destinies.
- People pass up some of the greatest opportunities in their lives because they never bother to figure out what kind of opportunities they’re looking for.
- Money is a vehicle. It is a vehicle that allows you to live the type of lifestyle you choose to live. Therefore, what we really need to know is what type of lifestyle we want.
- Remember, a goal is a dream with a deadline. When you write down what it is that you want, write down the years you intend to achieve it.
- In sales, one of the biggest roadblocks you’ll face toward achieving success will come from your colleagues and co-workers. They are always willing to tell us why our goals can’t be achieved, and they are right about them, not about you!
- You will learn more about being a successful salesperson in five minutes with a top 10% than you could in five years with a bottom 10%. Approach one of the top producers in your office and offer to take him to lunch. Tell him you want to be more successful and you’d love to pick his brain to find out what he did to get from where you are now to where he is.
- Having a destination is useless unless you have a road map.
- The plan answers the age-old question when it comes to goal setting: “How do I keep the motivation going?”
- The only time you fail is when you give up.
- What the plan does is take the big goal and break it up into smaller, easier-to-accomplish goals or steps. Now you no longer have to focus on a result that could be years down the road, you only have to focus on the next step.
- By giving yourself the chance to accomplish small goals on a regular basis, the plan helps you create the “habit of accomplishment” and thereby a tremendous amount of confidence.
- Confidence comes from doing. How can you be confident in your ability to do anything if you’ve never done it? Confidence is strictly a by-product of action.
- Your clients and prospects know when you don’t feel like being there. They know when you’re not prepared and haven’t done your homework. successful professional salespeople practice and prepare.
- Most people do the same thing every day whether it works or not because it’s comfortable. Small changes, implemented on an everyday basis, will always yield great results.
- An effective plan is expressed in continuous action. This means that you take your goal and break it down into as frequent actions as possible.
- The difference between a good and a successful idea is action.
- Salespeople leave huge amounts of business on the table because of their dreadful inability to take action and follow up.
- Falling down is not failing. Not getting up is failing.
- Every day that you go out in the world as a new business owner or salesperson, be prepared to have your brains beaten out. Rejection will be your constant companion. That is why home has to be the place where you will get only positive reinforcement.
- Since the internet, the question now becomes, what is it that you are willing to do for all your clients, customers, and prospects that create so much extra value that it is more beneficial for them to buy directly from you than to just click on their computers?
- Are you just selling stuff? Because if you are your customers can just click on their computer and buy stuff from the cheapest guy in town.
- Successful salespeople find out what a client needs and make sure they get it all the time. It goes beyond selling the client what they want, because far too often what they want is not what they need.
- Successful salespeople always do more than they’re supposed to do
- You don’t compete on what your competition does best and you don’t. You compete on what you do best and they don’t.
- You never want to be the cheapest! Price is the easiest thing to duplicate.
- Clients want to work with salespeople who can save them time and make their lives easier.
- McDonald’s didn’t sell just hamburgers, fries, and coke. They sold Happy Meals: A hamburger, fries, coke, five-cent toy and stuck it all in a four-cent box that had a puzzle on it. They understood the kids didn’t want the food. The kids wanted toys and fun. They made it so the kids didn’t say they wanted a hamburger, fries, and coke, instead, the kids said they wanted a happy meal. So there was no other choice for the parents but to go to McDonald’s.
