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Breithaupt T. 10 Steps to Sales Success[c] The Proven System That Can Shorten the Selling Cycle, DouBreithaupt T. 
Preface Now I know what it's like to give birth, at least in the conceptual sense. Although the gestation period of this book was longer than childbirth, its development parallels the emotions and activities of an expectant mother: mood swings, impatience, anxiety, cravings, anticipation, check-ups, having to choose a name, and the frustration of several missed due dates. I spent months organizing my thoughts before finally putting ideas on paper and into my tape recorder. When I saw the Table of Contents and the Introduction taking shape, it was like feeling the first kick. I was filled with excitement and an overwhelming sense of trepidation. This could have been my first bout of morning sickness—at least it felt that way. I would wake up thinking, "What did I get myself into? Can I really write a book that salespeople will actually read?" It appears we've done that. I say "we" because this delivery is the result of a synergistic effort by many individuals. The birth of anything is rarely a solo performance. 10 Steps to Sales Success represents my deepest belief that selling is fun. Selling is one of the most challenging yet rewarding careers in our society. Sales entrepreneurs are emerging as one of the most sophisticated and important players in the business arena. A sales career offers no end of promise, and the excitement of endless possibilities. Selling is a springboard to the fulfilment of all your goals and aspirations. It's my hope that this book will help you and others discover (or perhaps rediscover) the joys of professional selling, and that it will empower you to truly aspire to new levels of success. Life validates that success is a matter of choice, not chance. Enjoy. Introduction—Why ms Book? As a professional sales trainer, I have discovered a very important aspect of adult learning: people love simplicity. The simpler the better. I wrote this book with that goal in mind; to reveal the simplicity of selling. Selling is simple. Simple is fun. That is why the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Salespeople) prevails. This book offers an approach that strips away the perceived complexities of selling and discusses selling in its purest form: a dialogue between two human beings. The required skills of an effective sales professional have become increasingly sophisticated. Today's customers are looking for a whole range of products and services to meet their business and personal needs. Customers have become immune to traditional sales techniques. Technological changes, sales automation, deregulation, and the global economy have blurred many product distinctions, at the same time stimulating a highly competitive selling environment. Nowadays, product and price alone will not sustain a competitive edge. We have seen the demise of the "obvious product solution." Your product on its own will no longer stimulate a sale. Your customers can buy virtually the same product at the same price elsewhere, so why should they buy from you? Customers appreciate a salesperson with empathy—the ability to develop a total solution versus simply presenting a product. They also appreciate the efficiency of new technologies, high tech, but still want the warmth of the human aspect, high touch. Sales productivity often gets sabotaged by the mechanics of selling. Unfortunately in many cases, selling becomes more of a strategic engagement with the enemy rather than a conversation with a potential ally to your business. You are about to learn powerful proven techniques of professional selling. As you master the techniques revealed in this book, you too will experience new levels of productivity. Expect your close ratio (successful sales to number of sales calls) to double. No longer will you have to worry about missing your monthly or quarterly sales targets. If you are like me, the visual aspect represents an important part of adult learning. Research suggests that most of the information stored in people's minds enters through their eyes. If your words conflict with your actions, a listener will believe the actions. I have taken my 25 years of practical sales experience and designed a visual representation of what the entire sales process looks like. I am not aware of any other book that presents the entire selling process in visual form. I write this book with the intent to share my accumulated knowledge and experience, perhaps making your life a little easier. Early in my career I discovered I had a propensity for sales. After graduation from the University of Toronto in 1977, I pursued my love of sales with corporations such as J.M. Schneider, Inc. and Gulf Resources. I then spent eight years in the computer industry with Control Data Corporation, five of them as sales manager. In 1991, I left the arena to found my own training company, Spectrum Training Solutions Inc. Since then, I have worked with national and international companies and trained thousands of corporate professionals. I describe my style of facilitation as enter train ment, because I believe humor contributes significantly to adult learning and retention. I invite you to visit our site at www.spectrain.com. This book introduces you to a tool I use in all of our sales seminars: the Sequential Model of Professional Selling. The Sequential Model has been designed to foster confidence and success through its simplicity while revealing the common denominators of each sales call. Experience has shown that a certain degree of consistency—a common currency—exists throughout every sales call. This model presents an uncomplicated approach to selling by delivering the core competencies of the entire sales process. The strength of this model lies in the fact that its design and development were guided by input from several resources including my years of on-the-street selling, input from customers, feedback from thousands of sales professionals attending our seminars, and interviews with hundreds of customers. I still sell. Like you, I'm out there every day dealing with the challenges, the frustrations, and the joys of professional selling. Although each sales call is situational, a logical, sequential series of actions greatly increase the chances of making a sale. This selling process involves the ten steps introduced in Chapter 1. Steps 1 and 2 are important preparatory activities, Steps 3 through 10 are related to interpersonal skills and specific selling skills. All ten steps are discussed in detail throughout the chapters. The Sequential Model is not a new sales gimmick or another slick technique to trick the customer. Each step of the model, when learned and applied, endows you with the capacity to advance to the next step. It is a proven, field-tested sales strategy endorsed by real-world authorities: my customers. Of the thousands of sales books available, most focus on limited aspects of selling. Though you can purchase books about specific subject areas such as handling objections, negotiating skills, prospecting, probing skills, closing the sale, and a host of other sales-related topics, very few books present sales as a complete process, from start to finish. I am not suggesting that other sales books are of no value—some are very good. In fact, I periodically refer to other books that I encourage you to read and add to your personal library. Throughout this book, every aspect of the sales process is discussed in detail, including effective sales negotiation and time management skills. Consider this all-encompassing book as your personal reference, a resource to reinforce existing skills and introduce new skills. As a successful sales professional, you must continually search for any intellectual advantage available. Simply put: to earn more, learn more. |
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10 Steps to Sales Success[c] The Proven System That Can Shorten the Selling Cycle, Double Your Close Ratio (2003)