dogcow Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Recently my father who has been in sales his whole career suggested I might consider reading some sales books. He suggested "The Closers" as being the best sales book out there. After reading some of it, it seems like a very old school type of book. I could see this book being the viewed as the bible for Alec Baldwin's character in Glengary Glen Ross. It recommends very aggressive and dubious sales methods that I am sure are very effective but I am not sure would be terribly effective in vending. I was also recommend "Hot Prospects" by another friend. This book takes the opposite view. Essentially saying, if a prospect says they are not interested simply thank them for their time and hang up. Only focus on and qualify prospects who initially express interest. This is the ultimate in low pressure sales. However I am skeptical of the efficacy of this method especially when you are working with a relatively small prospect list. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions, what business books have you read that you found useful in vending? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 I figure ill continue reviews of sales books as i read them Cold Calling Techniques ( That Really Work ) the title of this book is very misleading, it is solely about appointment setting. If you are new to appointment setting, this could be a very good primer. The fact is your experience with telemarkers and your "gut instinct" and even things taught in other sales books may lead you in the wrong direction. I think this book gives you very good advice , its easy to read, very step-by-step oriented and to the point. you can finish it in about a day and by the end you will have a working appointment setting script with a stable of rebuttals to build from. however ill save you nine bucks and give you the gist of it here. when you call to get an appointment, introduce yourself and whatever the decision maker says, ask for the appointment. If they say they aren't interested, ask for the appointment, if they say they are busy, ask for the appointment, if they say they already have a vendor, ask for the appointment. thats basically it. Sounds obvious right? The approach seems to me a little pushy and dated however its not sleazy, gimmicky or deceptive. It also does not focus on bothering to qualify the prospect. Just making sure they are the decision maker and getting the appointment and then getting off the phone quickly. I have a feeling this approach may turn off some people because it comes off as a little aggressive, but i'm going to try a script based off this book vs what i am doing now and see how it goes. there are some other tips on dealing with voicemail and getting people to call back which seems good however it doesnt say anything really about dealing with gatekeepers which i think it s big oversight. also this is not a comprehensive book about the sales process, its about 1 thing, getting the appointment. hopefully you have some idea of what you are doing once you get in the door because the book offers absolutely no general advice about selling. which seems weird in a book that is clearly geared towards inexperienced salespeople. for $10 it may be worth while if you are just starting out trying to develop vending prospects by phone. certainly less complicated than other books and a nice low price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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