Credit to Simon Sinek because I sure do hear a lot of people asking others, “What’s your WHY?” And it’s only natural that when launching a new book the first question people ask is, “Why did you write it?”
My motivation and mission in writing #SalesTruth: Debunk the Myths. Apply Powerful Principles. Win More New Sales. was very simple and very compelling:
What I have been reading online about what it takes to succeed in sales today (particularly surrounding creating new sales opportunities, acquiring new customers and winning more New Sales) did not align with what I was observing with my own eyes in companies across a myriad of industries and sales roles. Said stronger and more simply, what I was seeing (supposed and often popular) “experts” say did not align with what was I seeing with real salespeople and sales teams.
I kept reading (and still do) that everything in sales has changed. Nothing that used to work still does. If you deploy traditional methods you are not just a fool bound to fail, but a Luddite from the Dark Ages who deserves to be ridiculed. But if I took you in to observe the top-producing sellers across my eclectic mix of clients (from big data to big defense to big equipment to big distribution, from payroll services to polymers and plastics, from specialty software to specialty metals) what you would easily observe is that the best and highest-performing salespeople are not deploying fancy new tricks. In fact, it’s the opposite. Those winning big are doing so because they have mastered the fundamentals. Most are deploying the very same approaches and best practices that I observed from top sellers five years, ten years ago, even fifteen years ago! Not only do the “experts” writing this nonsense have an agenda, they are also dead wrong.
Sales Truth has two parts. Part I is about 25% of the book and it exposes the garbage, the myths, and the false teachers and their false promises that have been hurting salespeople and the sales profession. It’s brutal because I use these “experts” own words – often taken from their own posts. By the end of Chapter 2 you’ll be shaking your head in disbelief, and by the time you reach Chapter 4 you will understand why I felt compelled to write this book. You’ll also be amused that I dared write a chapter with sales lessons from the 2016 presidential election. Don’t freak out; it’s completely apolitical and also quite entertaining. People who’ve read it love it. I simply share key takeaways for all of us in sales from things that both Hillary and Trump did and didn’t do that effected the outcome.
Part II contains the #Truth About Winning More New Sales and covers topics ranging from the attitude, mindset, focus, strategic targeting, calendar management, and self-discipline required to become a master “Opportunity Creator.” It includes powerful principles to upgrade your messaging to ensure that you have compelling customer-issues/outcome-centered talking points, and prospecting best practices that top sales hunters deploy to secure meetings. You’ll be challenged to stop rushing to demo and/or present. You will also read real stories from real companies who have decided to own their sales process instead of acquiescing to prospects and their procurement people. You will see several examples where sellers stuck to their guns, avoided the “Procurement Pit” and won bigger, better deals at higher margin – all while having more fun!
Click here to read early reviews and to grab your copy, Kindle or Audible version of Sales Truth today!
