Every once in a while a book for sales professionals comes along which is destined to be a classic. Sales guru and best-selling author Jill Konrath’s latest book Agile Selling, Get Up to Speed Quickly in Today’s Every Changing Business World is just that. Whether you’re brand new to promotional products sales or a seasoned sales veteran there is wisdom here that you’ll be referring to for years to come.
One of the most important premises in Agile Selling is that you are the differentiator in your buyer’s decision making process. As Jill explains:
“That means that you matter—more than what you sell, what it costs, and whom you work for. They choose you, or, if you don’t do a good enough job, the choose your competitor. Only if no sales-person stands out from the crowd do they use pricing, products, or brand as differentiating elements in their decision making. This should get you excited. Finally, something you have total control over-the sales experience you deliver!”
In promotional products sales where we are all selling the same or similar products this is especially important for all of us to keep in mind.
Each chapter in Agile Selling is short and ends with specific action steps you can immediately implement to deliver a better sales experience. There’s no fluff here, just solid information that any sales professional can use to improve their performance.
I especially liked the section on success habits of agile sellers. There’s a great chapter on putting a 90-day plan in place. It’s concise, doable and something every sales rep or sales manager can refer to over and over again. There are also highly relevant chapters on how to purge your pipeline, eliminate distractions, change sabotaging behaviors and keep momentum going. Truthfully, every chapter has nuggets of sales wisdom. If you only read one business book this summer, this is the one I highly recommend.
Speaking of summer reading, what business books have especially influenced your sales success? What books do you recommend? What are you currently reading? Please comment below.
Rosalie Marcus, The Promo Biz Coach is a promotional products business expert, coach and speaker. Combining her skills and years of experience in promotional sales, she helps her clients sell more at higher profit margins and dramatically increase their incomes! Get a FREE special report: 10 Big Mistakes Promotional Professionals Make and How to Avoid Them and a FREE Skyrocket Your Sales audio download at www.promobizcoach.com. Reach her at [email protected] or 215-572-6766.
