Product Description

In Secrets of the Great Rainmakers you+ll learn how to outsmart the competition and set yourself apart from the pack. In over 50 interviews with industry leaders from a wide variety of fields, bestselling author Jeffrey J. Fox will share the proven techniques and hard-won wisdom that have helped great rainmakers get ahead, along with his trademark brand of counterintuitive insight and commentary that have made his books so popular.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #401653 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-01
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

Review

About the Author
Jeffrey J. Fox has published six bestselling business books, including How to Become a Rainmaker and How to Become CEO. The founder of Fox & Company, a premier marketing consulting firm, he has been named "Outstanding Marketer" by Sales and Marketing Management magazine, the National Industrial Distributors Association’s "Outstanding Marketer," and the Connecticut American Marketing Association’s "Marketer of the Year." He has held senior marketing positions at several international companies and is a sought-after speaker to senior executives. A graduate of Trinity College, he holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He lives in New Hampshire and has offices in Chester, Connecticut.

From AudioFile
With principles that tower above most offerings, this is a sophisticated and stimulating lesson on sales. Fox's ideas are at once classy and down-to-earth, assertive and humble, and, above all, energizing. They speak for themselves with such clarity and practical authority that most listeners will want to use them right away. Along with the expected tips on developing mental focus and fine-tuning the sales encounter, Fox overturns conventional wisdom in a number of areas such as the value of long-term sales relationships and pricing gimmicks. Keep the focus on what customers need and want, and on getting the order today. The author's reading of this material is youthful, balanced, and credible. T.W. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Useful stuff, much of what you won't find elsewhere!
HOW TO BECOME A RAINMAKER by Jeffrey J. Fox is one of my
all-time favorite books on selling . . . if you're in that field or know
somebody who is, do that person a big favor and get him or her a
copy . . . they'll be forever grateful.

I recently heard the follow-up, SECRETS OF GREAT
RAINMAKERS--written and read by Fox . . . for this latest effort,
he conducted over 50 interviews with industry leaders from a
variety of field . . . .he then shares what he learned in a series
of short chapters that all contain very powerful messages.

The amazing thing about Fox is that he takes what can be
a difficult task and makes it relatively simple, provided that
you listen to his advice . . . what makes it so interesting is
that much of what he shares can't be found elsewhere.

For example, he tells you not to knock your competition . . . for
if you do, you're telling your customer that he or she is stupid for
considering somebody else.

He also presents "killer questions" that can be helpful in selling
anything, such as:

* In addition to yourself, who is responsible for making this decision
happen in your country? And what might be their concerns about
going ahead?

* [when a customer has a question] Why do you ask? And how
important is it to you?

There were many other memorable tidbits, including:
* In a sales call, the customer should do 80% of the talking.

* Play Rolodex Roulette at least once a month. Give it a spin,
pick some names, call some of them.

* Always use an intriguing postscript.

* The phone call never sells anything.

* Only after you get the order can you ask a non-business question.

* 90% of salespeople don't ask for the order.

* Always ask for something on a visit; e.g., a tour of the facility. If you're
the one being asked to take a tour, that's a buy signal.

* Take handwritten notes on every call. Then summarize your notes in
a follow-up letter to the customer.

* Don't mail your proposal. A good proposal, well written, has a 15-18%
winning percentage. Good proposals, when presented in person, have
a 55-65% winning percentage.

* People who ask for the sale in person have four times the chance of
getting it than those who don't.

And my personal favorite:
* In the future, some power point presenter will be arrested for boring
the customer to death!

excellent and to the point
Fox packs a lot into 183 pages. His big ideas: potential customers don't ask idle questions of you or meet with you just to pass the time---there is a story on the surface and there is a story underneath it. Be attuned to it, and leverage it. And he tells us---don't sell on price; show why your product or service may cost more but is an investment. Educate the potential customer. Some of his lessons are not useful to those who sell services(he would disagree), but his overarching lessons---especially his insight that maximum returns result from incremental efforts---are dead on.

Great Reading
This is the second Jefferey J Fox book I've read, and it's as a good as the first. Great real-world examples. Easy to read. I highly recommend everyone read it.