Product Description

Sales master Jeffrey Gitomer has created a real-world, practical, and fun book that salespeople will love and profit from -- and sales managers will buy by the case.

Salespeople want answers. That's why the Little Red Book of Selling is short, sweet, and to the point. It's packed with answers that people are searching for in order to help them make sales for the moment - and for the rest of their lives.

In the Little Red Book of Selling salespeople will learn why sales happen and a philosophy of success - long term, relationship driven, and referral oriented - nothing to do with manipulation or other old-world sales tactics. It has everything to do with understanding buying motives and taking ethical, relationship-building actions.

People don't like to be sold but they love to buy has become more than Gitomer's registered trademark- it's a mantra. A mantra every salesperson needs to understand at the core of his selling success. Throughout this book the reader will begin to adopt a philosophy that drives them to a higher, value-driven purpose.

There are 12.5 powerful principles of sales mastery. These principles are at the heart of sales success. They are the difference between red (putting your heart into your career) and black (having a job, coming to work, and making a commission). Other chapters include; What's the Difference between Failure and Success in Salespeople, The Little Salesman that Could, The Two Most Important Words in Selling, and Just Plain "How to Make a Sale."

The cover is classic red cloth. The four-color graphics make it compelling and easy to read, and the content is easy to understand and implement. For your convenience there is a red satin (ok, polyester) bookmark so you can remember your place. It is small enough to carry with you - big enough to contain the answers you need — powerful enough to fill your wallet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1954 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 220 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781885167606
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
If salespeople are worried about how to sell, Gitomer (The Sales Bible) believes they are missing out on the more important aspect of sales: why people buy. This, he says, is "all that matters," and his latest book aims to demystify buying principles for salespeople. From the red cloth cover to the small trim size to the amusing (but not cloying) cartoons on almost every page, this is an appealing and accessible book. The author is obviously enthusiastic, if not manic, about sales, and though some of his mantras verge on hokey, much of his prose is straightforward and realistic. Each chapter includes a mini table of contents, pull quotes and takeaway sound bites, examples of typical whines from salespeople (e.g., "the client said they spent their whole budget") paired with a positive response (e.g., "Decision makers make the budget. Non-decision makers spend the budget"), and plenty of advice and ideas that can be taken in and studied as a whole or referred to at random for inspiration.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
This isn't just a red book; it's a Red Bull of high-energy sales tips & counsel. -- David Dorsey, The Wall Street Journal (May 3rd 2006)

From the Publisher
How to Make Them Want to Buy

By DAVID DORSEY

Wall Street Journal; May 3, 2006; Page D10

If you're in sales and you quote from "the little red book," you probably won't be mistaken for a communist these days. Jeffrey Gitomer's "The Little Red Book of Selling" is itself selling: more than a half-million copies world-wide since it was published.

It's not hard to see why. This isn't just a red book; it's a Red Bull of high-energy sales tips and counsel. The author's personality comes through with blunt wit he's part personal trainer, part standup comic. (If his advice doesn't work, Mr. Gitomer says, "don't be blaming me. Not only do these principles work, they work in the Northeast, where people eat their young.") The pages have plenty of white space, color-coded tips and Dilbertesque cartoons offering instruction on how to tackle complaints that would keep you from making sales FOREVER! (This sort of type treatment looms large in more ways than one.) You could read the entire book on a coast-to-coast flight, with time to spare, but it's probably better approached like a box of chocolates: Consume a few bullet points a day, because more than that is going to feel excessive.

As you read "The Little Red Book of Selling," one thing becomes clear: Ecclesiastes was right there is nothing new under the sun. Work hard! Be prepared! Ask good questions! Make friends! Does anyone need to be told these things? Well, it can't hurt. Mr. Gitomer's admonitions to get out and network, meet decision makers, use creativity and (his central principle) don't sell, make people want to buy!!! are advice that, if you're in sales, you've heard a thousand times.

Yet when Mr. Gitomer gets into details, his thinking is fresh and amusing. He offers five pages on crafting a good voicemail greeting. My favorite, though its facetiousness could wear thin after a few hearings: "Hi, this is Jeffrey Gitomer. I wish I could talk to you but I can't. Please leave your American Express number with expiration date, and I'll get right back to you." He claims three people a day dutifully recite the information into the phone and then hang up.

Now Mr. Gitomer has followed up "Selling" with "The Little Red Book of Sales Answers." Subtitle: "99.5 Real World Answers That Make Sense, Make Sales, and Make Money." The sequel is just as red (outside) and white (inside) as its predecessor. And it, too, is a best seller, having spent the past two weeks on the Journal's business-books list. There's less bite-sized philosophizing, though, and more practical tips. Mr. Gitomer goes straight to tactics: How do you control a phone conversation? Ask questions. In doing so, you set the direction and begin to learn what you need to know in order to offer something of value. "If you ask enough of the right questions, you don't have to make many statements," he writes. Easier said than done, but you can put the book down, pick up the phone and see if it works.

On some matters, Mr. Gitomer is nearly useless. His suggestions for how to get over a fear of failure and a sense of inadequacy following an incident of rejection all boil down to: Think positive! But then, a few paragraphs later, he produces a wise response, gleaned from years of experience, to the question "Should I sign a non-compete?" If you're a new hire, there may be no other option, he says, but have a lawyer look at the agreement to make sure it's fair. If you're an established employee and your employer suddenly springs a non-compete agreement on you, he writes, "then something is drastically wrong."

Mr. Gitomer is at his most engaging when drawing on electronic newsletter, or e-zine, and produce material that is useful to prospective customers. (Minor problem: You have to come up with the mailing list yourself. Mr. Gitomer offers no tips here. At this point, if he were your boss, he'd be your worst nightmare: "Here's a great idea, kid! But first go out and find 5,000 people who are dying to hear what you have to say!") Now notify the person whom you would otherwise be cold-calling that you want to do an interview for your e-zine and that you will be bringing a photographer. Conduct the interview (without bringing up your product or service), publish the prospect's comments and photo, and send the e-zine to him. Not only will you get that face-to-face appointment, you've probably already made your sale.

This is where Mr. Gitomer is best: taking a problem and setting it within a startling and often uncomfortably assertive context. How do you get better leads than your competition? Network, of course. But don't just show up at an event, down a few drinks and collect a few business cards. Wrangle an invitation to be the featured speaker. Offer so much value in your talk that prospective customers will be cold-calling you.

What's especially solid about Mr. Gitomer's books is their grounding in ethics (his e-zine suggestion isn't devious; it's just smart). Success, for him, comes from the heart. He concludes his new book with the idea that you must love what you do and do it honestly. If you don't love it, you'll just be in it for the money, and that leads to short-cuts and pressure selling not to long-term friendships based on an actual exchange of value. He reminds us that top sales reps don't peddle; they solve problems and make customers laugh while offering them something they genuinely need. The highest-achieving sales folks work harder than everyone else because their job is their passion. In the end, it's hard to argue with a consultant whose guiding principle is: "If you want to be the best salesperson, first you must be the best person."

Mr. Dorsey is the author of "The Force" (1994), about a year in the lives of a top Xerox sales manager and his team.

Customer Reviews

Rah Rah without substance
This book is one of dozens out there that should go in the motivation section rather than the sales section. If you need motivation, this book is great. But if you are looking for solid advice on how to improve your sales technique, don't waste your money. The book is littered with cute phrases like "Kick your own ass", and "the more you love it, the more you will sell".

I bought the book because there are small nuggets of good information in it. I kept it because I know someday I will need motivation. But I quickly became tired of "Rah-Rah, I'm the best salesman ever, and you suck unless you work harder." Don't get me wrong, everyone could stand to work harder. But that wasn't what I was looking for.

If you want motivation, read this book. If you want solid sales advice, read "SPIN Selling", or "Soft Sell".

Should be titled, "Little Red Book on How to Be a Salesman"
Mine is obviously a dissenting opinion, but I vehemently disliked this little book. As one of the previous reviewers so aptly pointed out, it is not about selling, it is about personal motivation. If you need somebody to tell you the obvious things you need to do to be a successful sales person, then this book may help you. But if you're interested in learning about the sales process, there's just not much here.

The bombastic and cutesy writing quality is a big put-off for me, from the numbered lists that all end in ".5" to the use of semi-outrageous language. The author warns his readers that, "This book contains language used by real people used in real situations in sales." I don't know what crowd he is selling to, but I have been in sales for thirty-five years and I don't recall anyone ever using the word "puke" in a business conversation. The author must really like that word, as he overuses it throughout the book.

My biggest disappointment was that he actually hooked me in the introduction with the concept that we really should be studying how customers buy rather than how salesmen sell. That seemed like a clever and viable to way look at the selling/buying process, but there was unfortunately no follow up on that idea throughout the remainder of the book.

If you're trying to pump yourself up or have work ethic issues, then maybe it's worth the purchase, but if you appreciate good writing and thoughtful analysis, don't waste your twenty bucks.

Irritating at times, some good stuff
Some of this stuff isn't practical, like having your kid leave voice mail messages for hard to reach prospects (note to Jeff...it didn't work!).

However, the section about power questions was right on the money. 95 percent of all salespeople ask stupid, pointless questions. Power questions work.

A strong 3 1/2 stars. Not the best I've read, but worth the $$$.