The Challenger Customer: Selling to the Hidden Influencer Who Can Multiply Your Results
Brent Adamson - 2015
Now their latest research reveals something even more surprising: Being a Challenger seller isn’t enough. Your success or failure also depends on who you challenge.Picture your ideal customer: friendly, eager to meet, ready to coach you through the sale and champion your products and services across the organization. It turns out that’s the last person you need. Most marketing and sales teams go after low-hanging fruit: buyers who are eager and have clearly articulated needs. That’s simply human nature; it’s much easier to build a relationship with someone who always makes time for you, engages with your content, and listens attentively. But according to brand-new CEB research—based on data from thousands of B2B marketers, sellers, and buyers around the world—the highest-performing teams focus their time on potential customers who are far more skeptical, far less interested in meeting, and ultimately agnostic as to who wins the deal. How could this be?The authors of The Challenger Customer reveal that high-performing B2B teams grasp something that their average-performing peers don’t: Now that big, complex deals increasingly require consensus among a wide range of players across the organization, the limiting factor is rarely the salesperson’s inability to get an individual stakeholder to agree to a solution. More often it’s that the stakeholders inside the company can’t even agree with one another about what the problem is.It turns out only a very specific type of customer stakeholder has the credibility, persuasive skill, and will to effectively challenge his or her colleagues to pursue anything more ambitious than the status quo. These customers get deals to the finish line far more often than friendlier stakeholders who seem so receptive at first. In other words, Challenger sellers do best when they target Challenger customers. The Challenger Customer unveils research-based tools that will help you distinguish the "Talkers" from the "Mobilizers" in any organization. It also provides a blueprint for finding them, engaging them with disruptive insight, and equipping them to effectively challenge their own organization.
Selling to Big Companies
Jill Konrath - 2005
It's almost impossible to get them to pick up the phone. They never return your calls. And if you do happen to catch them, they blow you off right away. It's time to stop making endless cold calls or waiting for the phone to ring. In today's crazy marketplace, new sales strategies are needed to penetrate these big accounts. Discover how to:• Target accounts where you have the highest likelihood of success.• Find the names of prospects who can use your offering.• Create breakthough value propositions that capture their attention. • Develop an effective, multi-faceted account-entry campaign.• Overcome obstacles and objections that derail your sale efforts.• Position yourself as an invaluable resource, not a product pusher.• Have powerful initial sales meetings that build unstoppable momentum.• Differentiate yourself from other sellers. Use these sure-fire strategies to crack into big accounts, shrink your sales cycle and close more business. Check out the Account Entry Toolkit for ideas on how to apply this process to your own unique business.
Whale Hunting: How to Land Big Sales and Transform Your Company
Tom Searcy - 2008
Here, you'll learn how to turn the dangerous endeavor of selling to large companies and big contracts into a strategy for continued success and growth. Stop wasting time with little accounts and start landing monster accounts.
Being the STARfish: 7 Steps to Sharing so People Want to Buy
Neal Anderson - 2014
You will discover that the path to financial freedom lies not in selling but in sharing, and that living your dream begins when you start helping other people live theirs. You will trade the mindset of a SELLfish(TM) for the lifestyle of a STARfish(TM)-and for you and many, many others, that transformation will have an impact beyond anything you can imagine.The road to success is mapped out for you clearly in these pages. It's no secret-not anymore. You're about to discover-The vital link between action and purpose-How to "control the controllables"-How you can remove the pressure so that people love buying from you-The all-important Share Cycle(TM) and how to master its 10 indispensable steps-Proven, no-pressure ways to defuse customer challenges-And much more
Ca$hvertising: How to Use More Than 100 Secrets of Ad-Agency Psychology to Make BIG MONEY Selling Anything to Anyone
Drew Eric Whitman - 2008
Do You?FACT! Sixty percent of people read only headlines. Your headline must stop them or your advertising will likely fail.FACT! Captions under photos get 200 percent greater readership than non-headline copy.FACT! Ads with sale prices draw 20 percent more attention.FACT! Half-page ads pull about 70 percent of full-page ads; quarter-page ads pull about 50 percent of full-page ads.FACT! Four-color ads are up to 45 percent more effective than black and white.New York's biggest ad agencies use dozens of these little-known secrets every day to influence people to buy. And now--thanks to Cashvertising--you can, too. And it won't matter one bit whether you're a corporate giant or a mom-and-pop pizza shop. These techniques are based on human psychology. They work no matter where you're located, no matter what kind of product or service you sell, and no matter where you advertise. In fact, most don't cost a penny to use.Like a wild roller-coaster ride through the streets of Madison Avenue, Cashvertising teaches you the tips, tricks, and strategies that New York's top gun copywriters and designers use to persuade people to buy like crazy. No matter what you sell--or how you sell it, this practical, fast-paced book will teach you:How to create powerful ads, brochures, sales letters, Websites, and moreHow to make people believe what you say"Sneaky" ways to persuade people to respondEffective tricks for writing "magnetic" headlinesWhat mistakes to avoid...at all costs!What you should always/never do in your adsExpert formulas, guidance, tips and strategies
The Art of the Sale
Philip Delves Broughton - 2012
Across the globe, in economies big and small, selling is the very engine of commerce and industry. In America, millions work in sales—more than in manufacturing, marketing, or even finance. Yet, when Philip Delves Broughton was studying at Harvard Business School, he couldn’t find a single course on sales. Indeed, very few schools teach this subject. The best-educated people of the business world are clueless about one of its most vital functions, and this ignorance has enormous consequences for the economy, and for all of us.Delves Broughton draws on extensive research, intrepid reporting, and personal experience to show the essence of sales as it manifests itself from Moroccan souks to Tokyo side streets to Wall Street trading floors, and ultimately to the countless acts of selling we all engage in every day. Along the way, he uncovers fresh answers to perennial questions about the art and science of sales: why do Americans have such extreme views on the subject (from Dale Carnegie to “Death of a Salesman”)? Can a great salesman be made, or he is born? Does a salesman have to believe in his product? Is selling ever ethical? Does it have to be? What exactly makes a great salesman, and can it be quantified?This isn’t another work about shortcuts, tips, or tricks, though it does offer a wealth of useful information on how the best salespeople make their craft an art. It’s a uniquely evidence-based investigation of the workings of a fascinating and undervalued endeavor.
Predictable Prospecting: How to Radically Increase Your B2B Sales Pipeline
Marylou Tyler - 2016
This game-changing guide provides the immediately implementable strategies you need to build a solid, sustainable pipeline -- whether you're a sales or marketing executive, team leader, or sales representative.Based on the acclaimed business model that made Predictable Revenue a runaway bestseller, this powerful approach to B2B prospecting will help you to:- Identify the prospects with the greatest potential- Clearly articulate your company's competitive position- Implement account-based sales development using ideal account profiles- Refine your lead targeting strategy with an ideal prospect profile- Start a conversation with people you don't know- Land meetings through targeted campaigns- Craft personalized e-mail and phone messaging to address each potential buyer's awareness, needs, and challenges.- Define, manage, and optimize sales development performance metrics- Generate predictable revenueYou'll learn how to target and track ideal prospects, optimize contact acquisition, continually improve performance, and achieve your revenue goals--quickly, efficiently, and predictably. The book includes easy-to-use charts and e-mail templates, and features full online access to sample materials, worksheets, and blueprints to add to your prospecting tool kit.Following this proven step-by-step framework, you can turn any B2B organization into a high-performance business development engine, diversify marketing lead generation channels, justify marketing ROI, sell into disruptive markets--and generate more revenue than ever. That's the power of Predictable Prospecting.
Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear
Frank Luntz - 2006
With chapters like "The Ten Rules of Successful Communication" and "The 21 Words and Phrases for the 21st Century," he examines how choosing the right words is essential. Nobody is in a better position to explain than Frank Luntz: He has used his knowledge of words to help more than two dozen Fortune 500 companies grow. Hell tell us why Rupert Murdoch's six-billion-dollar decision to buy DirectTV was smart because satellite was more cutting edge than "digital cable," and why pharmaceutical companies transitioned their message from "treatment" to "prevention" and "wellness." If you ever wanted to learn how to talk your way out of a traffic ticket or talk your way into a raise, this book's for you.
Email Persuasion: Captivate and Engage Your Audience, Build Authority and Generate More Sales With Email Marketing
Ian Brodie - 2013
This is simply the best book on email marketing I have ever read." Howard LothropEmail Persuasion: The Step-By-Step Guide to Attracting More Clients and Winning More Sales With Email MarketingBusiness fads come and go, but Email Marketing has consistently outperformed all other marketing strategies. In Email Persuasion, marketing expert Ian Brodie reveals the techniques that are working right now to allow professionals and small businesses to connect with potential clients, build trust-based relationships and generate more sales through email.Inside the book you'll discover:
The Customer Insight Mapping technique for building deep understanding of what your clients need and what will motivate them to buy from you.
6 surefire subject line models that will get your emails opened and read.
The "optin formula" for getting the right people to subscribe to your emails (and how to accelerate the growth of your subscriber list).
How to engage AND persuade with your emails so that you build a loyal 'fan base' ready to buy from you.
The advanced techniques for turning email subscribers into paying clients (and why accepted wisdom on selling in emails is almost all wrong).
"We've seen a threefold increase in leads and we've won several new clients." Adrian WillmottEmail Persuasion lays out a clear blueprint for building an engaged subscriber base, building credibility and trust through your emails and converting your subscribers into paying clients.No jargon. No fluff. Just practical, real-world strategies that deliver results."Pick any one idea from this amazing collection of rock solid common sense on email marketing and just do it! Quite simply, it works!" Tony LatimerWant to know how to build a list of ideal clients as subscribers fast? Start with the Opt-In formula on page 19.How to get through spam filters, and "greymail" technology? Turn to page 43 for the most up to date advice.The best format for emails? Page 57. When to send them and how frequently? Start on page 59, but also check page 83 on why frequent emailing is often more effective?Getting your system onto autopilot? Page 95. Advanced techniques to get the right messages to the subscribers who will most value them? Page 103. Writing persuasively? Page 109."Ian gives you all the information you need to succeed in plain and simple English based on what actually works in the real business world today" Anna Letitia CookPacked full of examples, templates and clear next steps for you to do to get your own email marketing system up and running quickly and getting you results. If you've ever been overwhelmed by the complexity of email marketing or been unsure where to start to get the best results, Email Persuasion will provide you a clear path to succeeding with email.If you want to get results fast from email marketing then you need Email Persuasion. Scroll up and grab a copy now.
80/20 Sales and Marketing: The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More
Perry Marshall - 2013
With a powerful 80/20 software tool (online, included with the book), sellers and marketers uncover how to slash time-wasters; advertise to hyper-responsive buyers and avoid tire-kickers; gain coveted positions on search engines; differentiate themselves from competitors and gain esteem in their marketplace. With the included tools they’ll see exactly how much money they’re leaving on the table, and how to put it back in their pockets. Sellers will identify untapped markets, high-profit opportunities and incremental improvements, gaining time and greater profit potential. Supported by online tools from Marshall, including The 80/20 Power Curve, a tool that helps you see invisible money, and a Marketing DNA Test, a personal assessment that zeroes in on one’s natural selling assets, this timeless guide promises to change the game for seasoned and novice marketers and sellers.
What Great Salespeople Do: The Science of Selling Through Emotional Connection and the Power of Story
Michael Bosworth - 2011
Until now, this has been considered an innate talent. What Great Salespeople Do challenges some of the most widely accepted paradigms in selling in order to prove that influencing change in buyers is a skill that anyone can learn.The creator of Solution Selling and CustomerCentric Selling, Michael Bosworth, along with veteran sales executive Ben Zoldan, synthesize discoveries in neuroscience, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and other disciplines, combining it all into a field-tested framework-helping you break down barriers, build trust, forge meaningful relationships, and win more customers.
You've Got 8 Seconds
Paul Hellman - 2017
The average attention span has dropped to 8 seconds.So whether you're presenting to a large audience, meeting one-on-one, talking on the phone, or even sending an email, you've got to engage others fast, before they tune you out , , , maybe forever.Your challenge: to get heard, get remembered & get results.Through fast, fun, actionable tips, You've Got 8 Seconds explains what works and what doesn't, what's forgettable and what sticks. With stories, scripts, and examples of good and bad messages, the book reveals three main strategies to get heard in a noisy world:FOCUS: Design a strong message--then say it in seconds.VARIETY: Make routine information come alive.PRESENCE: Convey confidence and command attention.You'll discover practical techniques, including the Fast-Focus Method™, which the author uses to help senior executives make their messages stick; how to stand out in the first seconds of a presentation; and 10 actions that spell executive presence.The next time you speak, others will either tune in or tune out. You've got 8 seconds--make them count!
Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People
Vanessa Van Edwards - 2017
As a human behavior hacker, Vanessa Van Edwards created a research lab to study the hidden forces that drive us. And she’s cracked the code. In Captivate, she shares shortcuts, systems, and secrets for taking charge of your interactions at work, at home, and in any social situation. These aren’t the people skills you learned in school. This is the first comprehensive, science backed, real life manual on how to captivate anyone—and a completely new approach to building connections. Just like knowing the formulas to use in a chemistry lab, or the right programming language to build an app, Captivate provides simple ways to solve people problems. You’ll learn, for example… · How to work a room: Every party, networking event, and social situation has a predictable map. Discover the sweet spot for making the most connections.· How to read faces: It’s easier than you think to speed-read facial expressions and use them to predict people’s emotions.· How to talk to anyone: Every conversation can be memorable—once you learn how certain words generate the pleasure hormone dopamine in listeners.When you understand the laws of human behavior, your influence, impact, and income will increase significantly. What’s more, you will improve your interpersonal intelligence, make a killer first impression, and build rapport quickly and authentically in any situation—negotiations, interviews, parties, and pitches. You’ll never interact the same way again.
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It
Michael E. Gerber - 1985
500 CEOs.An instant classic, this revised and updated edition of the phenomenal bestseller dispels the myths about starting your own business. Small business consultant and author Michael E. Gerber, with sharp insight gained from years of experience, points out how common assumptions, expectations, and even technical expertise can get in the way of running a successful business.Gerber walks you through the steps in the life of a business—from entrepreneurial infancy through adolescent growing pains to the mature entrepreneurial perspective: the guiding light of all businesses that succeed—and shows how to apply the lessons of franchising to any business, whether or not it is a franchise. Most importantly, Gerber draws the vital, often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in your business.The E-Myth Revisited will help you grow your business in a productive, assured way.
The Sandler Rules: Forty-Nine Timeless Selling Principles... and How to Apply Them
David H. Mattson - 2009
All prospects lie, all the time. Never ask for the order. Get an I.O.U. for everything you do. Don't spill your candy in the lobby.Until now, these unique rules (and 45 more) were given out only to Sandler Trainingsm clients in special seminars and private coaching. After three decades of proven success, the secrets are out in The Sandler Rules.Using Eric Berne's Transactional Analysis, Mr. Sandler devised a selling system and distilled 49 unforgettable rules that are frank, sometimes fun and always easy to put to use. Sandler Training CEO David Mattson, co-author of Five Minutes with VITO, delivers this fresh and often funny guidebook, filled with real-world tactics for successful prospecting, qualifying, deal-making, closing and referral generation.