Jeffrey Gitomer is passionate about sales. His presentations are full of bluster and bravado, but his philosophy is rooted in strong ethical and idealistic beliefs.
Gitomer wants you to make more money in sales, but he wants you to do it right. "Selling is easy" he says, but only if you approach it correctly. "If you do it right, you can make sales forever," he adds.
Unfortunately, 95% of sales people (according to Gitomer) are going about it ALL wrong.
Maybe you're among the ranks of sales people with lots of questions about how to prospect more effectively, make more appointments, and close more deals.
Maybe you have questions about how to counter stall tactics, sales resistance and price objections.
The answer to those questions, and many more, are all there if you listen carefully.
But be forewarned: Gitomer wastes NO time in sugar-coating his answers. Although he speaks the truth, he's gonna give you a heavy dose of tough love.
You'll be fine as long as you put your "sensitivity meter" on low.
After listening to all 5 CDs, Gitomer's central point is clear. To become a better sales person, you need to take RESPONSIBILITY for your results.
That means that if you're not meeting your sales quota every month,
- it isn't your boss' fault;
- it isn't your customers' fault;
- and it isn't the economy's fault...
That's not easy to hear. But it's a good message to take to heart, whether you're in sales or not.
Before you can create better results, you need to own up to the results you have already created, good or bad. Don't blame external forces. YOU run the show.
Simple.
Gitomer's second key point is that before you can hope to close a sale, you must first do the "hard work" of creating value for the prospect and customer.
"What are you doing to create value," he asks?
Your best customers already understand the value of the products and services you provide--that's why they pay your price and don't gripe about it.
Price objections, stall tactics, and other forms of resistance are all symptoms. They're NOT the real problem, as Gitomer sees it.
If they're fighting you on price it's because you haven't done a good-enough job of offering value. And by the time they complain to you that the price is TOO HIGH, it's TOO LATE!
Gitomer goes on to give you idea after idea on how to add value FIRST. Here are just a few:
- be likable and trustworthy
- know your customers' needs (know why they buy)
- ask powerful questions
- treat prospects and customers like friends
- make them laugh (and you'll laugh all the way to the bank)
- find leads for your customers (give referrals to earn referrals)
- become a public speaker
- write a weekly newsletter
- create a useful web site
Nothing in Gitomer's book is particularly ground-breaking or original, but he delivers the material in a funny and energetic style that will get you pumped up and ready to close more deals.
So you say you wanna double your sales in 2010? Listen to Gitomer's Sales Answers, and more importantly, follow through on his advice.
I burned the CDs and loaded them up on my iPod so I can have access to them on my drives to and from work.
Gitomer's very entertaining and he makes a lot of sense. If you're in sales, it's an audio book you absolutely gotta have. I've seen the 5 CD audio book available online for as little as $10!
Talk about the best deal you'll ever make!
Happy Selling.
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