Cambridge Business Association
How You Make the Sale
Book

How You Make the Sale

What Every New Salesperson Needs to Know

Frank McNair
Sourcebooks, 2005
Buy book or audiobook

Read or listen offline

Amazon Kindle
自动生成的音频
  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×
自动生成的音频

Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

In clear, succinct, readable fashion, author Frank McNair summarizes time-honored sales counsel. His book is well-organized and straightforward. After each chapter, he provides a brief self-test that will help you remember his most important points. This book does not waste your time with hokey yarns; instead, it is refreshingly businesslike and easily portable. getAbstract recommends this handbook to neophytes who are starting their sales-advice libraries and to experienced salespeople who want a refresher course.

Summary

Customer, not Enemy

Many people think of sales as a high-pressure contest between a driven and pushy salesperson and a victimized customer. But sales is not a "zero sum" game that only one person can win. The customer is not your antagonist, and the object of sales is not to prevail. Sales is not a contest of will or strength. Instead, sales is about relationships, since people do not buy from companies; they buy from other people. Successful salespeople are actually service providers.

The Buying Process

Customers go through the following steps as they decide what to buy:

  • Need identification - A customer’s needs may be perceived or genuine. Some "needs" are matters of self-image. A person with a perfectly good, low-power drill, for example, may decide that because bigger drills are now on the market, he or she "needs" a new drill. When you assess a customer’s need, be sure to identify the kind of need.
  • Data collection - Customers do research on products that might fulfill their needs.
  • Need clarification - Customers more clearly define their needs.
  • Option identification - Customers identify particular products or services.

About the Author

Frank McNair has extensive experience with national corporations in sales training, sales, promotion, communication, branding and management. He is a partner in a sales training company.

Comment on this summary