Jill Konrath - Selling to Big Companies

Summer Reading List - Part 3

Negotiation Rules!
by Jeanette Nyden

Several years ago, when I needed help negotiating a contract, I was fortunate enough to connect with Jeanette Nyden. I was immediately impressed with her common-sense approach to negotiating.

I've always struggled with negotiations and the gamesmanship that seems to always go along with it. Jeanette helped me see it in a totally different light. After reading her book, I was able to totally reframe the negotiation process - first in my mind, next in preparing for the conversations and finally, when I was with the clients. If negotiating is not a strength of yours, this book belongs on your bookshelf.

P.S. Jeanette loves to help small companies negotiate with big companies!

The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling
by Jonathan London

As the title so clearly states, this book is definitely for entrepreneurs!  Plus, I need to tell you that Jonathan London, CEO of Improved Performance Group, really gets it. In our recent conversations, I've been most impressed with his sales savvy.

In this book, Jonathan gives you step-by-step guidance on the critical elements of B2B selling - from finding your "sweet spot," to prospecting, establishing relationships, asking powerful questions, closing business & negotiating. It's comprehensive, yet highly readable and filled with examples.


Escape from Cubicle Nation,
by Pamela Slim

I just love this book from Pam Slim. Even the first words inside the cover resonated with me: "Despite grim headlines about the economy, you don't have to stay in a job you intensely hate."

If you've been thinking about making the leap to self employment, get this book right now. She walks you through all potential areas of angst and leaves you feeling like you can do it. You'll learn how to go from a corporate prisoner to a thriving entrepreneur. Also, check ou Pam's Escape from Cubicle Nation blog.

A sales book worth reading? You be the judge!

Justyn Howard, blogger at The Passive Pipeline, just reviewed my book. Take a look at this picture he posted!

Why would a successful enterprise account manager put Post-Its all those pages? Could he possibly have discovered some new ideas or fresh perspectives?

Check out his review here. Also, he's collecting comments from others who have read Selling to Big Companies. When you share you story, you get a chance to win an autographed copy. FYI, here are a few recent emails I've received from readers:

Bill Hampton: My company finished a six-figure project last Friday. We received the order because we put into action what you taught us in your book, Selling to Big Companies. A less-than-$20 investment paid a handsome commission.

Parker Norwood: I simply wanted to thank you for your Selling to Big Companies book, the best sales book that I have ever read in my 20 years of selling, no kidding.  It was real, to the point, offers a plan, and I re-read it all the time.   I don’t watch movies twice much less re-read books, so this is a big deal.  I didn’t want to put it down, and I am not a big reader.

Jim Cox: Last year I focused on learning your methodology. Payoffs started coming right away. Now I have the biggest pipeline in my 17 years with the company. Here's an example ...

I left a voicemail for the president of a mid-market bank. In it, I stated a key "trigger" learned via online research. I also referenced two "name brand" banks, with summation of our performance for them. The very next day, a VP called me back. I closed the deal verbally, winning the contract and business within a month.

Do you have your copy yet? Want to read two chapters before you buy it?

Get them here - then decide if it's worth it for you.

Part II: Are you selling to the very important top officers? Should you be?

On Tuesday, I posted Part I of my interview with Tony Parinello, co-author of the newly released book, Five Minutes with VITO. Here's the conclusion of our conversation. (Download a PDF of the entire discussion.)

Jill: What other mistakes do you see people make when selling to the VITO.

Tony: They don't acknowledge VITO's gatekeeper – the private assistant of a president, CEO or owner. Forget about those stupid ridiculous tactics you've learned about how to get through, past, over, under or around the gatekeeper. They don't work.

So here is the next secret. Let's say you reach out to VITO and their private assistant picks up the phone. Just treat the private assistant as if they were VITO, but just don’t call them VITO.

Whatever you were going to say to VITO, say to that person. Because guess what - when VITO is not there, they are running the company. They are keeping things in check. They're a matched set with VITO, so whatever you'd say to VITO, you say to VITO's private assistant.

Salespeople do stupid things. When they're calling VITO and his private assistant picks up the phone and says, "Ms. Importante’s office. May I help you?" – the first thing the salesperson says is, "Is Ms. Importante in?"

The gatekeeper is going to say no - even if VITO is sitting right there looking straight at here. The gatekeeper is going to say no.

Jill: That's right.

Tony: Now some sales books say that if you get three no's in a row, you're on your way to a sale.

Customer Success Stories are Killer App for Salespeople

In my opinion, the most impactful sales tools are customer stories that demonstrate tangible business outcomes.

That's why I'm so excited about Casey Hibbard's new book, Stories that Sell, in which she details exactly what you need to do to turn satisfied customers into your most powerful sales and marketing asset.

Over the past decade, she's helped dozens of customers write over 450 case studies, so she knows exactly what it takes to create compelling stories.

I recently interviewed Casey about what it takes to create these powerful sales tools. I think you'll learn a lot from her answers!

Want a good sales book to read? Check out these award winners ....

The 2008 Sales Book Awards, an organization that recognizes books, authors, and publishers whose work advances sales as a profession, has just released this year's winners.

A panel of 35 judges rated the submissions in 10 separate categories, awarding one Gold Medal and two Silver Medals in each. Each book was rated on five primary criteria: Authority, Readability, Content Relevance, Physical Quality & Writing Style.

The Winners?

Selling to Big Companies, my book, received tons of accolades! It was a Gold Medal winner in the Classics division. Plus, it won a Silver Medal in  the Sales Methodology and Industry-Specific divisions.

Getting into Big Companies, my CD program won a Silver Medal in the Sales Audio Programs division. It's focused on helping sellers crack into corporate accounts - something that's a real challenge these days.

Here's a list of ALL the 2008 Sales Book Award Winners.

General Sales
•  Gold Medal: Perfect Selling by Linda Richardson
•  Silver Medal: The Sales Operator by Brian Bieler
•  Silver Medal: Building Trust, Growing Sales by Daniel Adams

Classic Sales Books
•  Gold: Selling to Big Companies by Jill Konrath
•  Silver: Sell Like A Girl by Jeanne Worrick
•  Silver: Growing Great Sales Teams by Colleen Stanley
 
Sales Leadership
•  Gold: Coaching Salespeople Into Sales Champions by Keith Rosen
•  Silver: The Sales Manager's Mentor by Jeff Lehman
•  Silver: Sales Coaching by Linda Richardson

Sales Methodology
•  Gold: Reality Sells by Bill Guertin and Andrew Corbus
•  Silver: Selling to Big Companies by Jill Konrath
•  Silver: Selling Against The Goal by Kendra Lee
 
Sales Motivation
•  Gold: The All Star Sales Book by Billy Cox
•  Silver: Soar Despite Your Dodo Sales Manager by Lee Salz
•  Silver: How To Be A Sales Super Star by Mark Tewart
 
Prospecting
•  Gold: The Real Secrets of the Top 20% by Mike Brooks
•  Silver: Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling by Sam Richter
•  Silver: 42 Rules of Cold Calling Executives by Mari Anne Vanella
 
Presenting
•  Gold: Presentations That Change Minds by Josh Gordon
•  Silver: Value Selling by Julie Thomas
•  Silver: The Selling Gap by Harlan Goerger and Greg Deal
 
Industry Specific
•  Gold: Salesopedia by Clayton Shold
•  Silver: Selling to Big Companies by Jill Konrath
 
Sales Audio Programs
•  Gold:  Nano Sales Books by Linda Richardson
•  Silver: Getting Into Big Companies by Jill Konrath
•  Silver: Sales Superstar by Tim Mulcahy
 
eBooks
•  Gold: 200 Sales Hunting Tips by Mark Hunter
•  Silver: Coffee's For Closers by SalesRoundup.com
•  Silver: The Staircase Principle by Terri Dunevant
 

The Landslide Sales Book of the Year
Perfect Selling by Linda Richardson

 

And finally, a big thanks to:

•  Jeb Blount from Sales Gravy and Jonathan Farrington
    from Top Sales Experts for creating this long overdue
    recognition for sales books!

•  The team of dedicated, but anonymous evaluators who read
    many, many books in order to determine the winners.

Part II: Is your sales team making the numbers?

On Monday, I posted the first part of my interview with the authors of the Making the Number. As I said earlier, this book can really shake up the sales organization - but in the process, take it to new heights.

I recommend it to any business owner or sales executive who is serious about doing just that.

Here's Part II of my interview with the authors:

1. How does sales benchmarking help predict sales performance?

Sales benchmarking is diagnostic technique that focuses on leading not lagging indicators. Instead of sales leaders reviewing quota attainment results, they can use it to focus on metrics like pipeline-to-quota ratio. In short, sales benchmarking enables sales executives to look over the horizon instead of drive using the rear view mirror.

2.  What are the first steps in getting started with a sales benchmarking effort?

Here are four things you can do immediately when you visit our www.salesbenchmarking.com home page.

• Watch a video about how Bill James and his how Sabermetrics approach helped the Boston Red Sox win the World Series. You'll learn why this has relevance to sales benchmarking.
• Download a copy of the World Class 100.
• Check out the video from NetSuite CEO, Zach Nelson. He discusses how sales benchmarking helps his company close business.
• Take a sample benchmark at www.salesbenchmarkindex.com/benchmark

3.  How much does something like this cost?

Our programs start at $1,500 and go to $500,000 plus. It is based on a pay as you go cost per metric. Typically, the cost of a sales benchmarking program is less than 1% of the benefit it provides.

4. What are two or three takeaways for everyone who reads your book?

• Takeaway #1: You can and should compare yourself and your sales force to peers.
• Takeaway #2: Look at world-class sales organization performance to determine where you should close the gap.
• Takeaway #3: Use best practices benchmarking as the means of closing the gap and driving shareholder appreciation.

Many thanks to author Mike Drapeau for the sharing his thoughts on sales benchmarking. If you embrace it, everything changes!

Is your sales team making the numbers? If not, check this out.

It's been a long time since I've read a book that has the potential to shake up the sales profession! 

But Making the Number: How to Use Sales Benchmarking to Drive Performance, the new book by Greg Alexander, Aaron Bartels, & Mike Drapeau is one that will.

The authors show you, step-by-step, how almost any sales organization can improve dramatically - and I mean that! But it's not a cakewalk. If you're an entrepreneur or sales leader, you'll definitely want to check it out. 

While you're waiting for your copy to arrive, here's Part I of my interview with the authors:

1.  What motivated you to write this book?

We all came to the subject from separate paths. Greg came from the sale management and was tired of the claim that sales artistry trumped sales measurement. Aaron came from sales operations and was frustrated with the difficulty of comparing one organization to another. Mike, who came from marketing, had struggled to find a way to depict the inefficiencies in the Sales-Marketing interface.

2.  How do you define "sales benchmarking?"

It's a rigorous methodology that uses empirical 3rd party sales data to help executives understand how they're performing relative to a peer group.  The output of this effort is:

• Accurate identification of sales process weaknesses
• The ability to prioritize improvement initiatives
• And the ability to apply best practices.

3. How does sales benchmarking benefit the individual?

There is a whole chapter in the book on just this very topic. Let me quote:

“Sales benchmarking allows salespeople to better manage their most precious resource—time. It allows salespeople to focus on those opportunities with the highest probability of success.

"Data-driven decision making enables sales reps to eliminate non value-adding activities that consume selling time.

"Furthermore, it can assist individuals in making more informed decisions about which types of companies and for what kind of sales leadership to work.”

In summary, the book title says it all - a sales leader will make their number after reading this book.

4. What's the difference between sales benchmarking and sales analytics?

Sales analytics is when companies collect and analyze sales data. They run reports, compare current to past performance, stack rank sales reps, and attempt to build forecasts.   

In order to do sales benchmarking, an organization must be doing some form of sales analytics. The difference, though, is that with sales benchmarking, an organization also does the following:

• Adopts a common classification scheme for their internal data.
• Compares internal data to external data of peers.
• Leverages sales best practices from high performers in other industries.
• Tracks leading indicators.

Sales benchmarking helps you compare what your organization is doing to companies in other industries - as well as make significant improvements to you bottom line in the process.

On Thursday, I'll publish Part II of my interview. The authors will answer these questions:

• How does sales benchmarking help predict sales performance?
• What are the first steps in getting started with a sales benchmarking effort?
• How much does something like this cost?
• What are two or three takeaways for everyone who reads your book?

Once again, if you'd like to check out this book on Amazon, here's the link.

What should I cover in my new book?

I want to start writing in early 2009. I have lots of ideas, but rather than me telling you what they are, I'd like your input.

What should I write about next?
I look forward to ALL of your ideas & insights.

Striking a Fortune!

In the most recent issue of Fortune magazine, Selling to Big Companies was selected as a "must read" book that belongs in everyone's briefcase.

I'm honored that it was chosen as one of only eight books recommended - especially since the competitors were all the other good sales books ever written!

And you know what makes me even more excited? When I get emails like this one from Jim Cox of IC System:

Using your strategies, I researched a 3-year old Internet financial services company that was growing by $100M annually and figured out a hot button.

I called the CFO and left a value proposition focused voicemail. In it, I named two Internet company clients of ours (one is also a key vendor of the prospect) and shared quick statistics to sum up our performance.

The next day, the Operations Vice President called me! This process took 90 more days to complete, but last week we won a verbal commitment for $5M in business all at once before the end of July. Plus there's potential for $10M more next year.

Cool, huh!  If you want to check out Selling to Big Companies, here's the Amazon link. Make sure you read the 46+ Five Star reviews. Or start by downloading two chapters on my website.

Also, here's a link to the entire Fortune article:

Download Fortune-SelllingtoBigCompanies-9-08.pdf

Update: How to Sell Your Ideas Faster

If you missed today's teleseminar with Dan Roam, author of the The Back of the Napkin, you'll want to listen in now.

    Click here to download the mp3 file or listen in via streaming audio.

Plus, Michael Port, author of Book Yourself Solid, Stephanie Diamond, author of Web Marketing for Small Business and I all share our ideas on how to use Dan's concepts when working with existing & prospective customers.

What's on the Reading Table?

If you're new to the Selling to Big Companies blog, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or receive free email updates. Thanks for visiting.

My reading table is always full. These are the books I'm tackling next:

Selling to Big Companies, by Jill Konrath
It's been a while since I read this little gem, but I hear it's really good.  Here's what Bill who works for a printing company reports:

"Last week, my company received an order for $250,000, sold 100% over the phone using your “Pathway to Heaven” selling techniques. The client and my company have never met! This is powerful evidence that your strategies ALONE can close a 6-figure deal. I have about 5 more similar deals in the pipeline too." If you haven't read it yet, get your copy at Amazon now.

Design Matters: Packaging 01, by Capsule
At first blush, it looks like this Minneapolis-based design firm who created the Sales SheBang logo has created another book to drool for. It's filled with tons of incredible photos & drawings that illustrate their strategy-driven packaging design process. Check out my review of their 1st book, Design Matters//Logos 01 on Amazon.

Sway, The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior, by Ori & Rom Brafman. All about the hidden psychological forces that sabotage rational thinking. Sounds to me like something sellers should know about.

Sell Like a Girl, by Jeanne Worrick
This book is for women who are thinking about a sales career, but concerned about their ability to succeed in a testosterone-driven profession.

The Art of Learning, by Josh Waitzkin
The author is a former 8-time world chess champ, the real kid behind the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, and also 13-time national martial arts champion. He's studied and written about the principles of learning.

Emotionomics: Winning Hearts and Minds, by Dan Hill
I've heard this book is really good, so want to check it out.

Crazy Busy, by Edward Hallowell
Again, this "crazy busy" work environment is affecting us in sales. What can we do? That's what I'm trying to find out.

TunedIn: Uncover the Extraordinary Opportunities that Lead to Business Breakthroughs
by Craig Stull, Phil Myers & David Meerman Scott. I'm looking forward to learning what new insights these guys have to share.

The Zen of Creativity: Cultivating Your Artistic Life, by Joan Daido Loori
I always love to learn more about creativity.

My Summer Reading List

What am I reading? I get asked that question all the time. Here are the books I've read this past month, with a bit of commentary on each.

Growing Great Sales Teams, by Colleen Stanley
A little book with a big punch. As a former VP of Sales, author Colleen Stanley shares practical, but high impact strategies you can use to first get your sales team back on track and then excel.

What I appreciate most about this book is that it's based on the "lessons from the cornfield" where work needed to get done, crops need to be harvested and excuses weren't acceptable. In short, it's fun to read.

(Colleen is speaking on EQ + IQ = Sales Results at my upcoming Sales SheBang conference for women in sales being held September 23-24 in Minneapolis.)

Good in a Room, by Stephanie Palmer
At first I wasn't sure I was going to like this book, but by the end I was a big fan. The author wasn't a salesperson. However, as the former Director of Creative Affairs at MGM, she evaluated sales pitches on a regular basis and became fascinated by what worked and what didn't.

Good in a Room offers a fresh perspective on sales, completely devoid of any of the traditional "sales speak" preached by gurus of the past. Lots of unique insights from a good observer. Worth getting.

Topgrading for Sales, by Bradford Smart & Greg Alexander
If you need to hire salespeople, this book is a must read. As the authors so clearly point out, the cost of bad hiring can easily be over $1/2 million when you add in hiring costs, compensation, severance, disruption, & opportunity costs.

In Topgrading, you'll learn a proven hiring/interview process that helps you clearly define what skills are needed, sorts the "A" players from the fakers - and, as a result, totally transform your business.  Plus, it comes with a complete toolkit with ready-to-use forms that can easily be modified for virtually any sales position.

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko, by Daniel Pink
Pink's first two books are among my favorites: Free Agent Nation and A Whole New Mind. But when this one came out, I personally wasn't interested in the topic: a career guide for thriving in the world of work.

However, I had to get a copy because it's the first business book in the U.S. that's written in manga, the Japanese comic book format. So what do I think? A bit light on content, but fun to read. Reminded me of being a kid again. Plus, it made me realize how much fluff is in some books - just to make them impressive.

In Praise of Slowness, by Carl Honore
In our crazy, hyper-competitive business world, it seems like doing things faster is the only way to keep up. Personally, I think people have reached the breaking point. By this, I mean corporate decision makers AND salespeople.

That's why I'm studying slowness. I think that by "challenging the cult of speed," we can positively impact sales. If you have any insights on this, please share them with me.

What have you been reading lately?

Tooting Your Own Horn

You know what I hate? I hate telling people to get my book. They give me this look like, "You're just trying to get rich off me."

Ha ha! I make $1/book. That's it. I didn't write Selling to Big Companies to become a millionaire. I wrote it because it needed to be written. And, if you haven't read it yet, you're really missing the boat. Here's why:

Amazon Ranking: It's been a Top 25 Sales Book for over 2  years. Today it's #10!  That's because people keep buying it!

Amazon Customer Reviews: 47 reviews, average rating is 5 (highest)

Here's the newest from Joe Perry:

This book is easily the best sales book I've ever read. Implementing Jill's methodology has literally transformed my career and made me more money than I ever dreamed possible. I no longer view myself as a "sales person", I now view myself as a "business improvement specialist". According to Jill, this mindset is the #1 key to success. And I have to say I've seen this truth play out in arguably the most competitive business environment in the world, New York City.

The section on leveraging email as an account entry strategy has been especially helpful to me. I can't tell you how many meetings I've generated from well-crafted, customized emails and subject lines. In the age that we live so driven by technology, get this book for no other reason than just that.

Barbara Killen sent me this email:

It works! It works! Recently I left two short messages for a person I thought was the decision maker. A few days later, a more senior member of the company called and left ME a voicemail! 

She said she was very interested in … get this … the short, clear value proposition I'd stated both times in my messages! It was almost word for word! I was so excited, I couldn't believe it.  When I hung up, I let out a huge yell and my boss came running.

Startup sales experts Karl Goldfield recently wrote a detailed review on his blog - giving it his first perfect score EVER. He says:

This was a light read at 230 pages, but so packed with content I would find myself rethinking my own strategies as I finished each chapter. That is the sign of a brilliant educator is to effortlessly force the student to apply what they learned by changing their perception.

The clarity of her simple message is fantastic. What is even more compelling is that she admits her flaws, thus making you appreciate her as a fellow salesperson. It humanizes her experience and validates the insight. She feels like a colleague not a writer preaching the “way”. You can read more here.

And this is just a small sampling of the emails and messages that come my way on a regular basis.

So, if you're struggling to crack into corporate accounts it's time to get Selling to Big Companies. Don't take my word on it. The book makes a difference.

No More Excuses for Not Being a SuperStar

Today my colleague Paul McCord is releasing his newest book, SuperStar Selling. He contacted me a few months ago, asking for an endorsement. I'm pretty picky, so I asked him to send me a copy.

After reading it, here's what I wrote:

”Think top sellers are born, not made?  If so, you'll learn otherwise in this straight-shooting book by Paul McCord. He takes the mystique out of their stellar results and shows you exactly what top producers do differently from the Average Joe. Best of all, he shows you how you can replicate their achievements, capitalize on your personal strengths and take charge of your success."

If you're not achieving the results you want, check this book out now. If you buy it in the next couple days, you get a whole slew of bonuses too. Get your copy at Amazon, then go claim all your goodies.

Check out The Go-Giver

My friend Bob Burg has written a powerful little book entitled The Go-Giver which was just released. This book is a parable about a salesperson who's really struggling right now.

To get his mojo back, he seeks guidance from an older & wiser counselor who shares five laws of success that totally transform his approach to sales.

When Bob asked me what I thought of it, I wrote back:

The Go-Giver is a much-needed breath of fresh air in a business environment that's lost sight of what's really important. Og Mandino finally has some competition!

To get his message out, Bob Burg is having a one-day sale where you can get the book at a 20% discount and receive a $297 set of videos (a full day with experts like Bob Proctor, Bo Short, Cameron Johnson and Stephanie Frank) at no cost.

If you're interested in learning more, check out The Go-Giver promotion now.

Does Your Elevator Speech Need a Lift?

Do you stammer and trip over your own words when people at business functions ask, "What do you do?"  If so, that's not good.

If you're struggling to clearly articulate what you do and for whom, check out Give Your Elevator Speech a Lift."  This nifty little book, written by media specialist Lorraine Howell, gives you step-by-step directions to craft a winning one in no time flat.

As Lorraine says, "In this age of sound bites, channel surfing and information overload, getting your message out quickly and effectively is essential."

FYI: Here's my elevator speech ... "I help sellers crack into corporate accounts and win big contracts."

Jill Recommends ...

My Favorite Sales Books
Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play, Mahan Khalsa
No More Cold Calling, Joanne Black
ROI Selling, Michael Nick
Secrets of Question-Based Selling, Thomas Freese

Metaphorically Selling, Anne Miller
Sales & Marketing the Six Sigma Way, Michael Webb
Selling Against the Goal, Kendra Lee

Sales Autopsy, Dan Seidman
Selling to VITO, Anthony Parinello
Think Like Your Customer, Bill Stinnett
Why Johnny Can't Sell, Michael Nick

Good Lead Generation Resources
Lead Generation for the Complex Sale, Brian Carroll
Fundamentals of Business-to-Business Sales & Marketing, John Coe

Sales Tools
Writing White Paper, Michael Stelzner

Books That Get You Thinking
A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink
Selling is Dead, Marc Miller

Marketing
The Marketing Manager's Handbook, Eric Gagnon
Trade Show & Event Marketing, Ruth Stevens
Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants, Mike McLaughlin & Jay Conrad Levinson
Duct Tape Marketing, John Jantsch
The Corporate Blogging Book, Debbie Weil

Book Review: Design Matters // Logos 01

This excellent book was written by the team at Capsule who designed the logo for the Sales Shebang. From the moment I saw it, I was impressed. It's a well-designed piece of art with extraordinary visual impact - and it even feels good to the touch.

If you're thinking about updating your firm's "look", you need to get Design Matters//Logos 01:

• It's filled with guiding principles and step-by-step guidance on creating a new visual icon that conveys the meaning of your company.
• You'll learn how they created numerous logos and redesigns that have had significant impact on their client's business.
• It's an incredible source of inspiration and ideas. You can look through it a gazillion times and keep seeing new things.

There's even a logo gallery at the end of the book. Design firms from across the world submitted their logos and the Capsule team picked out the "best of the best."

I've used Capsule to design two logos for me in the past few years. They're the best. And they gave away all their secrets in the book. You'll love it. I love it! Get it at Amazon now.

Top Dog Sales Secrets

Today I received my copy of Top Dog Sales Secrets: 50 Top Experts Show You Ways to Skyrocket Your Sales.

It's really good. The publisher selected excellent articles written by some of the best sales strategists I know including: Colleen Francis, Bill Caskey, Michelle Nichols, Steve Waterhouse, Al Uszynski, Mike Schulz and Wendy Weiss.

Over 80 articles are included on a wide variety of sales topics: prospecting, cold calling, phone skills, sales skills, questions, stalls, presentations, sales skills, strategies, value, closing and negotiating.

If you're looking for ideas & insights, you won't be disappointed. Check out Top Dog Sales Secrets now.

P.S. Five of my articles are in it, including several of my favorites: Passing the "Tell Me More" Test and Naked Sales Calls.

Book Review: Duct Tape Marketing

John Jantsch knows what it takes to create marketing that sticks and ultimately leads to quantifiable results. In Duct Tape Marketing, his up-to-date advice shows small business owners numerous strategies they can implement to create a systematic approach to marketing.

For companies selling into the business-to-business (B2B) marketplace, pay particular attention to these chapters