What You Can Expect from This Book

The information contained in this book is the result of seventeen years of work, beginning with my research into understanding sales and sales management competency (what it takes to successfully sell) when I was a marketing manager at AT&T. The book is not as much about selling techniques as it is about how to be effective and innovative and sell successfully for the long term. It is about leadership—doing the right things and inspiring others to follow.

Part I, “Make the Sale,” is about how to deliver high-value solutions in the right markets. Its focus is not how many calls to make but rather how to make the right calls. Much more than a primer on basic selling techniques, it encourages salespeople who want to be leaders in their industry to define their businesses in customers’ terms and determine the specific advantages they bring to the market. It suggests that leaders consider their business model because that model may ultimately determine how quickly the business will succeed, or perhaps whether it will succeed at all. It provides recommendations for identifying the problems you can solve for your customers and then effectively positioning that message with them and delivering on your promises. It is about winning sales, building relationships, and keeping customers.

Part II, “Take the Lead,” provides a framework for sales leaders who create innovative solutions for their customers. It is about leading change in a sales environment. Building on Part I, it takes leadership from selling in the right markets with the right products and right positioning into understanding and challenging the status quo. It distinguishes between the concepts of management and leadership. It examines how exceptional sales leaders are able to define limits and then exceed them to deliver innovative customer solutions. It is about how to change the framework and make unique and larger sales.

Part III, “Win,” suggests that to be a leader for the long term requires a number of traits, such as integrity, planning, and balance. Integrity involves trust. Planning means identifying and staying with the right priorities and using time wisely; it helps you avoid the management-by-crisis mentality that can undermine your effectiveness and distract from high-value customer activities. Balance is about understanding the ultimate benefits that sales leaders can attain, depending on how they view themselves and why they do what they do.