According to the business sages at Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc., sales make the world go round. That’s a bold statement, but when you consider that a driver for an international freight company may not have a job if a salesperson hasn’t sold the products being delivered, or that an aerospace engineer wouldn’t have anything to do if an account executive hadn’t secured a contract for commercial jets, it makes pretty good sense. In this snappy guide to making winning transactions, the organization behind the colossal bestseller How to Win Friends and Influence People explains the ins and outs of finding prospects, getting their attention, building trust, giving customers what they want, negotiating, handling objections and securing the sale. The suggestions range from the practical (e.g., make sure the audiovisual equipment works before giving a sales presentation) to the psychological (e.g., figure out the customer’s emotional motive for buying something); taken together, they make for a good primer for novices and a perfect refresher for old hands.

Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Salespeople are always looking for ways to overcome objections and close more deals, but all good salespeople know there is no magic formula to achieve this. The authors tell us that, like playing an instrument, selling is hard and unpleasant at first, but with practice it can become easy and even enjoyable. This highly readable guide for creating better long-term relationships with customers comes from the same group that produced the best-seller The Leader in You: How to Win Friends, Influence People, and Succeed in a Changing World (1993). They take you through the process step-by-step, from prospecting to preparing for initial contact, getting through the "gatekeepers" to reach the decision makers, using proper etiquette for phone and in-person presentations, to selling beyond questions of price. Tips include avoiding cliche "danger words," such as best, largest, or highest quality, unless you can back them up with facts and evidence. There are sections covering different styles and showmanship, interpreting and using body language to your advantage, knowing when it's time to walk away from a sale, and overcoming objections by validating your customer's concerns. David Siegfried

Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.