Buyer Approved Selling

by Michael Schell and Christopher Locke

If You Are A Sales Professional, Don’t Read This Book. Live It! Ever wondered which selling approaches really work? Of course you have. But if you’re like many salespeople you’ve never considered the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0973167513
• ISBN13: 9780973167511
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Approved Publications
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Buyer-Approved Selling

This book is well organized and very easy to read. The numerous comments from active buyers are a big plus. I highly recommend this book for anyone engaged in business to business selling.

The Art & Science of Understanding the Buyer's Perspective

Schell's approach is unique in that he focuses almost entirely on the sales process (both cultivation and solicitation) from "the buyer's side of the desk." He organizes his material in a series of eight parts. In each, he offers specific tips which, for those with extensive sales experience and sustained success, may seem obvious. While many of his suggestions are obvious, such as organizing your prospect database or developing an Industry-Specific Positioning Statement (ISPS), the fact remains that his tips offer substantial value if only as reminders. Everyone in sales encounters a period of failure when they begin to question what they are doing wrong. Reviewing Schell's key points will reveal what they have taken for granted, ignored, neglected or bungled. In addition, Schell includes dozens of comments from 228 buyers who agreed to 330 interviews and provided responses to 4,327 questions. In one of the most interesting chapters entitled, "How to annoy buyers-guaranteed," respondents warrant the guarantee. They confirm that the most successful salespeople know which questions to ask of both prospects and customers. They spend at least 80% of the time listening to the buyer's responses. He also includes a Planning Guide with each chapter using a "Permission-Based Model." This book is both a manual and a workbook, one whose material each reader should modify to accommodate her or his specific needs, interests, goals, and circumstances. Here's a suggestion: Select ten to fifteen customers and schedule a meeting with each. Ask two questions. "What do you like best about doing business with me? and "What more can I do to be of greater service to you and to your company?" The responses may surprise you. You may also be surprised by how eager the buyers are to respond. Why? In all probability, they are seldom asked those two questions. What does that reveal about your own customer relationships? Of equal (if not greater) importance, what does that reveal about your competitors? If you now lack a decisive competitive advantage, a frank conversation with several of your customers may well identify one for you.