A DOER SELLER'S GUIDE FOR BEING SUCCESSFUL AT SALES

Dion, an entrepreneur, consultant and sales professional, offers advice for salespeople and their managers.

  What makes a good seller? The answer, of course, often depends on the person offering instruction, mentoring or simple advice. Business-owner and sales-veteran Dion asserts that good selling is less about product knowledge, personal experience or instinct and more about metrics and the salesperson’s understanding of them. The author’s unequivocal statement that these statistics are “the single most important and self-disciplined activity that any seller can undertake” is underscored by his quantitative approach in the presentation of concepts regarding time management, relationship building, acquiring/keeping business and especially overall sales-process analysis. His approach is based less on research and more on experience and observation as a trainer, consultant and salesman. The text is undemanding, often employing easy-to-read checklists, charts and some of the probing inventory questions characteristic of workshops and seminars. The concepts often go back and forth between abstract ideas and practical processes. Those new to sales, for example, might benefit from the overall concepts, such as understanding their own motivations or categorizing decision-makers, while seasoned sales people might benefit from the practical ideas of creating worry cards or how to interact with gatekeepers. The concepts or their application aren’t terribly momentous or new, including the Doer/Seller language of the title. Veteran salespeople and readers of more than a few sales books will recognize some age-old ideas that are simply repackaged, a few with acronyms indicative of business speak. What might be new is the idea that technology allows a sales manager to delve deep into seemingly limitless sales measurements, an idea that will be embraced by some but disdained by others. These themes, however, are never presented in an overly heavy-handed or aggressive way, a tone sometimes reflected in the countless books on selling. Dion seems flexible enough when describing his workshop adjustments to fit clients or even his readers, however, his approach that prioritizes sales measurement might still give pause to sales veterans who would give equal time to product knowledge and skill. The author’s method isn’t meant to be comprehensive, and even the most seasoned seller will pick up something, or at least find reinforcement in what they are already doing.  

Some useful concepts and tips, but nothing too novel.