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Differentiation Selling

Name: Differentiation Selling
Author: René Knecht
ISBN: 978-9081599443

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO SELLING SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS IN COMPETITIVE MARKETS

by René Knecht ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 12, 2012

A thought-provoking sales alternative that may appeal to forward-thinking sales managers.

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A debut philosophical treatise on selling that challenges commonly accepted sales principles.

Consider a sales situation in which a salesperson guides a prospective buyer into accepting and embracing change—but doesn’t mention the product or service being sold. Many salespeople would reject it outright, but according to Knecht, “differentiation selling”—a concept he developed after extensive research—can lead to sales success for services and solutions in competitive markets. This pamphlet-sized work first lays out differentiation selling’s philosophy, and then demonstrates it in action. The basic premise is that a salesperson’s role is to guide a prospective client “to question decisions made in the past” because the individual “needs to negotiate with himself or herself. The value of your solution becomes apparent when it is compared with the alternatives: your unique buying proposition comes to the fore.” Salespeople comfortable with traditional sales pitches may find such a consultative approach difficult to swallow, and that’s why Knecht’s examples prove valuable, as he offers a list of actual “process-oriented questions” to ask prospective buyers, along with situational dialogue. He includes an extensive bibliography to help support his unconventional way of thinking, and his own writing is clear, direct and to the point, his message appropriately short and easy to read. In the end, differentiation selling comes across as not merely a novel sales technique, but as an intriguing sales philosophy, even if it may be antithetical to how most salespeople operate. As such, although differentiation selling may seem refreshingly sensible to some readers, it may be a hard sell for others.

A thought-provoking sales alternative that may appeal to forward-thinking sales managers.

Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2012

ISBN: 978-9081599443

Page Count: 86

Publisher: René Knecht

Review Posted Online: April 30, 2013

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.