An informed and enthusiastic guide to managing sales internationally.
A veteran of international sales offers insights for others in the field.
In this business book, Selch draws on decades of work with governments and corporations around the world to explain the fundamentals of a strong international sales organization. The volume covers basics like the value of developing an international sales channel, the key personnel involved in selling globally, the mechanics of establishing a relationship with a local distributor, how shipping and payment are managed across borders, and the ways in which modifying a product for a particular market can help and hamper sales. The book addresses both building a sales organization from scratch and managing an existing network of regional managers, distributors, and salespeople. The author also devotes a chapter to best practices for trade shows, addressing everything from how he prefers to organize his booth to the types of conversations he aims to have with each visitor. The work does an excellent job of explaining the elements of sales, and readers without a background in the field will be able to follow the discussions of strategy, market share, and training programs. Selch, who introduces himself as “a bit of an a-hole,” does not pull his punches (“In my opinion, the vast majority of people in the US who are building international sales organizations have no idea what they’re doing, so the organizations that they build are almost by definition faulty and weak”). While the aggressive tone of his prose may not appeal to all readers, some will find his unabashed confidence motivational. The author is undoubtedly knowledgeable about selling products in a global context, and the many stories he shares from his career illustrate the book’s concepts and establish his credentials as an expert. Readers looking to expand their careers or their companies’ sales in overseas markets will find many concrete lessons and thought-provoking suggestions throughout the text.
An informed and enthusiastic guide to managing sales internationally.Pub Date: Nov. 23, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73591-310-0
Page Count: 362
Publisher: Global Sales Mentor LLC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Perhaps not magic but appealing nonetheless.
Want to get ahead in business? Consult a dictionary.
By Wharton School professor Berger’s account, much of the art of persuasion lies in the art of choosing the right word. Want to jump ahead of others waiting in line to use a photocopy machine, even if they’re grizzled New Yorkers? Throw a because into the equation (“Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?”), and you’re likely to get your way. Want someone to do your copying for you? Then change your verbs to nouns: not “Can you help me?” but “Can you be a helper?” As Berger notes, there’s a subtle psychological shift at play when a person becomes not a mere instrument in helping but instead acquires an identity as a helper. It’s the little things, one supposes, and the author offers some interesting strategies that eager readers will want to try out. Instead of alienating a listener with the omniscient should, as in “You should do this,” try could instead: “Well, you could…” induces all concerned “to recognize that there might be other possibilities.” Berger’s counsel that one should use abstractions contradicts his admonition to use concrete language, and it doesn’t help matters to say that each is appropriate to a particular situation, while grammarians will wince at his suggestion that a nerve-calming exercise to “try talking to yourself in the third person (‘You can do it!’)” in fact invokes the second person. Still, there are plenty of useful insights, particularly for students of advertising and public speaking. It’s intriguing to note that appeals to God are less effective in securing a loan than a simple affirmative such as “I pay all bills…on time”), and it’s helpful to keep in mind that “the right words used at the right time can have immense power.”
Perhaps not magic but appealing nonetheless.Pub Date: March 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780063204935
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Harper Business
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
Career and business advice for the hashtag generation. For all its self-absorption, this book doesn’t offer much reflection...
A Dumpster diver–turned-CEO details her rise to success and her business philosophy.
In this memoir/business book, Amoruso, CEO of the Internet clothing store Nasty Gal, offers advice to young women entrepreneurs who seek an alternative path to fame and fortune. Beginning with a lengthy discussion of her suburban childhood and rebellious teen years, the author describes her experiences living hand to mouth, hitchhiking, shoplifting and dropping out of school. Her life turned around when, bored at work one night, she decided to sell a few pieces of vintage clothing on eBay. Fast-forward seven years, and Amoruso was running a $100 million company with 350 employees. While her success is admirable, most of her advice is based on her own limited experiences and includes such hackneyed lines as, “When you accept yourself, it’s surprising how much other people will accept you, too.” At more than 200 pages, the book is overlong, and much of what the author discusses could be summarized in a few tweets. In fact, much of it probably has been: One of the most interesting sections in the book is her description of how she uses social media. Amoruso has a spiritual side, as well, and she describes her belief in “chaos magic” and “sigils,” a kind of wishful-thinking exercise involving abstract words. The book also includes sidebars featuring guest “girlbosses” (bloggers, Internet entrepreneurs) who share equally clichéd suggestions for business success. Some of the guidance Amoruso offers for interviews (don’t dress like you’re going to a nightclub), getting fired (don’t call anyone names) and finding your fashion style (be careful which trends you follow) will be helpful to her readers, including the sage advice, “You’re not special.”
Career and business advice for the hashtag generation. For all its self-absorption, this book doesn’t offer much reflection or insight.Pub Date: May 6, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16927-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Portfolio
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
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