Book Description

If you are offering a speech or seminars and you are good, listeners will want more good things from you. Making books, reports, tapes, and other products available can quickly double that booking's income. Yet there are specific things that make this far more profitable, as this tape will explain in much detail. Also, how you find products to sell, what to charge, and how they should be displayed. This one-hour tape removes the mystery from a very simple process: earning twice you are getting paid to speak by what you sell later. Or at least enough extra to pay for your room and board! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Useful ideas and interesting interviews
I enjoyed the interviews with sales leaders in this audio book. I sell electronic equipment and found the interview with the VP of Sales at Snap On Tools to have many ideas I could use on my own sales calls. I have listened to this tape a few times driving from appointments and will hold on to it for future reference. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Stimulating ideas
Although I'm not in sales this is a timely book for me. I have had a lot of problems getting management to take my proposals seriously. This book has opened my eyes to all the mistakes I made in my approach.

why People Buy
Steve Heiman and Bob Miller pick up where they left off with the successful, seminal work on strategy sales called Strategic Selling with a similarly valuable book called Conceptual Selling. Sales today is not about tips and techniques - buyers have become quite sophisticated and expect more than product and service pitches from sales people. Conceptual Selling lays out a logical, approachable process that can be taught, coached, and repeated. What more could you ask for?

Sound concepts and useful lists overcome only fair writing.
"Conceptual Selling" offers a sound and useful approach which should improve results for any salesperson. The authors do a fine job of laying out their philosophy and walking the reader through each step of their customer-focused sales process. This process is neither earthshaking nor mindbending. Instead, it is off-center enough to be innovative and intuitive enough to seem real, even before you implement it for yourself.

Readers looking for alternatives to hard-sell, "close-of-the-week" approaches will consider "Conceptual Selling" a welcome find. The authors do a good job of including check lists, work sheets and high-level summaries of key points and processes. The result is a book you can quickly put to good use and a resource you can easily return to time and again.

The only flaw in the book (the reason for four, instead of five stars) is that the writing was too often overdone and repetitive. To their credit the authors present their concepts clearly. However, it seems they felt the need to oversell a concept which is all about not overselling. Fortunately, the concepts and useful tools they present more than overcome this modest shortcoming. I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Mastering Selling provides a powerful new perspective for business-to-business salespeople. Steve Sullivan redefines a process that has been made overly complex. His clear, focused message will give your sales representatives new, pro-active ideas to help them get results and accomplish their goals. ... Read more

Book Description

Rainmakers make the big bucks. For their companies and for themselves. Here’s how.

The rainmaker is the person who brings big clients, big money, and big deals into an organization. How do they make the rain fall? Waiting for luck won’t do, a very particular human being must get involved. Successful rainmakers are among the highest-paid employees in every company in every industry. They operate under many titles—owner, partner, sales representative, CEO, agent, managing director, and fund-raiser.

Author Jeffrey Fox is a rainmaker who knows how to talk about his gift. He pursues revenues and, in his sharp, witty style, takes you along for the ride. This hard-hitting
collection of sales and marketing stories is packed with fifty smart, no-nonsense tips that show you how to succeed with any customer.

Fox will explain the Rainmaker’s Credo, why customers don’t care about you, the six killer sales questions, why you should dare to be dumb, and why breakfast meetings bring rain. He’ll help you discover why you should never be “in a meeting,” why earthquakes don’t count, why you should sell on Friday afternoons, and other critical skills. If becoming a rainmaker is your goal—whatever your business—this program is for you.
... Read more

Reviews (41)

Making Clouds, not Rain
This short, easy read is a quick refresher course of the basic principals of selling. Mr. Fox breaks down the rainmaking, or sales execution, process into a number of sequential 'Killer Questions' designed to turn your sales target into a frienly decision maker.

As a former salesperson, I did find a number of the killer questions to be natural and direct, not pushy or canned. Mr. Fox also goes beyond simple client 'probing' and hammers at the importance of a hard days work, getting the appointment and pampering your clients once you have sold them.

I believe one should buy How to Become a Rainmaker. It is a quick read that offers enough unique material to help even the most seasoned salesperson. Will you become a rainmaker if you read this book? Nope...like every other rule in business, the rain will fall if you APPLY Mr. Fox's ideas.

Read once -- and then refer to it frequently
I was disappointed at first when I received this book. It was too small and slim to be useful, I thought. Wrong! It's full of good ideas and timely reminders for anyone who makes their living from causing and fulfilling other people's buying decisions.

As a consultant (rather than a product salesperson), some of the product-oriented advice wasn't applicable to my practice. The advice to "dollarize" customers' benefits are easier with "hard products" than they are with "soft services," but Fox does not address this challenge.

Those issues aside, I like the short but intense style, with each of the chapters taking little more than 2-3 pages (500-750 words). I remember watching a friend of mine, an antiques dealer, work with a customer. I thought, "He forgot to ask killer sales question number...," letting the customer leave the store even after expressing specific interest in purchaing an item. The book's style allows one to easily remember snippets like the six "killer sales questions" (each with its own chapter).

This is not a huckster's book, either. There's a heavy message of respect for the customer, fair dealing, not wasting time (yours OR your customer's), and attentiveness to the customer's wishes. Rainmakers thrive on relationships, not "quick kill" sales.

Fox also discusses this when addressing prospecting. He recommends prospecting a reasonably small number of targeted customers and investing time and effort in each one. PLan repeat contacts progressing toward a sale. Don't scatter your time and talents all over the board, mistaking effort for accomplishment.

"Rainmaker" is a valuable addition to my consulting library, and its compact size will make it easy to carry along with me for inspiration and recollection.

Simple minded and trite
I am sure that this book is handed out at many a company meeting. Too bad it does not have any substance to it. This book is merely a collection of stale and cliche ridden sales tips (though they have been changed enough to prevent any copyright lawsuits!). If you are looking for real sales tips, dont' buy this book. Rather, go to Google and search for sales tips. If you are a manager looking for a way to make your boss think you are motivating the troops, order this book. It might help your next review. This book is basically this year's "Who Moved my Cheese" or the fish throwing book.

just what I needed
I'm new to sales, so this book was great for me. I got a lot of help from it. I needed to sell my car among few other things, so i decided to go for this book because it didn't look like some sales bible filled with tons of information. I needed some fast information I could use right away, and this is exactly what I got from this book.

I'm guessing that to the seasoned, experienced seller this book would be waste of money and time, but for beginner who needs some fast, to the point information, it will be very helpful.

this is what you find in this book,
** customers don't care about you, but about themselves and their problems.
** Always plan your sales call, like a sports team plans their strategy. (He tells you how)
** Help them see money. Don't sell the product, sell dollorized value. People would select the product that yield lowest total cost. (I can't explain this, it'll take too much space, read the book, but this is one of the gems from the book.)
** He tells you few "killer" sales questions and explains them, very helpful.
** Don't make cold calls, don't go for "break the ice" introduction (he explains why)

get you into trouble water
Grabbed the old stuffs and merged them into a book. It was just a salad dish, not a melting pot. The segregation fully reflected Mr. Fox's inadequacies in sales. Anyway, broken pieces were broken pieces. Good needle-works could hardly conceal.

Using the words "Killer sales question" also disclosed Mr. Fox's real attitude towards customers. A sincere salesperson will not kill her/his customers with any probing question. Sales pro does mind the wordings and will choose them carefully.

Just another bogus guru. ... Read more

Book Description

They are the most chronicled family on the face of the globe. Their every move attracts headlines. Scores of books have tried and failed to penetrate the royal facade. Now Kitty Kelley has gone behind palace walls to provide the first three-dimensional, comprehensive, and evenhanded portrait of the men and women who make up the British Royal family.

Kelley spent more than four years investigating the royal family. In addition to meticulous research into documented sources, she conducted hundreds of exclusive interviews with past and present employees of the royal household, royal friends and relations, courtiers, members of Parliament, and other intimate observers, raising the curtain on this most secretive family.

Here are lonely royal children brought up without a proper education in isolated and artificial surroundings, twentieth-century adolescents with nineteenth-century touchstones. Here are the sexual ambiguities, the alcoholism, gambling, and womanizing that were common in the House of Windsor long before Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer. No one is spared; here are the scandals of the last decades: the doomed marriages, and the husbands, wives, lovers and children caught in their wake and damaged beyond repair.

Illuminating the Windsors' arrogance, naïveté, and lusts as well as hard work, dedication, and ability to survive the most humiliating disclosures, The Royals is Kitty Kelley's richest, most iconoclastic, historically significant, and compelling work.

Reviews (62)

A positive review
Having read this book I feel that it has been unfairly maligned. It is neither a trashing of the individuals in the house of Windsor nor is it a tabloid-esque scandal sheet. Ms. Kelly paints a complex psychological portrait of the members of the royal family in a way that does not excuse their well documented ill-behavior but rather allows the reader to have insight into their personal motivations. In a way the royal family of Britain are painted as very real and human characters with flaws and many emotional injuries. I wonder if the negative reaction to this book is due to the timing of its release and the fact that the narrative humanizes characters that Britain, for the sake of its history and system of governance, needs to be more that human. And for the rest of the world to serve as a mirror for our fantasies. For me this book elicited pathos for this family--the queen's coldness and inhumanity caused by the early death of her father and the trauma of the second world war with all of the incipient pressures that would befall her. (what a potentially terrifying childhood knowing that your destiny may require you to "save the nation" though the strength of your character). As for Charles (for whom I personally had a storng antipathy towards prior to reading this book) the childhood he had left him quite incapable of being a loving sympathetic man despite the fact that he apparently has a tremendous need to be so. Diana was bound to be crushed by the institution of royalty and the monarchy. Her "loony' behavior makes perfect sense when you consider that she as a 19 year old girl had just steeped though the looking glass and into a world with no allies. Also, don't kid yourself, while there some epistemological problems and some quotes must clearly be fabricated, a technique of historians going back to Herodotous, this is an exceedingly well crafted book.

Gossipy, and sometimes unbelievable!
Kitty Kelley's books are pretty much all the same--gossipy, tabloid-style writing--but they are fun to read. Some of the theories that she puts across in the book are so outlandish that you wonder if you're not *really* reading one of the tabloids! If you like reading about the Royal Family, and aren't too serious, you'll probably enjoy it. As for the authenticity of what she writes...well, I'll leave that for you to decide!

sleazy gossip and sly rumors
Those who compare this book to tabloid journalism are somewhat mistaken. Yes this book has its fair share of errors, and yes it is as sensationalistic as tabloid trash, but this book certainly shows enough research and gives enough credible sources to more or less accurately portray the scandals and "misbehavior" in the book. There are those who revere the Royals and don't want this stuff to be true because they want to look up to the Royal Family as the paradigm of family values and correct behavior, but I think with so many scandals and less-than-flattering revelations about the Royals' private lives through the years, most people I'm sure have become disillusioned with and cynical about them. Really, these bluebloods are just as flawed and ordinary as the rest of us, only difference being that they were born into the House of Windsor. What's their use? Well, they're good theatre. Also, they help out charities and other good causes, which is nice.

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"

Curse this book!
I picked the darn thing up at 8 PM one night and couldn't put it down until 7AM the following morning!

It "reads like a tabloid"---well, D'UH!

If you're looking for a serious, scholarly study on the House of Windsor, pass this little baby up. If you're looking for the dirt, the grim, the whispered secrets, and gossip galore, this book is for you.

(Dormouse's word of advice: Just don't read it the night before a job interview...not good, not good at all.)

Reads like a tabloid
Kitty Kelley would make a great gossip columnist, but as a biographer or historian she is absolutely awful.

She seems unaware that when King Georg IV and his wife Elizabeth visited North America World War II had not yet started. She also seems confused about when Churchill became Prime Minister. If she fails with these basic facts that can be found in any history book, how reliable can the rest of her information be? ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Practical Philanthropy
Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude, and for many, a time for philanthropy.

Of course, if you strongly believe in a charity or a cause, you will not only give to that cause, additionally you will proactively promote and fund-raise for that cause.

Promoting, or marketing for charity has its own unique set of challenges.

To overcome those challenges, publicity expert Michael Levine has written a powerful guidebook entitled "Selling Goodness".

In this book, Mr. Levine delivers strategies and tactical guidelines for creating newspaper, radio, and television awareness for your charity.

More importantly, this book will give you an effective leadership "mindset" that will empower your entire organization and fundraising efforts.

Whether its your childrens soccer team, The United Way, or raising money for a neighbor in need of an expensive medical procedure, "Selling Goodness" will give you the mindset and the tools to make your next fundraiser successful. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

"Why would I buy from you"!
Hands down the most talked about strategic sales improvement program my industry has ever heard. While at a presentation to over 500 Avaya business partners, Jim Pancero turned on a light bulb for every person in that room. This is a must buy tape if your company wants to survive! Jim Pancero will make you ask your sales people "Why would I buy from you"! After they listen to "How to Master Advanced Selling Skills" their answers will be dramatically different! ... Read more

Book Description

"Here’s the fun and easy way to profit from Drew’s ideas.Over 45,000 hard-hitting words in his dynamic, no-punches-pulled style:‘I Talk to You One-On-One and Deliver a Blizzard of Powerful Ad-Agency Tips and Techniques Worth Thousands of Dollars!You'll find no boring stories.No wasted time.Just the same meaty, how-to information that people have come to expect from my nationally famous ‘Advertising MAGIC!’™ seminar.And just like my seminar, the emphasis is on ideas and strategies you can apply right away....RIGHT NOW.And most of them cost little or nothing to implement! Fasten your seat belt & get started NOW!’" ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Rises above the rest
Over the past year I have read, listened or watched some of the best teaching programs available. And I mean dozens ...! For a program that includes content, presentation and price all in one package this one can't be beat. This program is timeless, unless advertising and marketing takes a turn we can't see just yet. I don't think that will be happening for a while.

I am getting enthused about writing ads!
I am just begining my business and I bought Drew's book and tapes to help me write my advertisements. Drew's advise is shaping my company message. I make a hockey puck for ice hockey players to practice with when they are off the ice. My old message would have been about how great the pucks were. My advertising theme now is directed at helping hockey players improve their skills. My ads will include advise on shooting, passing and stickhandling. We will become the source for off ice practice and training information. We were already leaning towards this idea but Drew's information really confirmed the value of doing business this way. Drew's tapes have given me a lot of new ideas and I am looking forward to when I can actually start writing my ads.
Pete Dudley, President
High Score Hockey

How to Create Power-Packed Ads, Brochures & Sales Letters...
I have been in advertising for 15 years and I really wasn't expecting to hear something that I did not know. My specialty has been brand building vs. direct response. I am sitting here, head just spinning over the information that I have either never thought of or didn't remember from college. Who would have thought that someone who has advertised for a living for so long
would get so much information and I'm only on tape #3!

There is no fluff, no hype, just pure information and facts. I can't wait to hear the rest. I will be ordering Drew Eric Whitman's next book as soon as I'm done with this one!

Buy this program!
I've been listening to tapes for over twenty years and can't think of any that is as jam-packed with useful information.

One of the things that really sets this program apart from others that I've listened to is the fact that Drew doesn't waste your time with a lot of dry theory and fluff. He gets right down to business and delivers an overwhelming amount of practical information in a style that is entertaining and easy to follow. He gives you an overview of the entire field of advertising while at the same time supplying you with the tools and mindset you need to start writing immediately. It's one of the few audiocourses out there that really delivers what it promises -- showing you how to write great customer-focused copy that gets results! I highly recommend this program.

John Prosseda
Durham, North Carolina

The test of a great copywriter
The best way I use to measure how good a copywriter is: Did I buy their product? Think about it, if a copywriter can't sell you their own product - how are they going to teach you how to sell your product or service to others? How to Create Power-Packed Ads sits on my computer desk, not on my bookshelf with all my other books - so I can refer to it regularly. Filled full of tips and tricks to improve your copy, and your sales. Great book! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Currently the best book on sales communication.
This book is unquestionably the best book on sales communication written to date. (Trust me I own hundreds of books on the subject) Quite concise, I enjoyed the audiobook best. It is loaded with lists and steps. While it doesn't cover all the aspects of sales, it is brilliant in what it does cove - sales communication. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Success with Selling Anything
Larry Wilson was one of the best life insurance salemen the world ever saw. He could have sold anything. In his book, he shares his secrets of success. While some of his secrets may be nothing new now, he was one of the first to understand training people to be successful sales people. Out-of-print, this book will be a valuable addition to your library. ... Read more

Book Description

Six 60 minute audio cassettes that cover all of the basics for success in sales. Based on the best selling book, Soft Sell. ... Read more