A Book On Sales With A New Twist

Would you even consider reading a book on sales and selling if the author themselves was not a salesperson or at the very least involved with the sales industry? I agree, typically I wouldn't either.
But in his new book "The Art of the Sale," Philip Delves Broughton takes an outsider looking in approach. I really enjoyed this book. Like most books on sales it tells a lot of stories to get a point across. That is probably the only typical angle about this book. Everything else looks at sales from a purely objective point of view. It is this very honesty that I enjoyed.

Broughton is a good listener and it shows here. That said, I guess you could say (at least by Dale Carnegies standards) the author is himself a good sales person. Listening is half the battle. With every book I read I hope tho get at least one nugget of wisdom. In "The Art of the Sale" one nugget I loved was the discussion that "Doing something costs something - and doing nothing costs more." Another (and there are plenty more) is the fact that you should take ownership of your customers problems. It is your duty to help them and make their lives easier. For that they will love you.

"The Art of the Sale" is a good read, and a book that will make you think. Broughtons Business of Life perspective is one I think you might enjoy.

Gitomer: A Great Service Brand!

Another great Gitomer book!

Last week I attended one of Jeffrey Gitomer's seminars in London Ontario. I've been a fan of Gitomer for quite some time. Twice before I lamely attempted to attend one of his events with little success. This year I made a special effort to book the time to attend. To be sure that I was especially alert for the event I booked into the hotel the evening before. Now it was just a few minutes walk to the festivities.

Suffice to say Gitomer is absolutely entertaining in his delivery. What I especially enjoyed was that his personal brand not only matched his corporate brand but also my perception of him (based on his books) was spot on. His character matched his books. He was authentic. I was one of the first two or three people in the room as it opened. He wasn't waiting in the wings, but at a desk behind his Mac, fine tuning his slides at the front of the room. During this registration period, he spoke and joked with attendees. Posed for pictures and shared stories. Fun to watch.

During the course of the seminar I purchased another of his books and got him to sign it for me. Thank you. Following his seminar, I packed up my little bundle and headed off to another lecture on Social Marketing from another presenter.

Following this final lesson, I made my way to my car for my journey home.

Two and a half hours later, I unpacked my things and realized that I didn't have my new Gitomer book with me. I wanted to show my wife Rose, his autograph. Humph!  I immediately went online and contacted the Gitomer Empire. I asked if I purchased another copy, would they be able to get Jeffrey to sign this copy and send it out to me. They never even skipped a beat - not only would they get Gitomer to sign another copy BUT they would cover the cost of the book and shipping to me. WOW! Gitomer spoke of this level of service during the seminar, but here was his words in action. The young lady I spoke with didn't mention that she would need permission - she just did it. How great is that!

Less than a week later I have that little autographed book in my hands. This is a lesson in service that I take to heart. Do you and your people deliver on your service promise? My blogging of this experience is testament to the effect that great service can have on a customer. I look forward to delivering exceptional service to all who work with me.

Blog for Business.

A familiar song that I sing is "Blogging For Business." I definitely get benefit from my blogging efforts. Things you can expect is not only leads but publicity and opportunities. A colleague of mine, Bill Sivell recently was approached by a national Canadian business magazine to write for them on a regular basis. Bill got the opportunity from his blogging efforts. Bill has been blogging less than a year. Blogging will also help your personal brand by enhancing your 'expert profile.'

Search engines also LOVE blogs even when they change their algorithms. Blogs will help you achieve impressive rankings. Blogging is also a free media, but it involves a lot of effort. You also have to commit to write posts on a regular basis. But if it gets you exposure and opportunities, isn't it worth it? Check out Blogger to get yourself setup and running.

I also use blogging as a mood changer for those times when I'm a little uninspired. It puts my head in the right place. Discover your own niche audience and start blogging - I think that you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Feed Yourself First!

It's first thing Monday morning. As I sit here contemplating the week, I'm thinking about what efforts I'm involved with that help my own brand.

I have one networking event, a sales seminar with Jeffrey Gitomer, a peer-to-peer meeting, and a strategic lunch with a connector to determine joint opportunities. Every week I commit to efforts that feed my brand. I consider these to be the physical components of my overall marketing strategy. When ever I am "out there" you would see me in my black attire. This conforms to my brand image. My shirts are a quality black dress shirt with my logo and slogan embroidered on it. I get a lot of compliments on the quality of the shirt. I purposely chose not to wear a golf shirt, but a classy dress shirt.

Online, there's blog articles to write this week for Noobpreneur.com and SmallBusinessBranding.com, a newsletter to get out. On Wednesday my weekly branding tips get delivered at 11am. I regularly comment on discussions in my Linkedin Groups that I subscribe to.

Aside from these efforts, I meet with consulting clients live and via telephone. All of the above efforts are part of feeding myself. I read a lot as well. Everything together keeps me focused and attune to my brand. The wheels are always turning. Most small to medium size enterprises that I consult with, have their strategies for success as well. How do you feed yourself every week? Every week you have to nourish your brand.

What's on your menu?