Selling For Dummies, 4th Edition

Selling For Dummies, 4th Edition

by Tom Hopkins
Released March 2015
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781118967232

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Book description

Your guide to the most up-to-date selling strategies and techniques

No matter your skill level, this new edition of Selling For Dummies helps you lay the foundation for sales success with the latest information on how to research your prospects, break down the steps of the sales process, follow up with customers, and so much more.

Selling, when done right, is more than a job—it's an art. With the help of Selling For Dummies, you'll discover how to stand head-and-shoulders above the crowd by knowing your clients, and approaching selling with passion and a positive attitude. The book covers making killer sales pitches and presentations, using the latest technologies to your advantage, establishing goals and planning your time efficiently, partnering with others, addressing clients' concerns, and closing more sales.

  • Includes expert tips for harnessing the power of the Internet to increase sales

  • Covers the latest selling strategies and techniques in the Digital Age

  • Explains how mastering selling skills can benefit all areas of your life

  • Explores the newest prospecting and qualification strategies

    • If you're brand new to the sales scene or a seasoned salesperson looking to win more clients and close more sales, Selling For Dummies sets you up for success.

    Table of contents

      1. Cover
      2. Introduction
        1. About This Book
        2. Foolish Assumptions
        3. Conventions Used in This Book
        4. Icons Used in This Book
        5. Beyond the Book
        6. Where to Go from Here
      3. Part I: Laying a Solid Foundation for Selling
        1. Chapter 1: Selling Makes the World Go Around
          1. Understanding What Selling Is
          2. Getting a Grip on How Selling Is Done
          3. Recognizing What Selling Skills Can Do for You
        2. Chapter 2: The Seven-Step Selling Cycle
          1. Step #1: Prospecting
          2. Step #2: Making Initial Contact
          3. Step #3: Qualifying
          4. Step #4: Winning Over Potential Clients with Your Presentation
          5. Step #5: Addressing Concerns
          6. Step #6: Closing the Sale
          7. Step #7: Getting Referrals
        3. Chapter 3: What to Sell
          1. Taking a Long, Hard Look at Your Job Satisfaction
          2. Choosing What to Sell
          3. Becoming a Lifelong Student of Selling
          4. Preparing for the Learning Curve: Changing from Caterpillar to Butterfly
          5. Knowing How to Sell What Your Customers Want to Own
      4. Part II: Doing Your Homework Before You Sell a Thing
        1. Chapter 4: Understanding Your Potential Clients
          1. Understanding Why Research Is Important
          2. Starting at Ground Zero to Know Your Clients Inside and Out
          3. Working with Buyers’ Different Personality Types
          4. Being Aware of Unique Cultural Needs
          5. Responding to Your Clients’ Fears
          6. Choosing Your Words Wisely
          7. Knowing How to Listen to Your Clients
        2. Chapter 5: Selling What Your Product Does Instead of What It Is
          1. The Stuff You Need to Know about Your Product
          2. How to Get the Product Information You Need
        3. Chapter 6: Technology as a Sales Tool
          1. Conquering Any Misgivings You Have about Technology
          2. Using Technology to Make Your Life Less Complicated (Not More)
      5. Part III: The Anatomy of a Sale
        1. Chapter 7: Connecting with the People Who Need What You Have
          1. Knowing Where to Start Looking for Potential Clients
          2. Finding the Right People: Proven Prospecting Strategies
        2. Chapter 8: Arranging to Meet and Putting Your Clients at Ease
          1. Knowing the Basics of Contacting Potential Clients
          2. Reaching Your Prospects by Telephone First
          3. Putting Mail, Email, and Face-to-Face Interactions to Work for You
          4. Getting to the Elusive Decision Maker
          5. Making a Good First Impression at Your Meeting
          6. Getting Your Potential Clients to Like and Trust You
          7. Establishing Rapport with Your Potential Clients
          8. Knowing How to Approach Prospects in a Retail Setting
          9. Building Common Ground in Any Situation
        3. Chapter 9: Qualifying Your Way to Success
          1. Taking a Few Sales Pointers from CSI
          2. Satisfying NEADS: The Nuts and Bolts of Qualifying Prospects
          3. Questioning Your Way to Qualifying Success
        4. Chapter 10: Delivering Winning Presentations
          1. Getting More Than a Foot in the Door
          2. Knowing the ABCs of Presenting
          3. Letting the Product Be the Star
          4. Mastering the Art of Visuals
          5. Demonstrating Products to Your Prospective Clients
          6. Presenting Intangible Goods
          7. Avoiding the Crash-and-Burn Scenario of Presentations
        5. Chapter 11: Addressing Client Concerns
          1. Reading Your Clients’ Signals
          2. Addressing Your Clients’ Concerns with Some Simple Strategies
          3. Understanding the Do’s and Don’ts of Addressing Concerns
          4. Handling Concerns in Six Easy Steps
        6. Chapter 12: Closing Sales
          1. Knowing When to Go for the Close
          2. Recognizing That Sometimes All You Need to Do Is Ask
          3. Using Closing Questions and Statements
          4. Overcoming Your Client’s Stalls and Fears
        7. Chapter 13: Getting Referrals from Your Satisfied Clients
          1. Understanding Where, How, and When Referrals Arise
          2. Getting Referrals in Six Easy Steps
          3. Setting Up Meetings with Referrals
          4. Aiming to Get Referrals Even When the Going Gets Tough
      6. Part IV: Growing Your Business
        1. Chapter 14: Following Up and Keeping in Touch
          1. Knowing When (and with Whom) to Follow Up
          2. Paying Attention to What Your Clients Want from Follow-Ups
          3. Recognizing How to Follow Up
          4. Remembering the Importance of Thank-You Notes and Gifts
          5. Maximizing Results from Your Follow-Ups
        2. Chapter 15: Using the Internet to Make More Sales
          1. Understanding Social Media’s Positive Impact on the Selling Profession
          2. Using Social Media during your Selling Cycle
          3. Using Social Media Well
          4. Steering Clear of the Technology Trap and Avoiding Personal Burnout
        3. Chapter 16: Planning Your Time Efficiently
          1. Investing Your Time Rather Than Spending It
          2. Recognizing the Activities You Must Plan
          3. Knowing When and Where to Plan
          4. Organizing Your Workspace
          5. Avoiding the Most Common Time Traps
          6. Handling Physical Interruptions
      7. Part V: You Can’t Win ‘Em All: Keeping the Faith in Sales
        1. Chapter 17: Staying Upbeat When You Don’t Succeed
          1. Finding Out What Motivates You
          2. Knowing What De-Motivates You
          3. Surveying Strategies for Overcoming Failure
          4. Doing the Opposite of What Average Salespeople Do
          5. Keeping Your Personal Life Out of Your Professional Life
          6. Facing Challenging Times in Your Industry
        2. Chapter 18: Setting Goals to Stay Focused
          1. Setting Realistic and Effective Goals
          2. Breaking Your Goals into Smaller Pieces
          3. Looking at Particular Types of Goals
          4. Fulfilling Your Goals
          5. What to Do When You Achieve Goals
      8. Part VI: The Part of Tens
        1. Chapter 19: The Ten Biggest Sales Mistakes to Avoid
          1. Misunderstanding Selling
          2. Thinking You’re a Sales Natural
          3. Talking Too Much and Not Listening Enough
          4. Using Words That Kill Sales
          5. Not Knowing When to Close the Sale
          6. Not Knowing How to Close the Sale
          7. Being Insincere
          8. Failing to Pay Attention to Details
          9. Letting Yourself Slump
          10. Neglecting to Keep in Touch
        2. Chapter 20: Ten (Plus One!) Ways to Master the Art of Selling
          1. Develop Your Curiosity
          2. Have Realistic Expectations
          3. Keep an Open Mind and Welcome Change
          4. Rehearse, Perform, and Critique Your New Skills
          5. Personalize Your New Sales Skills
          6. Be Disciplined
          7. Evaluate Your Results
          8. Keep a Success Journal
          9. Learn from Every Selling Situation around You
          10. Make a Commitment to Lifelong Learning
          11. Put Your Clients First
        3. Chapter 21: Ten Alternative Closes
          1. The Wish-Ida Close
          2. The Business-Productivity Close
          3. The Best-Things-in-Life Close
          4. The No Close
          5. The My-Dear-Old-Mother Close
          6. The Law-of-Ten Close
          7. The Buyer’s-Remorse Close
          8. The It’s-Not-in-the-Budget Close
          9. The Take-It-Away Close
          10. The Lost-Sale Close
      9. About the Author
      10. Cheat Sheet
      11. Connect with Dummies
      12. End User License Agreement

    Product information

    • Title: Selling For Dummies, 4th Edition
    • Author(s): Tom Hopkins
    • Release date: March 2015
    • Publisher(s): For Dummies
    • ISBN: 9781118967232