How to sell anything to anybody??

I went for a seminar the other day on sales and marketing skills. The speaker recommended a book that he claimed to be the best reference for all the sales person in the world - 'How to sell anything to anybody??' by Joe Girard. Initially I bought the book just because that the title sounded interesting to me. However, after reading the entire content, I am sure that I have made a right choice and would like to share with you this good source of knowledge too!!

Well, you may ask - What's so great about the Author?? Let me share a bit on the background of Joe Girard. He was listed in the Guiness Book of World Records for 12 consecutive years as the world's top salesman for selling 1,425 cars in one year.Till now, he still holds the all time record for big ticket items, having sold an average six cars a day over his fifteen year career.

The main point was he didn't have a degree from an Ivy League school — instead, he learned by being in the trenches every day that nothing replaces old-fashioned salesmanship. He insists that by building on basic principles of trust and hard work, anyone can do what he did.

I especially like some of the bestselling classic quotes from him. Though he was not well educated, his excellent mindset has deeply inspired me on how important the positive attitude is to determine the success of someone.

Here are some of the amazing quotes from the world's greatest salesman:
1. TURN ONE SALE INTO 250 MORE
2. CREATE A WINNING GAME PLAN FROM LOSING SALES
3. KNOW THE FIVE WAYS TO TURN A PROSPECT INTO A BUYER
4. MOVE PAST THE CUSTOMER'S LAST HURDLE TO CLOSE THE SALE
5. SELL AT A LOSS AND MAKE A FURTUNE

AND "Salesmen are made, not born. If I did it, you can do it."

His book is quite well written, in an easy conversational tone. It gets his message across effectively. Despite holding a world record as a car salesman (a title which would make me suspicious at best), his policy is honesty. He even advocates knocking a few dollars off of a product price even if the customer doesn't request it, the goal of which is to perpetuate that "got a good deal" feeling in the customer.

Perhaps another most interesting point was Joe's take on the most useful tool for a salesman. A business card. Apparently, he leaves them everywhere he goes. For example, with the tip at a restaurant. He claims to go through a box of 500 cards in a single "good week"! Amazing. I wonder if he uses recycled paper for those?

Anyway, this is no doubt an easy read and useful information. If your work involves sales (which I believe everybody does - in any form in your daily life!! ), it would be a worthwhile book to add to your collection. Enjoy!! *_~