Don’t Make Selling More Difficult Than It Has to Be

Selling well isn’t easy. In fact, it’s getting tougher all of the time. The environment is more challenging, and much more is expected of us.

There are countless charlatans out marketing the magic bullet that will allow you to produce better sales results faster and with less effort. But you know that the too-good-to-be-true remedies are just that. But there are some who are honest enough to tell you the truth about how to make selling simple (but not easy).

Today, my good friend, Mike Weinberg, releases his new book: New Sales. Simplified. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to write the foreword to Mike’s book, and my name appears on the cover of the book. I wanted to write the foreword to this book because I strongly believe that this book will help salespeople improve their sales results and win new business.

The heart of Mike’s book for me is three big ideas.

The first is Mike’s insistence that you choose your targets thoughtfully—and that you continue to pursue them. Readers here will recognize this idea as something I call dream clients. You need to know which prospects you can create breath taking, jaw dropping, and earth shattering value for and pursue them. Mike’s approach will help you make that list and pursue them over the long haul.

The second really big idea is the sales story. You have to know how to share your ability to create value. You have to know how to convey the value you create in a way that is compelling to your dream clients. Most of all, you need a consistent story. Mike’s book provides instructions on how to build and use your sales story.

Finally, in an act of undaunted courage, Mike has the audacity to suggest that you need to pick up the telephone. He even goes so far as to suggest you develop a script! Then he provides you direction in doing so.

These three pieces together solve a lot of sales problems. The right targets make selling simpler. A compelling ability to create value for those targets makes selling simpler. And a focused discipline pursuit of these targets, continually prospecting and opening opportunities makes selling simpler. But it’s not easy.

Go and buy Mike’s book. Read it carefully, and follow Mike’s action plan. Selling still isn’t easy, but you don’t have to make it more difficult by avoiding what Mike teaches.