Little Red Book of Selling

Summary of “Little Red Book of Selling”: In this book Jeffrey Gitomer, author of several best-sellers on how to sell, reveals his secrets to help you sell again and again with an emphasis on a long-term vision of the relationship between the customer and the salesperson through his 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness, in a humorous, sincere and friendly way.

By Jeffrey Gitomer, Little Red Book of Selling – 2008 – 220 Pages.

Original title: Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness: How to Make Sales Forever.

Note: This Chronicle was written by Cédric Copy from the Blog Com’Coach to teach you how to increase your clientele as freelance professional.

Chronicle and summary of Little Red Book of Selling:

To be able to know how to ask the right questions is very important when you want to accomplish an objective or achieve success.

To know the answer to the question “Why do people buy?” is a thousand times more important than if you know “How to Sell?”

Here are the most common answers buyers give when asked why they buy:

1. “I appreciate the person who sells me their product or service. To appreciate someone is the most powerful element in a sales relationship. Appreciation leads to trust. Trust leads people to buy. When you buy, you create a relationship. This is the most important element when you sell”.
2. “I appreciate what I buy”.
3. “I sense a difference with the person and the company I purchase from”.
4. “It seems to be a fair price to me even though it may not be the lowest “.
5. “I value the product I buy”.
6. “I trust / feel comfortable with my sales representative”.
7. People don’t like to be pressured BUT they love to buy.
8. And “I feel that there is a connection between my needs and their products or services”.
9. “I feel that this product or service will improve my profits”.

The difference between success and failure is your philosophy. Most people have a short-term view. You need to start to think long term.

That way, every time you’re in a sales transaction, you build a framework for a long-term relationship with your customer.

One of the big advantages is that it will generate new customers for you, through word of mouth.

The relationship is the key element in the sale, it is the most important aspect and these 8 most common responses in relation to why you buy repeatedly over time show this very clearly.

Don’t just focus on a single deal. It’s just short-term plan and it’s the worst trap you can fall into when it comes to sales.

What makes the difference between failure and success for a salesperson?

1. Be confident that you can succeed.

“I want to succeed! I want to succeed!” You need to be motivated, confident that you can do it product service and ready to do what it takes.

2. Connect and stay in touch with the right people.

Network where the most valuable customers and potential clients (for you) meet and exchange ideas. Also create a positive personal environment: your life partner, your family, your friends will support you and smooth out any challenges that you encounter.

3. Continuously learn and develop.

If you rest on your laurels and don’t learn anything new, the competition won’t wait for you and will overtake you.

4. Plan your day.

Do you have your goals and objectives planned out every day? If you don’t have goals, how will you know if you’ve achieved them? This is also relevant should you want to know what your priorities are at any given time.

5. Be seen as a valued person

Make your presence more valuable. Be known as a resource, an ally, not just someone who wants to sell. And be your customer’s Hero.

6. Come up with the responses your prospective clients and current customers need.

When they have a question, it is crucial that you give a clear answer and save them time. You can’t know everything but if you’re on top of things you can always send the answer later, which allows you to keep in touch with them.

7. Be responsible.

See your responsibilities through to the end. Don’t point fingers at others (or yourself). Do what needs to be done and do it immediately. Your reputation is vital and you need to do your utmost to ensure that you maintain it: say what you do, but most importantly, do what you say.

8. Be proactive and grab opportunities as they emerge.

Nothing happens unless you do something to make it happen. This is the universal law of cause and effect. Be the cause of your success, no one else will do it for you.

9. Make mistakes.

Your best teacher is failure. This is the moment when you can show your determination and learn. Ultimately, failure is an opportunity to learn. To succeed, you need to fail more frequently but with greater skill. Those who succeed are not those who have never failed, quite the opposite, they have encountered failure earlier and more often than the others but then ressurected themselves to try something new and ultimately succeeded.

10. Be prepared to take risks.

Everyone who succeeds takes risks at some point. Most people never take risks because they are afraid of the unknown, of rejection, of failure. If you want to succeed, you must be prepared to take the risks necessary to do so. Without risk there are no gains to be made.

11. Keep your goals in mind.

Write them down. Stay focused on your dreams and they will come true. What you are focused on grows and evolves, so be totally focused on what you want to achieve.

12. Keep things in balance.

Your physical, emotional and spiritual health is vital to your success. Structure your time to allow your personal goals to work in synergy with your professional goals.

13. Invest, do not spend your money.

Spend less and less each month and increase your investments each month. That’s how you accumulate wealth rather than just spend your money carelessly.

14. Don’t quit until you succeed.

Most people give up too soon. Most people try it once, don’t get the results they expect, and decide it doesn’t work. With this kind of attitude to life, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to succeed at anything.

15. Build and retain a positive attitude.

There are always some positive aspects even in the worst scenarios. Sometimes it provides you with an opportunity to show your strength and determination to succeed. Light the fire!

16. Ignore the idiots and their criticism.

These people don’t ever try to do something different and never take risks. The very fact that you put in the effort simply reminds them of their lack of motivation and success which, in turn, leads them to do what they can to discourage you. Steer clear of them at all costs.

The best kept secret (and also the biggest obstacle) to your success is YOU.

Everyone knows the formula but the big difference is when you know what to do but also know how to do it, which many don’t.

If you are able to develop the self-discipline to do what you know you have to do, when you know you have to do it, then you are on the highway to success.

12.5 principles to achieve sales excellence

Principle number 1 of the Little Red Book of Selling: Kick your own ass when you need to

Nobody else will do it for you…No one really wants to help you.

Very few people will help you, and even fewer will care.

To them if you succeed or fail, it won’t make much of a difference. If you succeed, they’ll say, “I knew you would do it,” if you fail, they’ll say, “I knew you wouldn’t do it.”

The only person that you can rely upon to do what you need to do when you need to do it is you.

If things don’t go as planned, you fail to reach your goals or you get stuck – remember these 5 points:

1. Do not panic
2. Don’t pressurize yourself
3. Don’t feel guilty
4. Do not let your anger get the better of you
5. Don’t, above all else, give in!

To sell when you’re under pressure is a tricky situation that can lead you to push a sale through. Instead, try to maintain a win-win approach where you recommend the best solution for your potential client for their benefit.

The best way to solve a sales crisis is to put things in perspective.

When you accept that you are in control and that the environment to which you attribute your difficulties is solely dependent on you, you will start to get the upper hand.

If you believe that you are the best, you will be the best!!

Principle number 2 of Little Red Book of Selling: Be prepared to win or be prepared to lose against someone who has come prepared

To be successful in sales or in life, the first thing you must do is your research:

• Be prepared.
• Analyze the situation in detail.
• Have clear and meaningful questions to ask your prospective customers.
• Write down your ideas and any other aspects of the sale that are required and included when you do your research.

The work day starts the day before. You need to take the time to fully research your potential client. They will see that you are a consumate professional rather than an amateur.

You can research for information about your prospective client:

1. On the Internet: type the company name in Google or search online through professional work sites.
2. With corporate publications: you will discover information on their market position, their corporate strategy, the image they project of themselves and their company.
3. With other providers: They can tell you about their relationship with the client. You can then determine what rates they pay and how quickly they pay for the services that you provide.
4. Through its competitors: Find out how your prospective client wins contracts. You will be better prepared to negotiate with them at your next appointment.
5. Thanks to its customers: What your prospective client’s customers reveal to you will allow you to get a head start and gain insight into their delivery time, their organization and the reputation they have with their customers.
6. Thanks to the members within your network: if you contact them, you may be able to get more information that is not available anywhere else.
7. And through your prospective client’s sales department: The sales department will provide you with everything you need to know in order to plan your approach when you meet with them.
8. Information to be found out about you online? What can be found on the Internet about you? It is important that you know what people say and how you appear online. These days, it only takes a couple of seconds to find out about your background and you have to maintain a positive online image. What will your prospective client find out about you?

Principle number 3 of Little Red Book of Selling: Sell yourself as an expert – it’s far more effective than if someone perceives you as a salesperson

You build a positive image of yourself through continuous success and a positive attitude, you associate with recognized people and you deliver on your promises.

Your personal reputation is a very important aspect that greatly influences your prospective client’s decision on whether you make a sale.

As an expert in the field, you are seen to have testimonials from satisfied customers and a variety of articles, publications and online videos. This is the expectation if you wish to be considered as an expert in the field.

If you are able to create, sustain and develop your personal brand, you will:

• Create demand for your products and services.
• Create trust within your business sector and the market where you operate. People will realize that you are more than just a temporary player in this field and that you have a passion for what you do.
• Establish a good reputation and be respected for your expertise.
• Be accepted and recognized as a leader.
• Be innovative and nurture that reputation to keep your market tuned in to what you have to say.
• Stand out from the competition: be THE person to turn to.
• Build a professional image for yourself and your company.

Where do you start?

1. Register your first and last names and .com – this is a domain name that you need to register in case you have a namesake who works in an unrelated field and who could cause confusion in the minds of your prospective clients and current clients.
2. Be ready to commit both yourself and your time, especially at the start, and make sure that you are always punctual.
3. Develop your marketing strategy with well-proven methods and take your time to do so.
4. Find allies who can help to connect you with the appropriate contacts and to gain their support.
5. Create a concise and effective presentation of yourself so that the right sort of prospective clients notice you. You want to turn away those who aren’t relevant and attract those who are.
6. Contribute to charities.
7. Use your creativity: do something original to make people talk about you (ideally something positive).
8. Make your business card as attractive as possible – if you don’t get compliments when you hand it out, re-design it.
9. Keep your prospective clients’ attention engaged: use a blog, a newsletter, publications in the press and on social networks. On average, it takes between 5 and 10 messages to trigger the decision to buy.
10. Be consistent and persistent: your communications must be regular and sustained. Don’t talk about yourself, talk to your potential customer about their problem and the solutions that exist.
11. Have fun: people who have a natural tendency to be serious can’t tell the difference between the important and the trivial things in life. Make the effort to learn how to lighten up the situation and work hard to win.
12. Ignore the fools and those who are envious: There are a lot of jealous people out there who would like to cut short your hopes and desires. Don’t let them get to you, rise above those small-minded individuals who’s only enjoyment is to ruin the enjoyment of proactive people who are brave enough to take on all challenges and succeed.

Principle number 4 of Little Red Book of Selling: The main issues are value, and relationships, rather than price

The creation of value is not a simple concept to explain and most people do not understand it. Value is something that is done for the customer, for the benefit of the customer, and is most effective when the customer doesn’t expect it.

Some important points about value:

1. Give your customers value with no expectations of anything in return.
2. Market what you do with information your prospective customers want – not with information about you.
3. Publish useful information in magazines and newspapers. Publications put you at the forefront of your readers’ minds.
4. Speak in public whenever you have an opportunity.
5. Price vs. Value: the best way to get your product beyond “how much does it cost?” is to say that it doesn’t matter as long as it gives great value for the money.

The sale is emotionally driven and the decision to buy is made at this level. Only then is logic applied to the decision to buy:

1. Don’t think of your product or service as a convenience. If you say to yourself that your product or service is a commodity – you have to sell your product at a fixed price.
2. It’s all about the relationship, the perceived value. 30 to 40% of people will base their decision on price, but 60 to 70% will buy because of the perceived value of what you provide.
3. From the very start, form relationships or don’t even bother. My sales are not based on the price of what I sell, they are based on relationships:
   • I have fun and laugh with my prospective customers and current clients.
   • Relationships that are formed on things of mutual interest, or things you have in common, is the basis of any sale.
   • I mainly chat with them about themselves.
   • I build up my credibility with them and then I deliver my presentation.
4. If you make a sale, you get a commission. However, if you make a friend, you can earn a fortune.

People prefer to do business with their friends for good value. Even if that value is perceived to be lower, people STILL prefer to do business with their friends.

Principle number 5 of Little Red Book of Selling: It’s not the work, it’s the network

A good network is a mandatory business tool for sales professionals.

The requirements needed to become a successful networker?

1. Have a strong 30-second verbal presentation of what you do and ask questions that empower your potential customer and take you to the next phase of the sale.
2. Your commitment to invest the time it takes to excel in this area.
3. A plan for the Where and When to hold your network évents.

For the best results – you need to go where your potential customers are or where they are most likely to be:

1. Events organized by local companies.
2. Network club.
3. A professional association you belong to.
4. All types of courses or training to learn about your profession.
5. Your clients’ professional association.
6. A private member’s network club.

List all possible venues for network meetings. Write them down and meet there.

A Secret: Build your reputation and make yourself known to influential people and don’t wait to be invited in, rather be proactive and show leadership.

An even more important secret: To get the most out of your business network events, spend 75% of your time with people you don’t know.

Principle number 6 of Little Red Book of Selling: If you can’t get in front of the decision-makers, you have already lost

An appointment is a key step in the sales process.

It is inconceivable to think you can sell anything unless you have met the decision-maker or at least had a telephone conversation with them.

The aim of a meeting is to move the sale forward or allow you to meet the real decision-maker.

The best way to get a meeting is not to want to sell your product or service. Initially you need to take a step-by-step approach and sell the meeting.

Things you can do to entice your potential customers to form a line at your door in anticipation of a meeting with you? To achieve this, remember that the person who schedules a meeting with you must feel that the fact that they talk to you is something that will help them in some way to achieve what they want.

If you do your research, you can anticipate what interests your prospective client and then you can suggest this to them.

Remember:

• You need to know your contact person
• You need to be brief and succinct
• Don’t try to sell them anything other than an appointment
• Don’t say “How are you?” or “Have you ever heard of us?”

When the final decision to buy is not solely in the hands of your contact, you have to make every effort to be present when the final decision is made.

Principle number 7 of Little Red Book of Selling: Involve me and you will help me to convince myself

The most important element to make a sale is also any salesperson’s major weakness: to ask questions.

The first personal relationship question sets the tone of the meeting and the first business question sets the tone of the sale.

Do you have a list of the 25 most important questions to ask your potential client? Ask the right questions and you’ll get the right answers.

Your challenge is to get all your potential customers to say “No one has ever asked me that before”:

1. You guide your potential customers to consider new information.
2. You qualify their needs.
3. This sets you apart from the competition.
4. You ask them about their personal or business objectives.
5. It causes your prospective client to consider things BEFORE they respond.

Here are some strategies to ask the right questions to your prospective clients:

• Ask questions that make them think about what you offer them.
• Ask questions that relate to their needs.
• Frame your questions so that the buyer is obliged to answer in relation to the question you ask from their perspective. Ex: If your shipments were overcharged by 30%, how would you know that?
• Ask tough questions that focus on buying.
• Ask questions on productivity, profits or savings.
• Enquire about the company’s goals or their own.
• Make notes to show your customer that what they tell you is important.
• Ask questions that make you stand out from your competitors.
• Ask questions that require further thought.

You can spot a salesperson by the questions they ask.

“You don’t sell when you force your customers’ hand, you sell if you speak to their heart. The right questions go directly to the heart of the problem, the need, the situation – so the buyer doesn’t feel pressured to do so”. Jeffrey Gitomer

Principle number 8 of Little Red Book of Selling: If you can make them laugh, you can make them buy!

If you can get the other person to laugh or smile, it relaxes them and creates an atmosphere that is more likely to end with a deal between you and them.

I think that if you are able to make people smile, it’s a major key to sales.

Your potential client may not be interested in your proposal but they will always appreciate the fact that they can laugh or smile.

Don’t tell jokes, tell them anecdotes.

Humor is not just useful to generate sales, it also creates a relationship. Laughter is a mutual thing and mutual approval is the main thing in sales.

The point of humor is that it relaxes people and creates a more open atmosphere. An atmosphere that leads to friendship, respect and harmony.

Some tips to help relax things and create an environment conducive to make a sale:

• Choose a subject that amuses you.
• Choose a subject that relates to you personally.
• Check how your jokes are interpreted – be careful not to sound like a nerd or a complete weirdo.
• Keep the subject matter clean and not bathroom humor.
• Don’t use humor that is discriminatory in terms of gender, background or age.
• Make fun of yourself.
• Don’t be repetitive with your sense of humor – it’s simply good social skills.
• Don’t push yourself too hard, but make the most of the opportunities to lighten up the situation.

These are some safe subjects for you to consider:

• Things that your children say or do.
• Traffic jams.
• Your appearance.
• Lines from popular TV series or movies.
• Your athletic skills.
• Your efforts to make yourself a better person.

Humor is very important in sales because it helps you relax and also shows that you have good people skills. It is definitely worthwhile if you can learn how to be humorous in order to create a better relationship with your potential customers and current clients.

Learn how to develop your sense of humor and have fun while you do it:

• Go to cafés-theatres and comedy venues.
• Watch comedies or comedy shows on TV.
• Read collections of funny stories or comic books.
• Sign up with Toastmasters (a world-renowned and small association that still operates in France) to learn how to speak in public. Enter live comedy contests.
• Watch how children behave and take note of what they say.
• Read a history book to laugh at how mankind repeats the same mistakes.
• Take risks and use a humorous approach when it’s safe to do so.
• Surround yourself with humorous characters and learn from them.
• Pull funny faces in the mirror so you don’t take yourself too seriously.
• Dig out photo albums from your high school years.
• Take drama classes and learn improvisation skills to help you be more spontaneous with your actions.
• Watch scenes from your favorite comedians.
• Be aware of situations in which you can use humor in every day life.
• Learn to exaggerate your gestures.
• Laugh as much as you can, it’s good for your health.

Be careful: don’t slip into the trap of the character who thinks they have to constantly make jokes and be humorous but you fail to notice that you repeat the same jokes time and time again. Rather, tell humorous stories, and if people don’t laugh – well, at least you’ve told them a story.

Everyone likes to laugh – you don’t have to be a complete joker to be taken seriously as a professional.

In fact, quite the opposite. If you are able to mix a sense of humor with a very professional approach to sales then you will probably achieve some great results and more orders.

Principle number 9 of Little Red Book of Selling: Be creative to make yourself stand out and take control of your target market.

Development of your creative skills is something that you can learn and practice and is crucial to success when it comes to sales.

Here are the 13 points to guide this creative process:

1. Intelligence

Stupid people are rarely creative, and the smarter you are, the more original and brilliant the ideas you can generate. To achieve this you simply need to learn the process of how ideas are born and to create an appropriate environment in which they can flourish.

2. Positive attitude

Negativity blocks the flow of good ideas. So, create a positive attitude. A knock back is just one more opportunity for you to grow, develop and overcome the problem.

3. The practice of observation

Pay attention to what happens around you. Some sectors of the market are there to be controlled by someone who takes the time to observe what happens around them.

4. Keep a note of your ideas

Always have something handy to write down the good ideas that come to you. It may not be so easy if you’re in the shower, but be as prepared as you can in all situations so that you don’t forget what your great idea is.

5. Have confidence in yourself

Believe that you can come up with good ideas. Yes, some people are naturally creative, but they are few and far between. If this doesn’t include you, the good news is that you can learn anything – you just need to exercise your creative muscle. As an example, imagine what your creative self would do in any given situation. You’ll be surprised at what you can achieve.

6. Surround yourself with positive and supportive people

A smart thing to do is to surround yourself with people who have already accomplished what you want to achieve. The worst option is to be surrounded by people who are negative and who love to criticize. They will just offer criticism and try to discourage you from your goals.

7. Place yourself in a creative environment

In order for your creativity to have a chance to flourish, you need to be able to concentrate, not be disturbed and work comfortably so you can focus and work on your best ideas. So don’t work in noisy environments where people can disturb you or where the noise from outside is a distraction.

8. Look at different creative fields

There is a huge range of different processes and methods available to help you think outside the box and approach your projects from many different perspectives. You can read “The 6 Thinking Hats” or “The Creativity Toolkit” written by Edward de Bono. Disney’s strategy is a powerful tool from NLP with which you can build on your creativity and develop new ideas.

9. Explore the creative past in your profession

To have a grasp of all the great ideas that are currently out there and to be able to envision those possible in the future, you need to be familiar with relevant work the past. In fields such as sales, which have existed for centuries, the best books were written 50 or even 70 years ago.

10. Implement established creative models

To return to the Six Thinking Hats model – Edward de Bono proposes the use of six different hats that which,  when worn in turn, enable you to look at a subject or an idea from different perspectives: the positive eye, the critical eye, … these different perspectives will bring out aspects of an idea that you hadn’t considered and this will allow you to adapt or modify it in order to improve it. Similar systems exist, so spend some time to research each one.

11. Creative failure

Edison, who invented the light bulb, understood this well: through failures with new ideas and innovations comes success and birth of the great ideas that revolutionize the world. Be prepared to take risks in the knowledge that you only fail once you choose to give up. Until then, everything you try actually teaches you something and helps to create success.

12. Study practical results

An idea is one thing, but there is no greater satisfaction than when you actually put it into practice and see it come to fruition. Lots of people come up with an idea and feel that they have to share it with anyone who will listen to it. However, in general, this is about as far as the great idea actually gets and it never sees any further progress.

13. Ignore negative comments

Critics and other naysayers in the way of success always believe they offer you friendly and helpful advice when they attempt to discourage you or tease you about your ideas. Avoid these people like the plague – all they ever do is cast their constant inertia and incompetence upon you. There are still so many great new ideas to be discovered both now and in the future.

These three tips will help you make a difference:

1. Make sure that the very first question that you ask a prospective client is the right one: if it’s an intelligent one, they will immediately think you’re intelligent.
2. Refresh your brand image: evolve your image over time, be it on your voice message, your website, your brochures or your business card.
3. Redouble your efforts to follow-up with prospective clients: don’t be satisfied with a handwritten note, dig deeper to find other opportunities to keep in touch and help your clients get the product or service they really need.

Principle number 10 of Little Red Book of Selling: Minimize the risk and you will no longer have to sell, we will buy.

A purchase risk is a kind of mental or physical barrier for someone to make a purchase. Whether it is real or imaginary, it causes a person to hesitate and reconsider the purchase.

As a salesperson, your job is to identify risks and eliminate them.

Strangely, risk is more difficult to detect than to eliminate.

The problem is that the potential buyer doesn’t share this information with the seller.

They conceal their cards as though it were poker.

They will not show their cards until it’s their turn to do so. Once they show their cards, they reveal their motives to buy, and that is the MOST important information you can get. It is also the easiest information to get.

Be aware of the downside risks for someone to buy the product or service that you have to sell. Make a list of them and prepare your responses.

These are the most common problems at the moment when you buy:

1. “I can buy the same thing cheaper elsewhere”.
2. “I’m satisfied with my current supplier – there aren’t any problems, I don’t want to take the risk that it won’t work with you”.
3. “Payment terms are easier with my current supplier”.
4. “I don’t really want that. I could find myself with something that I don’t want as the end result”.
5. “There are better things on the market“. There’s a good chance that there’s a better product out there.

Success Strategy: Identify and Eliminate (or offset) risks

Ask your prospective client: “What risks do you run if you buy this product or service?” and then ask, “What could you gain from it?” – if the risk is low and the reward is high then the decision is obvious.

Ask yourself how you can minimize the risk in order to make the sale?

Hazards are usually unseen and not expressed because they expose the customer’s innermost feelings, sentiments and thoughts.

If the risk is the price then the reward is the value.

Uncertainty is a real obstacle to the sale. Too often salespeople underestimate how much of a concern the risk is and still try to close the sale.

Step by step, brick by brick, eliminate the perceived risks that hold the buyer back from the final decision to buy.

At this point emphasize all of the gains to be made, both emotionally and logistically.

Principle number 11 of Little Red Book of Selling: If you talk about yourself, you come across as self-centred.

When someone else points it out, there’s your proof. Your reputation is important and it’s dictated by what your clients or influential people say about you that will influence this reputation.

Good references can help convince potential prospective clients of your credibility. Who to trust is really a problem these days. There are plenty of people out there who make promises but when it comes to the actual results, it’s a whole different story.

Here are a few examples of powerful testimonials:

• “I overcame my reticence to express myself”.
• “My productivity has improved by 300%”.
• “The first videos I made were disastrous…Now I’m more relaxed and a lot more persuasive”.
• “These days I am able to run meetings and speak in public”.
• “Now everyone listens to me”.
• “I have honed my public speaking and leadership skills”.
• “I am twice as confident in myself and my ability to captivate my audience”.
• “My fear has now gone; I enjoy it when I speak in public”.
• “Don’t let cost be an obstacle to your success”.

Testimonials should emphasize that prospective customers’ worries are misplaced and that what you promise them has already been delivered to similar clients as them.

Suggested plan of action: Call your 10 best customers, invite them to lunch and ask them for their testimonial.

Video can also be a powerful ally to help you sell. Video testimonials from your customers can eliminate any possible concerns your prospective customers may have.

Focus on value and make sure that it emphasizes the benefits that your customer has obtained so that the prospective client can see the benefits that they could gain from it too.

To determine how worthwhile a video is for you, ask yourself these questions: 

• How much is your image worth?
• How much is a new client worth to you?
• And how much is a meaningful sales pitch worth?
• How much is a trained sales force worth to you?

The first video I made cost me more money than I had at the time and generated more contracts than I believed possible over the next 24 months.

Principle number 12 of Little Red Book of Selling: Turn on your antennae, apply your sixth sense in order to sell.

If the emotions that you give off are positive, you can make sales, lots of sales.

So the big question is: Do you radiate positive or negative emotions?

Here are six positive emotions related to sales:

1. Self-confidence. This is when you feel that you are well prepared and ready to win. The most important thing to realize is that it’s contagious. Your actions can convey this to your prospective client.
2. Positive outlook. If you believe that you can do the deal, you’re halfway there.
3. Determination. That you will make it no matter what happens. It will mean your potential client will say “no” and you will be told “not yet”.
4. Achievement. Remember and feel the positivity from previous sales you’ve made. It’s a way to put yourself back in a positive frame of mind.
5. A sense of victory. You’re aware that everyone wants to win but not everyone has prepared for it, so learn to differentiate yourself and prepare for victory.
6. The feeling of Success. It’s the feeling of calm security to know that the money is in the bank. A winning attitude and a profound sense that you can do it. To have positive goals is also essential.

Alternatively, there are 8 negative emotions that your subconscious can give off when you sell:

1. The feeling of fear
2. Nervousness
3. Fear of rejection or denial
4. Self-doubt
5. Indecision
6. An obsession to justify and rationalize
7. The risk of failure
8. The feeling that you are unlucky

The best way to shake these things off is to counterbalance them with positive thoughts and words.

You’re not the only one in the bubble…Your prospective client has their own antennae too.

Often they can sense what you feel, especially negative emotions.

If negative emotions like fear and doubt are obvious in the presentation, the chances are that the potential client will pick up on them and be influenced by them.

The good news is that you control the emotions you feel in the sales pitch.

You are able to turn these negative emotions into positive ones if you use a combination of all the things you have learnt through practice and a positive attitude.

What are you focused on?

The focus of your attention will develop. When you only focus on yourself, you slow down your ability to develop at the cost of your success.

Rather, be on the lookout for what goes on around you. Your attention should be focused on the outside world and the signs that you have made the correct moves.

Every day, unexpected situations may arise that can end up to be a benefit and lead to success.

This is why you need to be aware of the outside world and take more interest in others rather than in minor details or negative thoughts that you have about yourself.

Principle number 12.5 of Little Red Book of Selling: Quit your job as general manager of the Universe

By now you know the principles needed for you to succeed.

But there is more to it than that. You must adapt and master them for yourself.

You must control them.

Control of yourself is the first step. Focus on those principles. Don’t stray from your path and take on other people’s problems yourself.

The less time you spend on other people’s concerns, problems and disasters, the more time is available to work towards your own success.

Whenever you stick your nose into someone else’s affairs you open yourself up to 4 dangers: You 

1. Make it worse when you join in with the group of whingers and whiners.
2. Chuck in your dime’s worth which simply adds to the risk that the situation will get worse.
3. Squander valuable time that could be spent to learn how to sell and make money.
4. Are in danger that your curiosity will be turned against you.

Be receptive and aware to what and who is around you but understand the limits of intrusiveness and things that don’t concern you.

When you are fully in control of your actions you will be:

• Self-disciplined.
• A master of sales.
• Able to display a positive attitude at all times.
• Prepared for professional and dynamic presentations.
• In control of your finances.
• Balanced in your family and personal life…

… then you can start to consider how to take care of others.

Conclusion on Little Red Book of Selling by Cédric Copy from the blog Com’Coach:

In the excellent Little Red Book of Selling, which I have read several times over, Jeffrey Gitomer provides the essence of the “savoir être” of sales.

Most of his advice and suggestions focus on the correct mindset to have. There’s actually nothing about sales techniques.

When I first read Little Red Book of Selling several years ago, it was an inspiration and changed my views about used car dealers (who push hard for a sell) to the jovial, honest and service-oriented image that Gitomer advocates in this book.

So I have come to see my role as an offer to help a potential client take an important step and be part of the solution to the problem that they have to solve.

The author also addresses key elements of personal development required to become a successful salesperson.

This requires you to be more expressive and open to others and to develop your sense of humor, which is a vital component within the process.

With a good sense of humor backed by a few years of research into and application of theatre improvisation, I have found that all this knowledge is an essential part of the techniques I need to use on a regular basis in my sales meetings and in relationships with my clients.

Because of this book, I have learnt to come across more like my real self when I’m faced by these kinds of situations.

Gitomer illustrates all of this with examples of these attributes on every page (which makes this book a light, enjoyable read, full of the vital skills needed to succeed in the sale of all products and services).

If you are the sort of person who gets annoyed with sales, this book helped me to empathize and understand them. I highly recommend this book, which is a quick read and enables you to overcome your misconceptions and view this key activity in every business, from the smallest to the largest, as something to be enjoyed.

Strong Points:

• It contains a wealth of lists that make it possible to read faster and retain the essential elements or rediscover them when you read it for a second time.
• Jeffrey Gitomer’s sense of humor is the main theme of this book. He stresses the importance to know how to create good relationships with his prospective clients and customers but also the importance to be able to make them laugh and to not take themselves too seriously.
• The Little Red Book of Selling contains everything you need to know and familiarize yourself with in relation to sales and how to put it into practice in accordance with your personality and values.
• You’ll find lots of sales-focused personal development tips delivered with a “kick ass” attitude that are both friendly and genuine.
• The book contains many funny examples of the important points and contradictions of people who struggle with sales.

Weak Points:

• At times, the translation is a bit sketchy, which makes certain points unclear or irrelevant as the meanings and nuances in the original English version are clear and obvious.
• The Little Red Book of Selling is a book that also needs the added support of a course on self-discipline with regard to emotion and motivation, but if you are up to speed with these aspects, it delivers on what it promises. Just because you tell people to “get motivated” and “get your arse in gear” doesn’t mean you’ll get them motivated.

My rating :   

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