Full Description

Straightforward secrets and strategies for salespeople who want to join the
winning top 5 percent of the sales force
--Get your foot in the door
--Control the sale without manipulation
--Create a sense of urgency
--Let the buyer participate
--Learn the crucial subtleties of an aggressive approach
--Target the biggest sales
--Sell abroad
--And much more

For many companies, 20 percent of their sales force generates 80 percent of their sales volume. In this hands-on guide, Robert L. Shook, a master salesman, teaches the high-pressure strategies that mean the difference between a super seller and a salesperson. The methods spelled out in this book describe what it takes to be in the elite 5 percent.

In Hardball Selling, Shook inspires all salespeople to dare to be different and master hard selling without browbeating or offending customers. Shook spent 17 years in the trenches perfecting his successful strategies. Using the four basic principles of hardball selling, he guides you through all the steps, from getting past the "gatekeeper" to the single-minded tactics necessary to close a sale.

"Shook’s Hardball Selling is provocative and controversial--and filled with wonderful selling tips. I highly recommend it to every salesperson."--Martin D. Shafiroff, the world’s No. 1 stockbroker

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction: "Off the Record"

1. The Hardball Philosophy
- The Four Principles of Hardball Selling
- A Convincing Case for Hardball Selling
- The Law of Diminishing Returns
- A Nonadversary Relationship
- Helping the Buyer Make the Right Decision
- Success Does Not Depend on a Single Sale
- Tenacity
- A Total Acceptance of the Hardball Philosophy
- Being Programmed to Close the Sale

2. Getting Your Foot in the Door
- Know Thy Gatekeeper
- My First Hardball Approach
- Projecting a Winning Image
- What to Say to the Gatekeeper
- Have a Mission
- Name-Dropping
- Get Down to Business
- Resourcefulness
- A Touch of Thick Skin
- The Lean and Mean Look

3. How to Win Sale-s, Not Friends
- Please, No Flattery
- Gifts of Obligation
- Fear of Rejection
- Don’t Shortchange a Friend
- No More Mr. Nice Guy
- Being Firm and Forthright
- Illusions

4. Having an Edge
- When You Got It, Flaunt It
- Turning a Disadvantage Into an Advantage
- Never Knock the Competition... and Be Obvious About It!
- Packaging Yourself
- You Must Do Your Homework
- Admit When You Have Erred
- The Ganging Up Technique
- The Out-of-Town Expert
- Planting a Soldier in the Prospect’s Camp
- Your Suppliers List

5. Controlling the Sale
- The Teacher/Pupil Relationship
- Taking Control
- Anticipation
- A Foreceful Presence
- Fact-Finding
- Let the Buyer Participate
- Getting the Customer to Open Up
- Give Other People Credit for Your Idea
- Intensity
- Taking Abuse is Not Part of the Job Description

6. The Bigger the Sale, the Bigger the Commission
- Going for the Big Ones
- Big Prospects Are People Too
- Big is Better
- Follow the Leader
- The Dangers of a Small Order
- Don’t Assume Too Much
- The 80 Percent/20 Percent Rule
- Turning Little Orders Into Big Orders
- Think Big!

7. Creating a Sense of Urgency
- A Sense of Timing
- Finding Solutions
- Lack of Availability
- Setting the Stage
- Let the Buyer Sell You
- Having a No-Callback Policy Creates Urgency
- Credibility

8. The Home Court Advantage
- Holding Court
- Home Court Demonstrations
- Having Control
- Common Courtesies
- How to Get Them to Come to Your Place
- Sell the Team
- The Trimmings of Success
- Office Billboards
- Meeting on Neutral Courts
- Trains, Plains, Yachts and Other Whatnots

9. It’s Not Over ’til It’s Over
- Don’t Interpret No to Mean No Sale
- The Thin Line
- Having an Awareness of False Objections
- Objections are Requests for Information
- Equipped with an Arsenal of Closes
- Single Purpose Selling

10. Owning Customers
- Think Long-Term
- Overcoming Buyer’s Remorse
- An Important Transition
- Little Touches
- Going That Extra Mile
- Keeping in Touch
- Keeping a Customer Profile
- Repeat Business
- Customers Really Do Appreciate Exceptional Service

11. The Hardball Code of Conduct

12. Selling Abroad
- Are Cultural Barriers Conquerable?
- Understanding Why Cultural Differences Exist
- A Brief Lesson in Japanese Business Etiquette
- Dealing With the Language Barrier
- Be Prepared

13. A Final Message

Excerpt

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