Keep Learning!

📅  6th August 2020 | 2020/21 Sales Book Reviews

Complete with an exclamation mark, ‘keep learning’ are the final two words of this excellent book by Jim Irving. Like a stick of Margate or Blackpool rock, those two words are weaved through all twenty-one chapters. Aimed at seasoned salespeople as well as novices, this little black book is a cornucopia of sales content and personal anecdotes from Jim’s forty plus years in sales.

 

The Good

Described as a compendium of sales experience, there’s something for everyone in this book and not just those involved in enterprise or channel sales. One can pick it up and start reading any chapter. Each one has either a great story or anecdote and wisdom you can tap into. My favourite is Chapter Nine entitled “Don’t Forget The Board (and Others)” – no spoiler here just this famous French saying which may give you a clue. Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué.

Every chapter has a page for you to jot down your own notes. There are also some wonderful quotes. The last chapter which is all about getting on with things, is prefaced with ‘After all is said and done, there’s always more said than done….’ (one of Aesop’s fables).

The entire book is written in Plain English (a pleasant change) and there are some excellent appendices at the back. There’s one on sales ratios or ‘reality-checker’ as I prefer to describe it.

The Bad

The only criticism I can level at this publication is the amount of content.

I would have loved to have seen another ten chapters, maybe to include the author’s views on brain science and the psychology of selling. Perhaps Jim will surprise us with a follow up publication in the future.

The Ugly

Chapter 8 highlights the story of a salesman who underwent a journey from ‘just another sales guy’ to someone his customers respected and looked forward to seeing. Average salespeople could be described as the uncommitted 9-5’ers – they may make up a fair proportion of sales forces – redolent of some of the firms I’ve worked in.

The point here is that to get ahead you have to become expert in and on your customers businesses. This requires discipline, hard work and for most, it goes way beyond the call of duty – but necessary. What are their pressing issues and challenges? What plans do they have for the future? Can you see an unconsidered need?

 

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I’m reading this book again I liked it so much.

 

 

 

Tags: Learning, sales training

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