Selling Outside the Square

by Bob Boog

Many books on selling will say the same thing: set goals, work really hard and do the right thing. Or the book on sales will be more motivational - inspired by a sports great or famous coach. Then there are those books that have the word "rich" or "millionaire" in their titles. If you are looking for new ideas on selling, check out Selling Outside the Square. It's written by Bob Boog, a Los Angeles real estate broker, but don't let that stop you.

Bob notices obvious things that many people skip right by without ever really thinking about them. For example, he looks at selling from a buyer's perspective and wonders what causes a customer to make a purchase in the first place. He goes on to talk first about squares - how every person in the world fits into a square - and then how to sell inside the square and ideas for selling outside of it.

There is also a section on creative problem solving.
Selling Outside the Square has humor, stories and interesting research involving psychological cues or "triggers" on what makes people want to buy something. It's a short and interesting read that I think you will find to be enjoyable.

120 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 23, 2012

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to make more sales, how to get more customers, how to deliver with a smile on your face. Directly how to better yourself as a person (just a bit) and make that your selling point.

This book mostly focuses on Gen-Me. A specific generation of people that are currently ruling the tidal waves of our country. Bob adds just enough humor to his facts so that I don't go running and hiding under my bed or in my closet for having been pegged quite so properly. Oy!

This is also a very personable book - so take my advice and read it carefully and thoroughly - skipping anything may result in losing a laugh Or important piece of information.

By the way, I believe this may apply not only to people that WANT to sell - but those that want to buy. To know the tricks that salesmen might use when trying to get you to buy a product (sometimes completely unnecessary) is a good thing.

All in all this is a great read. It's more of a set of negotiating tools rather than sales guide - and very well written at that.

[Ekaterina López · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entonces, según este libro, debo dirigir mis ventas hacia la “generación Me”?? Gen-Me?? Es un punto de vista interesante, el autor explica la importancia de esta generación en la publicidad y las promociones del mundo actual. Luego, para darnos una información detallada, nos brinda los rasgos de personalidad de los Gen-Me. Dice que nuestra creencia es esta: “desde que nacimos nos dicen, eres especial, si crees en ti mismo puedes lograr cualquier cosa.” ¿¿Tiene esto que ver con la promoción en algo?? ¡¡Totalmente!! Sólo hay que analizar el público hacia el que van dirigidas nuestras promociones, ¿¿dónde queremos vender?? ¿¿Quién?? Mucho de sentido común mezclado con marketing. Creo que hacía falta un libro como este en el mercado. La versión en español es fantástica.

[Dena Scroggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read this book and have taken some of the steps that Bob outlines and put them to work. What I have found is that his strategies, while simple and easy to follow, actually do work. He talks alot about Generation Me and what we need to do to sell to this generation and he's spot on. I specifically liked the question statements and have found those very useful not only in my side business but also in my day job. This book is easy to read and his strategies are easy to follow. No matter what product you are selling, I would recommend this book for anyone involved in sales or marketing.

[Franz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Piensas tú fuera de lo acostumbrado???? Pues te recomiendo este libro para que analices una nueva perspectiva de la sicología humana, desde un punto de vista tan natural y común como asombroso, precisamente por su genialidad y simplicidad. El autor de este libro menciona que, al seguir las ideas presentadas en este libro, aumentarás tus probabilidades de hacer más ventas. Yo estoy plenamente de acuerdo, después de leerlo, pude comprender muchos fenómenos que antes me parecían aleatorios. Creo que entender los motivadores de las personas es un método eficaz de usarlos como detonantes a nuestro favor. 100% Recomendado!!!!!

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Selling Outside the Square' will make you look at selling in a whole new way, even if you never sold anything in your life. Bob Boog adds his own personal touch and experiences in this informative book that will teach you how to connect with different generations of people, and how they think when it comes to purchasing things.

Also in this book are the selling lines that will work best with different types of customers, and how to use technology (or less of it) to make your sale. This is a must-have book for anyone in the business of sales or looking to get into it, and interesting even for those who aren't, as it will change your perspective of the consumer's mind.

[torque · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had some good points. Also, for the consumer to be aware of what tricks the salesman has up his sleeve to sell a product you might not want. The portion of the book after the triggers, seemed very random and more like the authors notes, although they were examples on how to view products differently, it might have worked better to expand or leave this at the end of the book as an appendix.