I work in fashion retail, so most of the book wasn't relevant to me, as it was designed for sales professionals who generally have pre-written presentations, and seek out customers, rather than waiting for customers to walk into their shop. The suggestions are quite aggressive and therefore would not work in my situation. I did however learn a lot of techniques that could be used on me in the future, if I'm ever in the market for a car or insurance, so I'm glad that I will be able to detect when I'm being manipulated (although Brian Tracy INSISTS that these techniques are not manipulative, I don't think he understands the meaning of the word).
My personal cliffnotes (some verbatim from the book, others my interpretation):
* View yourself as self-employed: you are in command of training and development and continually upgrading your skills; you are in control of sales and marketing, production and quality control, and personal organisation and efficiency.
* Invest in your personal development: read, listen to audio programs, attend courses. If your company offers any training opportunities, accept them immediately. Every new skill you learn is an investment in your future.
* Ask good questions and listen carefully. Dominate the listening, rather than the talking.
* Confidently expect to succeed. This optimism will have a positive effect on everyone around you.
* Confidently ignore customer skepticism. Knee-jerk objections like "I'm just looking" are automatic. Be positive, keeping asking questions, and listen.
* Magic questions: after every encounter, ask yourself "What did I do right?" and "What would I do differently?". Think about: preparation & research (product knowledge), whether the right questions were asked, whether you understood the customer's needs, whether you listened carefully before speaking.
* Six major requirements for closing: 1. Positivity and enthusiasm. 2. Customer's requirements must be clear to you: wants and needs. 3. Customer must understand the value of your product. 4. Customer must believe and trust you after building your rapport with them. 5. Customer must desire to enjoy your product. 6. Product must be suited to the customer: her needs, capacity to pay, and circumstances.
* Don't make an offer too early: first ask questions, then respond accordingly.
* Use silence after a closing question.
* Customer buying signals (means they are apparently close to making a decision): Rapid talking; sudden friendliness; chin rubbing; questions about price and terms; chance in attitude, posture or voice.
* Rejection is not personal: failure is only feedback. When you try something that doesn't work, think of it as a learning experience.
* The customer comes first: they are a person with needs, not a source of money. Focus on what you can do for the customer, not what they can do for you.
* Keep your opinions to yourself: do not discuss politics, religion, or sex, with customers. Remain neutral and change the subject.
* Action exercises: 1. What do your best customers have in common? 2. Identify your major competitors and determine 3 advantages your product has over theirs. 3. Confront your fear of rejection over and over again. 4. Do what you are afraid to do: act as if it were impossible to fail. Make a habit of this. 5. Expect the best in every sales situation.
* Make a list of every objection that a qualified/experienced customer could give you to avoid making a buying decision. Once you have a list of every question, criticism, or complaint that you've heard or can imagine (may include price, quality, capability, competitive, reputation, newness), organise the objections by priority. What are the most common? Which ones stand most in the way of your making a sale? Now write a bulletproof answer for each of your major objections. What could you say that would remove the objection as an obstacle for your customer to proceed with the purchase? Consider: interpreting the objection a a question (if not already one); compliment the objection (i.e. that's a good point), be polite and respectful; don't make it difficult to object - if a customer is not comfortable voicing an objection you won't get the chance to respond the objection and make a sale; listen carefully to the objection - do not assume you have heard it before, instead ask for further clarification; use the words "feel", "felt", and "found", when answering objections.
* Don't take criticism personally -- malicious customers are unhappy for reasons other than your existence. Remain calm, confident, positive, and polite.
* Be proud of the price of your product -- your product is of good quality and in high demand.
* Before discussing price, focus on the value, benefits, or features of your product -- the price will appear more reasonable when presented after a glowing review.
* Sell past the sale: instead of discussing the purchase, talk about ownership and enjoyment of the product.
* After building a raport, invite your customer to come back with their friends (a variation of "referrals")
* When asking for feedback, use the right words, e.g. instead of "How is everything?", ask "Is there anything I can improve on?"
* Ask questions with affirmative answers before asking a final closing question. (The closing question can have a negative answer e.g. "Do you have any other questions or concerns?")
* Closing suggestions: Which of the two do you prefer?
* Think about your income in terms of hourly rate (as opposed to monthly or yearly) and ensure that every hour pays for itself. For self-employed salespeople: Determine how much you want to earn in a year by dividing that goal by 2000 (the number of hours in a sales year), and then commit to earning that amount each hour.
* Be prepared: this will give you confidence, making you calmer, more relaxed, and more positive, which will leave a positive impression on customers.