Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play

by Mahan Khalsa

Selling is the second oldest profession, often confused with the first.

The notion of selling carries a lot of baggage. As it has developed, sales has often become a fear-based relationship. Customers are afraid that they will be "sold" a bill of goods, or that a salesperson will talk them into something that doesn't help them succeed.

On the other hand, salespeople fear they won't make the sale. If they "lose" enough sales, they won't make quota, and they won't personally succeed. In their quest to "close the deal," even some of the world's largest, quota-crazed organizations have, at times, developed a reputation for salespeople who are illusive, ignorant, and arrogant.

Buyers don't trust sellers. Because they aren't trusted, sellers have to guess, and often guess wrong. Buyers prove themselves right and create higher hurdles. And so it goes, with neither client nor consultant achieving success.

Helping Clients Succeed™ is fundamental to the success of any business. This program teaches you to become totally client-focused, break down the barriers of dysfunctional business development, and find rewarding, productive business relationships. With honesty, clarity, and authenticity, Mahan Khalsa cuts through the nonsense and focuses on getting results and helping clients succeed.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Personal Development, Buisness, Audiobook

6 pages, Audio CD

First published July 15, 1999

Reviews

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on consultative selling I've read! It's packed with example questions and answers to objections. Khalsa's approach is the opposite of sleazy, pushy selling; it's all about finding and solving real business problems. I love the direct (yet polite) way of cutting through ambiguity by asking questions rather than guessing.

As Khalsa says,

"If it makes good sense for us to do business, let's work together, have fun, and make some money. If not, let's find out quickly, shake hands, and part friends."

Summary: Only move to a solution once you find a problem worth solving or result worth producing. Don't guess; ask. Research and understand business. Build business case to attract resources and develop decision process. Present exact solution to people who decide.

I read this because it was recommended by Brent Weaver of uGurus. It seems that it had a big influence on him, because much of his selling style is similar to Khalsa's.

Notes
We Both Want the Same Thing
Consultants usually take 1 of 3 approaches:
1. Tell: tell problem and solution.
2. Accept: just give client what they want.
3. Guess: guess at true problem, budget, competitors, solution, etc.

4th approach: "we mutually explore with the client the shared outcome of a solution that truly meets their needs - whether with us or someone else."

EQ-IQ
Need both EQ and IQ.
EQ (emotion): Talk openly, honestly share true thoughts, be open to discuss beliefs, trust instinct.
IQ: critically examine beliefs, clarify and a test assumptions, gather data, explore applications, take unbiased view.
Ask hard (seemingly inappropriate) questions (I Q) in a soft (appropriate) way (EQ).

Intent Counts More than Technique
Focus on improving your clients' numbers and you'll improve yours.
Client can sense your intent, so be sure it's to do what's in their best interest.
Don't pressure; "clients would rather do business with people who don't need the business."

No Guessing
No guessing! Find out what's really going on.
Identify unchallenged assumptions and challenge them.

Slow down for Yellow Lights
When you hit a yellow light, ask client to turn it red or green. They often have more lenient criteria than we do. And if they turn it green, it's more convincing if they do it.
"If you see it, hear it, or feel it, find a way to say it - tactfully."

State the obvious
1. "I have a concern." (Or, "I'm confused." Or, "I think we have a problem.")
2. State concern/confusion/potential problem.
3. Ask what they think should happen next.

Examples:
If they have a budget issue: "I'm confused. You said this project could save X, yet you're only willing to invest Y. What am I missing?" Or, "I think we have a problem. I believe it's possible to get the results we discussed, though not for the budget you've allocated. What should we do?"

If they seem eager to end, say, "It seems like you're eager to end. Do you have a time constraint?"

If they seem disinterested, say, "I get the feeling that what I've suggested doesn't interest you. Are we still on track, or have we drifted?"

ORDER
1. Opportunity: mutually develop sound business case. Examine issues, evidence, impact, context, constraints.
2. Resources: ensure matching expectations about time, people, money.
3. Decision: clarify steps, decisions to be made, when, who, how. Talk directly to key stakeholders.
If ORD reveals a good fit, proceed with ER.
4. Exact Solution: give evidence you can solve problem and achieve results in a way that fits resource constraints and criteria. Present in person rather than in writing.
5. Relationship: take steps to ensure a positive and productive relationship regardless of whether client says yes, no, or no decision.

Opportunity
"We have to find the motivation driving the solution – the problems it is supposed to solve, the results it is meant to achieve and with which issues. … If we cannot uncover significant pain or gain, then we have a yellow light."

Structure the conversation
1. Get quick list of all issues
2. Make sure list is complete
3. Find out what matters most
4. Go into depth (evidence, impact, context, constraints)
5.. Summarize
6. Prioritize

Ask the client for specific evidence about problem (current state) or results (future state). If they can't provide, ask who has it, and when you can talk to them. If nobody has evidence, ask if it's important to get evidence to make a business case for the solution. If it is, ask if they need help to get evidence. If they do, sell a diagnostic.

Moving from evidence to impact
1. How do you measure it?
2. What is it now?
3. What would you like it to be?
4. What's the value of the difference?
5. What's the value of the difference over time?

"Take guesses and opinions about the future, and talk about them in the common denominator of money." Client must be able to put financial return on cost of problem or value of results. Turn all non-dollar numbers into dollars.

To get to heart of matter, "peel the onion." If client describes a problem, "peel for pain" by asking, "And then what happens?" If client is seeking results, "peel for gain" by asking, "What would that allow you to do?"

"If you can't quantify, at least strongly qualify" by asking client to rate issue on a scale of 1 to 10. If they say 5 or below, it's probably not a priority.

Try to align solution with clients mission, values, key strategies. Those projects make more sense to more people, and are less price sensitive.

When impact of solution seems big, ask, "What's stopped you from fixing this before?" followed by "What's different this time?"

When impact seems small, say so, or "take away" the solution (suggest that they do nothing, to see how they react).

"If they say it, it's gold; if you say it, it's sold." "People love to buy, they hate to be sold."

When you and client don't agree on impact, ask leading questions and/or give them info (such as industry standards or best practices).

Opportunity overview
1. What are all of the issues the solution is intended to resolve?
2. What's letting you know it's a problem? (Problem Evidence)
3. What's the impact on the business? (Problem Impact)
4. How would you measure success? (Result Evidence)
5. What's the payoff if successes achieved? (Result Impact)
6. Who or what else is affected? (Operational Context)
7. What's the big picture? (Organizational Context)
8. What's stopped you from resolving this in the past? (Constraints)
9. Did I get it right? Did I leave anything out? (Summarize)

Immovable Solutions
If client has already decided on solution and just wants implementation, ask their criteria for ideal implementation and solution provider.

"If we can't develop first-order needs, we need to develop second-order needs, or client will only differentiate on price." First-order needs: underlying business problems. Second-order needs: service, methodology, delivery, timing, competency, compatibility, credibility.

Say, "I have a concern. I sense the only criteria for this decision is price, and I'm sure someone can come in with a lower price. With there be any convincing justification for accepting a proposal even if it had a higher price?"

Resources
Say, "I don't know how much this will cost you. Every client situation is unique. However, other companies in similar situations—trying to get the results you've been talking about—tend to invest between X and Y. Can you see yourself falling somewhere in that range?" Don't say, "We charge other companies …"

If they don't know budget, ask, "Who would know?" and ask them.

If their budget's too small, ask, "And how did you come up with that number?" Their answer reveals if the issue is logistics (ability to get money) or value.

If they disagree on value, say, "Usually I find one of three things happening. Either 1) you don't believe in the value we discussed, 2) you don't believe that what we do will provide that value, or 3) you believe that you can get the same value somewhere else for less. Is one of those 3 things happening?" For #1 and #2, talk about concerns. For #3, offer to do apples-to-apples comparison.

Decision
Understand the decision process
1. What are the steps?
2. What decisions get made at each step?
3. When will you decide?
4. Who's involved in each step?
5. How will you decide? (Ask people from #4)

Understand their criteria
1. The competition (how they will decide between alternative solutions)
2. Gain/loss (who is perceived to win or lose)
3. Personal stake (how they personally stand to win or lose)

Exact Solution
If client has concern, ask, "What would have to happen to resolve that concern to your complete satisfaction?"

Create analogy between your business and theirs. For example, ask why they're a premium provider rather than a discount one. After they explain, make analogy to your business.

To find out if price is real issue, ask, "If all your proposals were the same, what would you do?" If they say they'd chose you, ask the reasons. Then explain that those are the reasons for your higher price. If they can't give reasons, real issue isn't price. Ask, "What's keeping this from being a clear decision?"

Relationship
If they decide to buy from you, deal with inhibitions. For each, ask, "How can we make you comfortable about that?" "How should we avoid that?" "If that happens, what should we do?"

Helping Current Clients Succeed
Say, "We found X [e.g., 40% turnover]. How do you feel about that number?" If they don't like it, ask, "What would you like it to be?" "What's the value of the difference?" "If we had some ideas for moving from X to Y, should we be talking?"

[Mark]

LET'S GET REAL may qualify as one of the worst book titles of all time, which is a shame because it's probably the best book on "consultative selling" ever written. And while the goal of this book is to improve selling skills, it also (and more importantly) creates a powerful framework and point of view on how to approach any business relationship: by being transparent, seeking to foster dialogue, and working collaboratively to understand and articulate the core issues and problems, not merely advocating for your own solution. The book's subtitle, "Helping Clients Succeed," gets at the heart of this book much better. The author's tone can sometimes be a little hokey and/or self-serving, but the core ideas are powerful and timeless. Everyone in any role in "selling" services, even internally in an organization, should read this book. [DISCLAIMER: I do know the author, and furthermore the author's former colleague, Dick Carlson (with whom the ideas in this book were originally developed prior to the sale to FranklinCovey) is a friend and mentor of mine. That being said, I have had to read almost every book out there on "consultative selling" and this one is far and away the best, and some of the basic practices herein influence my own behaviors on an almost daily basis, and for the better.]

[Sachin Ganpat · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the better sales books that I've read.

The book is clearly written to promote the authors' business, but it does not appear too salesy. It offers lots of great information.

While not much information is new and you can find it in many other sales books, what made this one clearly better is that they offer ways to address challenges. With suggested actions and scripts, you have a clearer idea of what to do and say.

I've read lots of sales books. They all come in two flavours - what to do to get the sale, or how do I best help the customer and myself at the same time. This book is clearly in the latter.

However, not many sales people in organisations may be able to follow all of the advice. It's going to a hard sell for a sales person to say to their manager that they didn't proceed with the sale because the product or service wouldn't help the customer. Unless the people at the top begin to think like that, much of what is learned here might be discarded.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that all of my business relationships are based on. I have a copy at home, a copy in the office and a copy ready to give away. I refer to what I take away with each read several times each day.

[Paul Naphtali · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the best book on sales I've read. I've always encountered people who told me to provide value to my clients. But I always struggled to figure out how.

This book shows you how. It helps you determine the problems and opportunities your potential customers face, all by simply seeking to understand first rather than be understood.

Once you read this book, you won't see sales the same way ever again.

[Chandhrika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful yet actionable strategies to make consultative selling fun!

[Margot Note]

"Every sales or decision-making methodology has underlying assumptions and beliefs. Sometimes they are clearly stated and sometimes they are not. We base our methodology on the following premises:
1. Consultants and clients want the same thing.
2. Intent counts more than technique (and technique is still important). Corollary: You are more successful when you concentrate on the success of others rather than on your own.
3. Solutions have no inherent value.
4. Methodology matters.
5. World-class inquiry precedes world-class advocacy" (7).

"To structure the conversation:
Move off the solution.
Get out all of the issues.
Prioritize the issues.
Gather evidence and impact.
Explore context and constraints" (47).

"The Five Golden Questions
1. How do you measure it?
2. What is it now?
3. What would you like it to be?
4. What is the value of the difference?
5. What is the value over time?" (57).

"Often we wait for rapport before asking the hard question when often asking the hard question (in a soft way) creates rapport" (65).

"Remember that intent counts more than technique. If your intent is to get a solution that exactly meets the clients needs, to be authentic, and to stay attuned to what is showing up rather than what you would like to hear, you will be able to take away the solution and be thoroughly congruent" (68).

"It is not the goal to turn every yellow light to green. The goal is to win the business only when there is a good fit between what the client needs and what we do well" (145).

[Enzo Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for anyone in sales or customer success. It's about knowing how to qualify, validate and win a client. There are a lot of great tips but a bit too much of examples... if there were a bit less of real life examples that tried to explain everything, I'd probably give this book a 5.

[Kanchan Mandanekar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book on the art of influence. I've read many books on selling and I must confess this is one of the finest books on sales. Thanks to an ex boss and mentor who recommended this and demonstrated this in action for us. Highly recommended for anyone in business.

[Kimball · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book focuses on sales, clients, and the beep beep customers. I thought it was a pretty good business book even though I haven't had read a ton in this genre but I am a businessman. This book kinda reminded me of First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently Now on to the notes:

As trust goes up, speed goes up, and cost goes down. As trust decreases, everything slows and costs rise. This applies to more than just business but in everyday relationships.

You're more successful when you can concentrate on the success of others.

Don't try to come up with a solution without knowing what you're trying to solve.

A red light emerging late in the game means one or more yellow lights were ignored early on. Red lights don't always mean failures. They're failures when you make them more needlessly expensive. The author used the analogy of stoplights when doing business. It made it simple to understand and also applies to dating. Some red lights can turn to green lights.

People love to buy, they hate to be sold. Just like what I spoke about in my last few reviews in First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently and Your Money or Your Life - Abridged about Agency, Choice, and Liberty in relation to Happiness; buying lets people exercise their agency and ability to choose which increases our happiness. Why is that common salesmen have it all backwards and want to sell instead of letting us buy?

When people know they have the freedom to make a true choice, they are more willing to commit to making a decision. "No" needs to be OK. There again, like I said above.

If you cannot meet people where they are, you do not have the right and ability to lead them somewhere else.

Optimal decisions happen person to person, not computer to computer. IE always make sure you make the important decisions face to face with the other person.

The purpose of a presentation is to enable a decision.

Not all people have ten years of experience. Sometimes they will have one year of experience 10 times. That reminds me of that one marriage book For All Eternity that talked about couples celebrating their 50th anniversary but really it was their 1st anniversary being celebrated 50 times because they didn't really know each other.

People buy what they value - whether that is tangible or intangible.

The last CD lost my interest and it had been three days since I had listened to the book. But this book will help you resolve your customers doubt like how a missionary resolves the doubts of an investigator.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was chosen for a book club discussion. Usually we read a book throughout the month before and then have the chat about it. Since the book is full of detailed, practical information, it would actually be one that is better to discuss by chapter. I found myself reading slower because I wanted to retain more of the information. It is a great reference to have and definitely a better way to be in sales. I can see the method as one to apply beyond the business-to-business relationship].

[Tom S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent sales book. The de facto reference at my company for sales people and it works really well.

Good ideas, well put together and good takeaways you can actually use. I particularly like the sound bites and "3 part response" I have used verbatim with a number of clients and they worked exactly as expected.

[Wilbert Van Der Kruk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent structured method for sales and consultative selling and early strategy analysis. I have sort of learned it by heart, having received training from the author (Khalsa) himself twice, listening to the audio book and training my colleagues in this method. I highly recommend it.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on sales I've ever read.

[Eddie Howden]

Exellent. Truly the best training I have had for my sales career.

[Wilbert Van Der Kruk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent method of consultative selling. Also good for doing practical strategy work. Especially helpful due to the concrete questions and phrases you should just learn by heart.

[Via · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jangan takut untuk “tidak main” jika peluangnya tidak jelas.
Waktu terbaik untuk menghentikan pengejaran adalah di awal, bukan di akhir.

Proses qualifying bukan hanya untuk menyaring klien, tapi juga untuk membangun kredibilitas dan kepercayaan.

Penjual profesional bukan “yes-man,” tapi pemikir kritis yang membantu klien membuat keputusan rasional.

Ciri-ciri peluang yang “layak” dikejar:
Ada masalah nyata (real pain)
→ Masalah tersebut diakui oleh pembeli sebagai sesuatu yang harus diselesaikan.

Ada urgensi (sense of urgency)
→ Kalau tidak diselesaikan, akan ada dampak signifikan: finansial, operasional, reputasi, dll.

Masalah tersebut punya pemilik (clear ownership)
→ Ada orang di organisasi itu yang merasa “ini tanggung jawab saya untuk diselesaikan.”

Pertanyaan-pertanyaan krusial yang harus diajukan:
Apa masalah yang sedang kamu hadapi saat ini?

Mengapa ini penting untuk diselesaikan sekarang?

Apa yang terjadi jika masalah ini tidak diselesaikan dalam 3–6 bulan ke depan?

Siapa saja yang terlibat atau terdampak oleh masalah ini?

Catatan penting: jangan takut mengajukan pertanyaan sulit.
Kalau kamu takut bertanya, kamu justru sedang menipu dirimu sendiri.

Lebih baik kehilangan peluang lebih awal karena tidak qualified,
→ Daripada kehilangan waktu dan energi di peluang yang tidak pernah serius dari awal.

Inti Pelajaran dari Bab Ini:
Peluang yang tidak punya masalah bisnis yang jelas bukanlah peluang.

Tugas penjual profesional adalah menggali masalah dan membingkainya dengan konteks bisnis.

Jika tidak ada masalah yang penting, lebih baik kamu “tidak bermain” (let’s not play).

Sumber daya yang cukup adalah fondasi dari kesuksesan Mega Deal.

Pastikan prospek kamu tidak hanya tertarik pada solusi, tapi juga memiliki sumber daya untuk membuatnya terwujud.

Jika sumber daya terbatas, lebih baik tidak melanjutkan daripada membuang waktu dan energi.

Inti Pelajaran dari Bab Ini:
Dalam dunia B2B, penjualan tidak terjadi karena satu orang suka dengan solusi kamu.
Penjualan terjadi ketika semua pihak yang relevan merasa nyaman dan yakin.

Jika kamu tidak tahu bagaimana keputusan akan dibuat, berarti kamu belum punya peluang nyata.

Paradigma Baru: Penjual Bukan Pendorong, Tapi Fasilitator
Penjual yang hebat:

Tidak memanipulasi,

Tidak memberi tekanan,

Tapi justru memandu proses berpikir klien secara jernih, terstruktur, dan fokus pada apa yang paling penting untuk mereka.

Bantulah Pembeli Melewati Tahapan Mental Ini:
Mengenali masalah yang layak diselesaikan
➤ “Apakah masalah ini cukup penting untuk diatasi sekarang?”

Menyepakati kriteria solusi
➤ “Apa yang harus dimiliki solusi yang ideal bagi kami?”

Menilai apakah solusi kita cocok
➤ “Apakah solusi ini memenuhi kebutuhan dan batasan kami?”

Menentukan apakah keputusan ini bisa dijalankan secara politik dan praktis
➤ “Apakah tim kami bisa menyetujui dan menjalankan ini dengan sukses?”

Winning is not about closing. It’s about helping someone make a good decision that they feel confident about — and that may or may not include us.

Inti Pelajaran dari Bab Ini:
Penjual yang hebat tidak memaksa klien untuk beli, tapi membantu mereka membuat keputusan berkualitas.

Kemenangan terbesar adalah membangun kepercayaan jangka panjang, bukan sekadar deal sesaat.

Dan dalam dunia penjualan modern, keputusan berkualitas jauh lebih berharga daripada tekanan yang menghasilkan “yes” palsu.

Tujuan saya dalam percakapan ini adalah memahami apakah ada tantangan dalam proses logistik Anda yang mungkin bisa dibantu dengan pendekatan yang kami kembangkan. Jika tidak cocok, itu juga tidak masalah.

Ciri-Ciri Peluang Baru yang Baik:
Dibuka dengan pemahaman, bukan pitch.

Menyasar masalah bisnis nyata, bukan sekadar kebutuhan fitur.

Terjadi karena kamu membangun rasa ingin tahu dan relevansi.

Membangun kredibilitas sejak awal, bukan tekanan.

“Creating opportunity means creating a conversation that matters — to the client.”

Peluang terbaik tidak selalu datang dari permintaan klien.
Banyak peluang terbaik muncul ketika kamu mampu memulai percakapan yang cerdas dan relevan.

Gunakan pendekatan yang berbasis niat membantu, bukan niat menjual.
Dengan begitu, kamu tidak hanya membuka pintu — kamu membuka kepercayaan.

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's the big idea and/or unique approach of this book?
The process of selling big, complicated and customizable services to businesses is not the same as selling something fixed or one time. Just figuring out what they want

How am I smarter, better, or wiser because of it?
They walked through the phases of the contract process, from figuring out what they really need, to identifying the real decision maker, to how to present the proposal, and even negotiating on price.

It started very generic but it got very tactical, providing options for what to say in certain situations, methods for handling resistance at key spots, and strategic sequencing of the information.

Was I entertained/did it keep my attention?
It was actually kind of dry, which is why I docked a star from the rating.

Would I recommend it to others?
If you do business-to-business sales of customizable services, then this is a good book for you. If it's normal to take 4-6 months (or more) to go from first conversation to closing a deal then there are some good insights for you. If not, then probably not worth your time.

[Grant Varner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about solution selling techniques.

Though some of the objection handling examples felt unnecessary and drawn out, the content is otherwise very helpful.

At a high level, Let’s Get Real Or Let’s Not Play explores the buyer/seller relationship in the following ways:

1) consultants and clients want the same thing (a solution that matches the needs of the client)

2) intent is more important than technique (i.e. you are more successful when you focus on the success of others)

3) solutions have no inherent value (the value of a solution in imbedded in the problems it solves & the results it produces)

4) methodology matters (solution should be presented in the most simplistic manner possible while also addressing every need of the client)

5) inquiry > advocacy (understand EXACTLY what a client needs before presenting a solution by asking great questions... *hint* sometimes the client doesn’t even know what they need!)


This book would be beneficial for both individual contributors and sales managers alike! I highly suggest it.

[Cameron Copper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was certainly written during a period where business books were fairly dry and the modes of communication of ideas hadn’t had the ante upped like some of today’s best seller business minds.

Those critiques out of the way, I do believe there’s a lot of good content in this book. I’ve only read it this first time, but foresee needing two or three additional reads, with a pen and paper beside the book, to be able to apply the information in these pages to my actual daily life.

I’m keen on the concept of value and solution selling. The frameworks and structures within this book are helpful. To that end, there are many specific situations where the rejections or conversation pieces within a specific selling cycle are different than the examples given here. I don’t know the rebuttal frameworks were thoroughly fleshed out enough for me to be able to directly connect the dots on how I can apply to my role.

[Joseph Milliken · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a project manager for a manufacturing company I am the buyer in 90% of the context of this book, yet the concepts presented in this book are still so valuable to me.

Provides a great context for the behavior I should expect from top tier seller/service providers. Also, ways in which I can enable my vendors to do their best work for me, and deliver at the best price.

Finally, the approach to yellow lights, selling ideas, and moving off the solution are concepts every PM should understand when “selling” a project concept to executive leadership.

A fantastic read, with plenty of sources recommended for continued learning on any of the topics touched upon throughout the text.

I’m sure to visit this book again.

[Henry_guo1982 · Rating 5 out of 5]

For most people, when we are getting senior in our organisation, eventually we become sales, to sell products, services and ourselves internally and externally. And sales as a job doesn’t have high entry barrier. But to be a successful sales, it’s so damn hard that even education doesn’t make that much difference. While almost all sales people are looking for some unique or top secret technics to sell, in a lot of cases, we forget long term success in client relationship depends on the value you bring to them rather than what we say or even what we do in the short term.

Don’t expect to become a super star after reading this book. But I find it very helpful to learn some tactics/responses to address some quite common questions/push backs from clients.

[Krystle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative

I was drawn to this book because I was thinking about offers consulting service for my product business. Let's get Real or Let's Not Play, is not an introduction to consulting but the gist of it. It teaches the reader what it takes to consult others, help sellers improve their skills and more. I learned that this area is not for me all while taking tips from the book to help my product business grow.
If I come across someone who is considering consul will definitely recommend this book, because it puts you in the center of what to expect, how to delegate tasks and also succeed.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never really been into sales books. I always thought they fell flat and didn't really embody what I was about. If you are looking for the long sale and the relationship side of sales this might be a good book for you to read. It's really highly rated because of the ideas presented in the book. They are very different from a typical sales process and they definitely give different advice.

I appreciated that this book was in line with my values and what I am about.

[Stephanie Bugge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an incredible read which elaborates on the consultant/client relationship. It helps people better understand sales roles in the business world and gives valuable insight into the more empathetic side of how to approach a business to business sales. Definitely read, even if you do not have a role in sales because a lot of the knowledge learned in this book can be applicable to many other roles and industries.

[Jay Leask · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mahan and Randy remind us that, despite sales being a ruthless game, if we lead with kindness and focus on listening we can solve our customer's problems. This book describes a repeatable strategy for creating relationships and provides techniques for successful meetings and closing deals. These are my taken ways from a strategy focused on solving the customer problem, not selling our technology and capabilities.

[Armand Steffens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Reading it resonated so well with my belief in selling and the approach. Do not get me wrong I am by no means an expert at selling but this reaffirms my belief in what I do and how I approach it. I am now more confident than ever that I will improve by continuing down this path.

Even as I read this I thought, I should be a sales or performance coach, the study of it intrigues me and the language used was easy and helped me stay in it all the way through.

[Kuoman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got about 1/3 of the way in. There are some good points to it, but there were other things that I found myself wanting to read more. Seems like a good fit if you are doing sales (although we ALL do sales all the time). Seems like a good fit if you are doing the more traditional sales of services/product role.

[Mark Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read on Sales

This book is chock-full of truth; you could almost call it the no-bullshit of selling. I’ve read this book more than once and each time I return to it I find I learn more and more. For new salespeople that want to get it right start with this book.

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this for work book club. It’s better written than many similar I’ve read and I definitely gained some insights and approaches, even though I’m not in sales. Really appreciated the sample verbiage for tough convos. It does assume good faith on the part of all parties that I’m not sure always exists.