Never Be Closing

April 28, 2014
In a 2012 Gallup integrity poll, sales professions occupied four of the seven least trustworthy positions. Consultants Hurson (Think Better) and Dunne seek to make salespeople more effective, and transform their image from shady seller to sincere problem-solver. Their “Productive Selling” approach centers on a deliberate problem-solving process to help clients and establish long-term relationships. These easy-to-apply principles and tools help deliver real value to prospects and increase the odds for sales success. The authors underscore the importance of both before-action and after-action reviews, which evaluate the process. In addition, they devote considerable time to discussing meeting preparation, from creating scripts and establishing credibility, to securing the meeting and setting criteria. Regarding the meeting itself, they show how to capitalize on every step from the waiting room to small talk, maximizing opportunities to learn about a potential client and their needs. While redeeming the sales industry may be too big a task for even these experienced authors, Hurson and Dunne do an admirable job of equipping sales professionals with effective strategies. Agent: Cathy Hemming, McCormick & Williams.

Starred review from July 1, 2014
Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman comes to mind as offering a contrary point of view to Hurson (Think Better, 2007) and Dunne's. But at the core of what all three say is the desire to be helpful and needed, which is the bottom line of this how-to-sell manual that presents no different strategies than those espoused and taught by, say, Rich Page (Hope Is Not a Strategy, 2007). After all, any good sales teacher focuses on productive selling and maximizing time spent for dollars gained, albeit with different tools, some of which are logical, some psychological, and many geared to a variety of selling situations and personalities encountered. But Hurson and Dunne use a series of acronyms and abbreviated phrases (e.g., AARsafter-action reviewsand BARsbefore-action reviews), each one to help emphasize the critical importance of always being prepared and always listening. Points made are brought to life through the creation of a fictional hero, Steve Stillman, head of the market intelligence team at Discus, and his attempts to sell and learn best-practice how-tos. Hurson and Dunne have produced an intelligent, easy-to-understand guide from which professional and novice sales folks alike will gain a great deal of comfort.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)