Book Review: Proactive Selling

Estimated reading time: 1 minute

A book recommendation from Dan Beaulieu.

Proactive Selling: Control the Process--Win the SaleBy: William “Skip” MillerCopyright: 2012, AmacomPrice: $17.95Pages: 238 with index

This book is all about your face time with the customer. You know, that part of the sales process where we all like to wing it, where we think that we have enough experience under our belts to just wow the customer with our knowledge, but then wonder why we didn’t get the order?

Well, it’s time to clip your wings and get down to business--the business of the sales call and proactive selling. This book is all about one thing: Figuring out what the customer wants and giving it to her.

I loved the first edition of this book when it came out 10 years ago and I really love this newly revised edition because it lays it all on the line. So many times as a sales consultant I am asked about the sales call, what goes on there, and how that can be productive. For years I have been telling my clients that if they are serious about sales they must pay attention to the actual sales call and I recommended this book to them.

This book will help you: Learn the language of value, demonstrate the value of your product or services to the customer, open a sales call, craft an introduction, control the meeting, discuss customer needs (instead of just your product), and help you engage the customer--all with a goal to bring you and the customer to a solutions-based relationship.

I think the chapter on educating the customer is worth $17.95. That chapter covers:

• Finding out the real needs and motivation of the prospective customer.
• Determining if there's a mutual fit.
• Determining why he or she should make a decision to change.
• Creating value early.

It really lays out what needs to happen in a productive sales call.

I consider Proactive Selling to be critical reading for new salespeople. It would also benefit the veteran salesperson who might need a bit of a tune-up.

Buy it, read it, and keep it handy.