Review: ‘Do What You Do Better for Salespeople’

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Review at a glance: “Do What You Do Better for Salespeople” aims to give sales professionals a better approach to finding and closing leads, but this book can help anyone interested in learning better methods to work with clients, rather than simply sell to them.

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A always. B be. C closing. Always be closing.

Maybe I should’ve actually watched “Glengarry Glen Ross” to know something about sales, even the stage version of it. Because as a salesperson, I am weak. I do not have brass balls. I don’t deserve the $80,000 BMW and the watch that costs more than your car.

Do What You Do Better for Salespeople by Marc CorsiniBut I do know I could be better at sales. Marc Corsini, a Birmingham sales and life coach, helps real salespeople up their game. To that end, he wrote “Do What You Do Better for Salespeople,” a how-to book on sales. He was kind enough to give me a copy.

Keep in mind that better sales techniques can benefit many professionals, not just salespeople. How many freelancers, job seekers, fund-raisers and managers could earn their potential by learning how to find leads and be comfortable talking with them about a great product, such as themselves?

The main portion of the book explains the Best Bets method, focusing on leads that will likely say yes, rather than clinging to ones with low potential or payoff. He says that to move forward, a salesperson must always be … landing referrals. Keep the pipeline filled with leads, especially in good times, because those leads will be needed in the lean times.

I’ve already started asking people for referrals. Corsini emphasizes asking people every day for specific referrals — and, of course, to be ready to share leads for other professionals. You don’t ask, you don’t get. So I plan to make asking for referrals a part of my routine.

He also has standard advice for staying in touch with contacts and getting out of the office frequently. Corsini explains how the role of salesperson has shifted from mere selling to being an adviser to clients on how to solve their business problems. He walks the reader through a sample negotiation, explaining how to set the right tone, have a neutral meeting place and how to read a client and react appropriately.

Corsini throws in 125 sales tips and a Rainmaker Productivity Test. A couple of tips include “There you are!” (putting the emphasis on other people and being excited to see them, rather than “Here I am!”) and 95 percent win rates (if a salesperson is bragging about that, he’s playing it safe with small opportunities).

The last quarter of the book goes into Corsini’s seven Fs for success: fundamentals of work/sales, finances, family, faith, fitness, fun and fusion (of all those elements). He advocates a whole-life approach in his coaching, so the detour into these areas makes sense upon reading.

The book is a quick read, but one worth reviewing. I already feel more confident in working with sales, my least favorite part of the job. I knew I could sell certain things in certain situations. But learning from “Do What You Do Better for Salespeople” makes it seem less like a chore and more like a routine effort that will lead to bigger success.

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Looking for something to read? Check out the Sundayread suggestions.

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