marketing and sales

The subtitle suggests that Fox explains "the rules for getting and keeping customers and clients" and that is true. However, he accomplishes much more than that in this book. True, he provides a series of what he calls "Killer Sales Questions", most (if not all) of which are now asked by the most successful salespersons. He also devotes substantial attention to the entire cultivation and solicitation process, suggesting all manner of dos and don'ts. Throughout the book, he correctly insists that the every effective "rainmaker" (i.e. one who brings revenue into an organization) has impeccable integrity, at all times and with all people manifests good manners, has a sincere commitment to the best interests of each customer or client, and seizes upon each rejection as a welcome opportunity to understand how she or he can be of assistance to (literally) anyone encountered, whenever and wherever that may be.

It may not have been Fox's intention but I think this is a book which should be read and then periodically re-read by anyone within any organization, not only by those which have contact with customers and clients. Think about it. If the objective is to create as much "rain" (i.e. revenue) as possible, why not involve everyone, including family members and friends, their family members and friends, etc. What about vendors? What about services providers (third-party centers of influence) such as attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, staff members of trade and professional associations, chambers of commerce, etc.? It is not sufficient to think of everyone within your organization as a "rainmaker." You must also help them to understand what rainmaking is, how to do it effectively, and (most importantly) why. Each should be provided with a copy of this highly-readable book and urged to share it with their spouse.

Everyone within each organization should have an attractive business card which includes his or her name (of course) but also some indication of what the organization offers. For example: "Lots of people have problems selecting the most appropriate (whatever). We help them solve those problems." Or a briefer version: "We solve problems with (whatever)." Have all employees carry their business cards with them wherever they go (e.g. dining out, shopping, athletic events, social gatherings) and encourage them to distribute the cards as widely and frequently as possible and appropriate. I highly recommend this book to those who are responsible for generating revenue as well as to those responsible for others who do. But I also recommend it for distribution among everyone else within the same organization (regardless of its size or nature) who can -- and should -- become involved in creating an on-going need for sturdy umbrellas.

As a lawyer and as an MBA that is currently running his own consulting business, I picked up this book as a way of giving myself a refresher course on sales. I was not disappointed by the book, nor was I amazed by the advice given. The book is easy to read and contains 160 odd pages of large font, widely spaced text. I read this entire book during the course of a brief flight from Los Angeles to San Jose(about an hour).

Others have commented that the book contains a lot of simple, obvious and straight forward advice and I tend to agree with this assessment. However, advice does not always need to be complex or particularly insightful in order to be useful. For example, it is always good to remember the value of embracing your client's objections and to develop a client-centric view of the sales process. While this is obvious to most sales people, many of us tend to overlook this principle from time to time.

The book has other fundamental weaknesses. For one thing, most of the examples contained in the book are non-specific and often feel like made up clichés. For example, the truly predictable tale of the sales person who was able to land a huge account by being nice to a secretary that later became an executive VP...

From my perspective the book also has another serious deficiency - most of the examples given in the book deal with tangible products. The author almost completely ignores the often much more challenging and complex process of selling services.

The bottom line is this: this is a decent book if you need a quick refresher or if you are completely unfamiliar with the world of sales. If that is not the case, look for a different book.

I am sure that this book is handed out at many a company meeting. Too bad it does not have any substance to it. This book is merely a collection of stale and cliche ridden sales tips (though they have been changed enough to prevent any copyright lawsuits!). If you are looking for real sales tips, dont' buy this book. Rather, go to Google and search for sales tips. If you are a manager looking for a way to make your boss think you are motivating the troops, order this book. It might help your next review. This book is basically this year's "Who Moved my Cheese" or the fish throwing book.