Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Average Customer Rating:

More than just sales, everyone would be better for reading this book

Customer Rating:

This along with Dale Carnegie's 'How to win friends and influence people' are two of the best books that anyone who would like to improve their outlook on life could possibly read. You can tell by the way the book is written that these guys have worked together and are friends. There is very little strategy in this book because when it comes down to it, outside of monitoring your performance, there shouldn't be much strategy. If you have your customers best interests formost in your mind you will do well. However there are still many things that you must know to do this, and they are covered here. It is also nice to know that succesfull people were also bumbling idiots once and that they too had to learn, research and practice to get where they are.

Delightful, simple, sales advice

Customer Rating:

Frank Bettger, as in "Bet-cher life" wrote the original in 1947. Frank sold life insurance. What a stormer. It was recommended on a Stuart Lotherington QUIS sales course. I bought the book a couple of days later. Frank's advice has been worth many times the cover price to me. So many rock-solid tips, backed up by well told stories: Keep records, and make time to plan; Shoot for the bulls-eye, find the most important reason for your customer to buy; Make appointments, take a recommendation, praise your competitors; Look great. A polished gem of a sales book, for anyone interested in helping others to come to great decisions. I loved it.

Rock solid classic on sales fundamentals

Customer Rating:

Every book on sales uses the core principles that Frank Bettger laid out in this classic manual in 1947. These principles remain an effective part of the repertoire of most successful sales professionals. Bettger shows his belief in Dale Carnegie's putting-people-first tactics with his inspiring language, skilled storytelling and bedrock principles. While some of his syntax, especially the gender-specific pronoun use, is dated and the dollar amounts are small compared to today's figures, getAbstract suggests that every salesperson should read and master this basic, practical guide.

Know your offer, the rest is just common sense .......

Customer Rating:

This book is full of little dictums and mantras that just might help you to improve your performance. It's an easy read, most of the chapters are only two or three pages long, but: I disagree that this book is timeless. The book was written in 1947. The first review for it here was written in 1997. The personal development stuff is all still valid, of course you are going to sell more if you are smart and enthusiastic - do you really need to be taught that! Likewise, be organised, make lists, make calls - all logical stuff. However, the times have changed, the customers are smarter, and there's this new thing called the internet which makes product comparison so much simpler, and therefore selling so much harder! Then you have Receptionists as "Castle Guards", Voicemail, PAs, greater customer knowledge, busier schedules and greater customer choice to get past. Not to mention OJEU for any significant sale! It is definitely a different age from when this book was penned. Frank was selling life insurance. I cannot believe that in 2008 he would breeze into a top executive's office and walk out with a large cheque for their life cover. However, here's one gem that I would like all the Reps that visit to note: "I like to do business with the fellow who informs himself about his own business, who can tell exactly what he has that I can use, and goes at his work without wasting my time or his. I like the man with useful ideas, the man who can show me how to get more goods or better goods for the same amount of money. He helps me handle my job to the satisfaction of my employers. I try to favour any salesman who is absolutely honest about his goods, and who sees their limitations as well as their virtues, I have never had a misunderstanding with such a man." This quote is apparently from Frank Taylor, Purchasing Manager of General Motors "many years" before 1947. Know your stuff, become a Trusted Advisor.

The Best

Customer Rating:

Having not read a sales book before I was unaware as to what to expect. The first point I would stress is dont feel this book is for people failing at sales, before purchasing this book my sales record was very strong but with this book it has helped me go from strength to strentgh. I had never been able to pin point my success however this book allowed me to do so and improve further. I take this book with me everyday to work and have recommend it to many others. I have never wrote a review for any book before but felt it only fair for others to benefit as i have. Reading this book will not make you a better sales person, reading it and actioning what is written definitely will!