The Art of Influencing and Selling

Whether you're new to sales or have at least one year's experience in selling, this book will leapfrog your selling skills and understanding of sales techniques to a more sophisticated, satisfying and more genuinely customer and client-oriented level. If you're more experienced, then this book provides a comprehensive refresher which uses fresh insights, the latest ideas and practical useable tools like checklists to help you sell more and sell better. Fully reference and researched, "The Art of Influencing and Selling" covers: the psychology of selling a product or service; the sales pipeline and how to ensure it's realistic; making an effective sales presentation; up-selling, cross-selling, cold-calling and warm calling; effective approaches to prospective customers and clients; how to interrogate a database of contacts to get more sales; how to write effective sales materials; the power of business networking; how to get senior level appointments in your diary and closing a sale and follow up. If you want to improve your sales performance by learning how to listen to your customer and client and collaborate with them profitably, "The Art of Influencing and Selling" is the book for you. This excellent book dispels commonly held myths about how to sell and provides a blue print for driving incremental sales. Written in a highly engaging way, it is one of the best books on sales available and is a valuable addition to the highly successful Guru in a Bottle Series. Sir Paul Judge, President, Chartered Institute of Marketing This book makes a major contribution to the Chartered Institute of Marketing's Sales Leadership Alliance (SLA) initiative. It's totally unlike traditional books on selling, being an excellent manifestation of the fusion of the best of marketing with the best of selling. I wish it had been around when I was Marketing & Sales Director of a major company. Malcolm McDonald, Emeritus Professor, Cranfield School of Management In a book about the art of selling it's refreshing to see so much emphasis on listening to the customer, and collaborating to co-create products and services that they really want. Highly accessible and insightful, the book also encourages sales professionals to challenge assumptions about what motivates their customers and offers practical guidance on the approaches they are more likely to respond to. Alex Evans, Editorial Director, National Sales Awards A comprehensive guide to selling, with lots of practical insight and tools to help you sell more and better. Professor Merlin Stone, Head of Research, The Customer Framework Ardi Kolah nails some of the central issues for all sales and marketing people: the power and central role of emotion in buying decisions, the importance of listening, and the need to focus, relentlessly, on your customer. It's a relief to read that I've been doing a few things properly over the years - I still wish I'd had this book from the beginning. Andy Maslen, author of Write to Sell The key question that companies need to answer in the development of their sales strategy is: 'what do customers want?' - rather than - 'what do we want?' This book delivers the insights and processes to address this question. Raoul Pinnell, Chairman, Bromley Healthcare Right from the very beginning, this book grips the reader - whether as a businessman or student. The content opens our minds to the realities of selling and reveals the art of how to engage and influence customers in a physical and emotional way. An excellent and brilliantly written book that will help me in developing Cafe Spice Namaste and Mr Todiwala's Kitchen brands. Cyrus Todiwala OBE DL, acclaimed chef and TV personality This is a truly multi-dimensional approach to selling that provides the theory, tools and techniques to enable everyone to become much more adapt at selling. (...) Ardi Kolah has managed to distil a lifetime's sales experience into one, very readable, volume - a must for anyone involved in selling. David Doughty, entrepreneur and business mentor Packed full of insights and wisdom, this is a no-nonsense volume that I wish I had had in my pocket more than once in my life! Read, remember, understand and apply, and then read again from time to time. You won't have wasted a moment, enjoy the book, and the results! Professor Peter Cochrane OBE, former CTO, BT (UK) A combination of clear advice, up-to-date practical insights and references that distils the steps necessary to repeatedly make valued sales. Required reading for all those who want to make a positive difference to the bottom line. Steve Dobson, CEO, The Marketing Medic (UK) The Art of Influencing and Selling is like a mentor - it questions, challenges and makes you think. It's a great book and a must-read for everyone who has customer contact - not just those in a direct sales role. David Hammond, partner, Bringing Burgundy to You (France) This stimulating new book gives a fresh, updated view of the age-old business of selling. We all live in a rapidly changing world and this is particularly true for sales and marketing. The book addresses the shift in the balance of power from the seller to the buyer head on and presents a new blueprint for sales professionals to adjust to this changing environment with lots of practical tips and techniques. Peter Phillips, partner, Synched Solutions