How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients

A student recently lent me HOW TO BECOME A RAINMAKERby Jeffrey J. Fox and suggested that I might like it . . . was he ever right! . . . this was one of the best business books I have read in a long time.The idea behind the book lies in the American Indian tradition of employing a Rainmaker to use magical powers to nourish the crops to feed the people . . . updating this, a Rainmaker today is a person who brings revenue into an organization (be it profit or not-for-profit).Even though this premise might sound so basic, it is amazinghow many companies tend to forget it . . . Fox says youmustn't, and he presents a series of simple-to-follow principlesthat can be applied to a wide variety of situations.There were many memorable passages, but so as to not overwhelm you with all of them, I'll just present the his series of six "killer" sales questions:1. When you have the customer on the phone, suggest a meetingand then ask, "Do you have your appointment calendar handy?"2. The Rainmaker asks the customer, "Will you look at the facts and decide for yourself if they make sense?"3. [when a competitor is mentioned] You answer exactly asfollows: "Yes, that is a good company. Would you like to knowour points of difference?"4. When a customer asks for a product demonstration, the Rainmaker responds as follows: "We would be happy to giveyou a demonstration. If the demo is successful, is there anything else prohibiting you from going ahead?"5. To close the sale, to get the final customer commitment, the Rainmaker might say: "You've looked at everything. Your concernshave been answered. Time is of the essence. You've heard ourrecommendation. Why don't you give it a try?"6. [always conclude an interview with a customer by askingone killer sales question] The killer sales question is: "What question should I be asking that I am not asking." Variants or follow-up questions, are: "Is there anything I have missed?""Have I covered everything?" "Have I asked about every details that is important to you?"

I bought the book two days ago and I read it really quickly (2-3 hours). Like other books on improving sales you need to APPLY these techniques and principles in order to get maximum value out of the book. If anything, you will at least learn to recognize good sales people from bad ones. This book is, for some, common sense. For others, this book is a quick refresher course of the basic principals of selling and finally, it might be a completely new experience for many and it may have you thinking about the art of selling. The reality is that the value of this book, to you, probably depends on how much training and common sense you already have. In general, I really enjoyed the book and thought there were many interesting sales concepts, which I am looking forward to employing to see how effective they are in real life. Fox continually emphasized the concept of dollarization throughout the book and gave examples of different sales techniques throughout the book

I must disagree with the two previous customer reviews. The reason why I bought this book in the first place, was because of the short and to-the-point suggestions. This book is not #10 in the Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Group(one of the top firms in the world) because of its length, but because of its stellar advice. Many of the tips may seem logical, but rarely are practiced. Believe me, I meet with all kinds of salespeople on a daily basis and all of Fox's tips are often ignored, thus killing a sale. If you want your client base to grow, read this book and use Mr. Fox's advice!

Great book. Lots of great ideas for professional salespeople and anyone else who sells (which is everyone at some point or another!).It is the first book on selling that I actually read from start to finish. Not another thick book on theory. Lots of action. And the ideas make good business sense. Enjoy.