Selling by Phone: How to Reach and Sell to Customers in the Nineties

It's obvious that the reader with "nothing new here" comment did not read the book, it doesent stress chit chat at all, read this book, apply it, and become respected in the art of selling, not in the art of telling.

There is no better tool for a sales coach than the Richardson series. I am not fond of Guru books in general, but I have used Richardson's books to coach sales teams, and gotten results. Salespeople at every level fail to integrate skills like checking into their presentations, but most think they do. Too much "telling" happens during presentations, e.g. most salespeople see an interruption by a client as rudeness rather than an opportunity, and respond accordingly. Richardson's tools help coaches manage even the most seasoned sales pros to their potentials. If you are looking for motivation, this series is not the ticket; the success stories focus on the sales process, not results. However, I have seen salespeople become better personal communicators after attending Richardson's seminars, while achieving better sales results; I do not think this was just a coincidence.

I first read this book when I entered the tele-sales field in 1995 and consider myself quite fortunate for it. Not only does the book address telephone sales, but it is really geared towards consultative sales. The treatment of sales content and phone techniques is very rudimentary, so it is definitely a lot more appropriate for entry level sales reps. I am sure this book contributed to my own success and I that is why I am recommending it be used as a training guide now that I am in sales management.