The Contrarian Effect: Why It Pays (Big) to Take Typical Sales Advice and Do the Opposite

I have been in sales for 10 years selling everything from life insurance to consulting to food. Many people's livelihood is reliant upon selling a product or a service. The world of sales has changed and old techniques and old "truths" are not true anymore. People who haven't realized this yet need to take heed to what a lost sale really is and to the words I am saying now: "If you wan't to succeed and it requires that you sell a product or a service to do it, this book is required reading. For years people have known something was being done wrong in sales, Elizabeth and Michael are the one's to finally say it and correct it!"

Face it, we all sell to some extent and I've always felt the key to being successful in sales is to NOT sell out. My convictions on this matter didn't always settle well especially when I was asked to do "dog and pony shows" back in the print, radio and ad agency days. It's true, my foray in advertising and marketing started in sales. But I could never embrace the worn out, salesy approach. That just wasn't me. I choose to connect with my clients and treat them as real people. Guess what? It worked and it still does today. Little did I know, doing what I believed to be the right thing was actually not the norm. I'm glad and I'm proud to be a contrarian. Are you? Michael Port and Elizabeth Marshall team up to share insights into typical sales tactics and they skillfully illustrate why the old school ways are not necessarily the best approach. Consumers are savvier than ever. They demand more. They expect more and they deserve more than a stale sales pitch and antiquated, canned attempts at "the close". The new marketing model is all about relationships and meeting the ever demanding expectations of today's consumer. Two of the most important tips I hope readers take to heart are: 1. Identify and target specific groups of individuals rather than the mass market. This may seem like a no-brainer to most contrarians but I am amazed to hear people today say "I want to speak to those who are even remotely interested in my product or service." This broad approach to marketing, advertising and sales is not cost effective. With this approach the messages created are often watered down and don't connect with people who may actually want what you're selling. Why don't more people understand the narrower the target the more qualified the consumer and coincidentally the more likely people are to buy from you? 2. Collaborate with strategic partners who share the same target market. Collaboration is the key to your success on the new business playing field. Gone are the days of bitter competition, back biting sales strategies and unauthentic attempts to make the sale. These out of date techniques hinder rather than help both sales and the economy. Odd as it may seem there is more than enough business to go around. In fact, I regularly collaborate with other professional copywriters. We have a referral network and we send business to each other based on our specialties and who we like to work with. It's a win-win situation. Another vital component to being a contrarian is following the Contrarian Primer. Port and Marshall created a list of 9 fundamental contrarian traits (this chapter alone is well worth the small investment in the book). I'll list them here but please note the book elaborates in the importance of each. 1. Build relationships and make connections 2. Respect your customers and honor their wishes 3. Target specific groups of individuals and the people with whom you do your best work 4. Make relevant and timely offers 5. Increase your lik

It might go against everything you've been taught, but the old way of making ales (the cold calling, the closing techniques, the meet-my-target-or-else mentality) don't work as well as they did in an interconnected, customer-is-king world. This book is a manifesto for a new and - I believe - more effective way of making sales - by building relationships, building a reputation as a trusted adviser, and by sending relevant, targeted offers. It's a method I advise my clients to use: newsletters, for example, which the authors recommend, are a great way of accomplishing all this. The book will be a shock for those who believe in the old way of making sales; it serves as a pocket-sized reminder for those who know that they new ways work better.

Michael and Elizabeth have written something that has been needed for years, a game plan on how to treat your customers to keep them coming back. I read it cover to cover in one sitting. Follow their advice and update your tired worn out sales approach, followup on everything, and track your progress. I bought 12 additional copies to send to the directors of training for my franchise, business partners and my suppliers and vendors. Hope they learn as much as I did. Thanks again for a great read. Also check out their live events. The best money you will ever spend.