donfperkins.com

When Mike asked me to review his book, my first thought was: “Oh joy. Another book about how to do sales.” My attitude quickly changed to one of true joy though, instead of my usual sarcastic cynicism (my default attitude…). In a very conversational way, Mike has broached every subject that one might run into in sales, dissected it with an exhaustive analytical eye and come up with action plans to put you ahead of the curve regardless of the challenges you face.

This book is definitely not for everyone. I think the worst thing that could happen would be for a sales manager to buy a mess of copies of this book and hand them out to the sales team hoping for a miracle or magic bullet. Don’t get me wrong, New Sales. Simplified. is an incredible resource for sales teams and managers alike, but unless people are willing to face some hard facts about themselves and their sales efforts, this book will be of little help. It is packed with insights that will challenge you to reflect on your own situation and how you’ve been approaching (or not approaching) prospecting for new business. Chapter 2 highlights the common reasons Mike sees salespeople, even good salespeople, fail when it comes to acquiring new accounts. This list will make you think and help you identify things you are doing (or not doing) that are hindering your success.

Meanwhile, for those of us who know we don’t know everything, who are constantly looking to improve the way we sell, and who want to leave no stone unturned in our quest to provide more value to customers, more revenue to our employers, and more commissions in our pockets, this book is a godsend. Here’s why:

Mike has an extraordinary passion for sales and an amazing clarity of thought about the nature of it – particularly around developing new business. A lot of Mike’s writing is straight from lessons learned the hard way; by failing and finding another way to never let that happen again. The principles recommended in this book have been tested in the fires of real life experience, in Mike’s career and with his numerous clients, and have ultimately resulted in success. Beyond that, what I really appreciate is that Mike doesn’t go off on trendy theories. He sticks to sharing reality, diagnosing what went wrong with his client’s efforts and explaining what works to fix them. He offers plans and ideas for change based on what he did that worked and worked very well. He provides simple, practical ideas that are easy to implement. I particularly like how he breaks down both the telephone call and face-to-face sales call and offers examples of what good calls look like.

This book presents real world help for those who truly want to improve their sales efforts. Kudos Mike! You can read more about New Sales. Simplified. here.