Foreword ix
INTRODUCTION 1
1. WELCOME TO SALES 3
Is Sales Right for You? (Quiz) 5
Sales Terms and Definitions 8
What to Expect: The Good, the Bad, and the Crazy 11
Coming to Terms: The Five Stages of Sales Grief 15
Picking the Right Company and Spotting Red Flags 17
2. EVERYDAY LIFE IN SALES 21
Coming Out to Your Family and Friends As a Salesperson 23
The Different Types of Salespeople 25
The Different Types of Sales Managers 30
Comp Plans, Sandbagging, and How to Deal with Inconsistent Income 34
Getting Along with Your Coworkers in Sales 39
The Sales Diet 43
Mission Impossible: Dating While Working in Sales 47
Dealing with the Long Hours 50
3. PROSPECTING 57
Irrational Optimism: The Truth About How to Succeed in Sales 59
Leads and Why Most of Them Suck 63
How to Beg for Referrals 67
Cold-Calling 70
Business-to-Business Sales 75
Business-to-Consumer Sales 82
Door-to-Door Sales 90
How to Get Out of a Sales Slump Without Breaking the Law 96
4. CUSTOMERS 103
The Different Types of Customers 105
Are Buyers Really Liars? 110
Building Rapport 114
Listening: The Most Important Sales Skill 118
Objections and How to Overcome Them Without Tears 122
Dealing with Rejection 132
Closing the Deal 136
5. AFTER THE SALE 143
What to Do/Not to Do After the Sale 145
Spending Your Commission Checks 150
Going from Hero to Zero 154
Sales Management: Getting Promoted 156
Sales Trainers and How to Spot the Con Men 161
How to Switch Sales Jobs 165
Rules for Quitting Your Sales Job 168
Writing Your Letter of Resignation 170
PSSD (Post-Sales Stress Disorder) 172
CONCLUSION 177
Acknowledgments 181
Notes 183
Index 185