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Slow Down, Sell Faster

Book reviews > Slow Down, Sell Faster

Kevin Davis (2011). Slow Down, Sell Faster: Understand Your Customer's Buying Process and Maximize Your Sales, Amacom

 

I raised an eyebrow at the name of this book. Sales is a high-pressure, full-on job, in which dynamic, driven people fight for their living every day. So telling them to slow down seems anathema.

The problem in most sales situations, and particularly in large and complex sales, is that you are not selling to the person in front of you -- your actual customer is the whole organization and with many individuals in many roles having many different needs and having varying influence on purchases. The buying process is consequently much more than a buyer saying 'yes' after a quick sales presentation. Assorted meetings, trials and approvals may well be needed before they sign on the dotted line. 

To address this very real problem, the book presents a standard customer eight-stage buying process, covering identification of need, through researching alternatives to the actual buying and subsequent appreciation (or not) of product value in action. Alongside each of the eight buying stages is a role for the sales person, from 'student' of the need for change through assisting design the solution, overcoming fears, negotiating the deal and helping them put the product to full use.

Most of the book is spent describing these eight stages and corresponding sales roles in detail, with a whole chapter for each stage. The issues that may be faced at each stage are discussed and many practical tips on how to understand the situation and help the customer move through the stage are given.

Overall the book is very readable, with diagrams, lists, tables and so on used to ease understanding. It includes a very important message and the premise of slowing down to speed up now makes plenty of sense, particularly in complex sales to larger organizations (although all sales should benefit from figuring out how to fit in with how customers buy).

Kevin Davis is the president of a leading sales training company and has presented in this book what would probably be somewhat more expensive if you were to go on one of his training courses, so it must be considered a real bargain! You may find you are so impressed (I was) that you seek further training.

I have no hesitation in recommending this as a standard and well-thumbed text on any sales manager's bookshelf, as well as a practical 'how to' volume for sales people.