Jill KonrathSelling to Big Companies

This book cannot be praised enough. The only improvement is to change the title. This book isn't just for selling to big companies! This book is for anyone who needs prospects and whose company does a poor job of generating leads for them (everyone is in this situation I think). Selling to Big Companies debunks many of sales myths, especially those loved by out-of-touch managers who want more results but are clueless about how to get them. We are living in the `perfect storm' of sales resistance, especially in regards to getting in at all. Selling `high' isn't the answer, any more than the tired, worn-out approach of cold calling. This book, however, is the answer!There are thousands of books and systems for sales. Almost all of them ignore or minimize the realities of how hard it is today to get into accounts to even begin `selling.' Few books have little useful information on prospecting or lead generation. No matter how good you are if you can't get in the door you can't be a solution, strategic, customer-focused, closed sub (Sandler), or ad nauseam `flavor of the day' seller. This book, coupled with "Selling Against the Goal" has replaced 90% of my selling library and is an indispensable read.This book is a practical workbook: not simply a theoretical system of selling that does you no good in the day to day selling world where we all live. This book tells you how to make a plan, to create a prospect campaign: the how-to of developing leads and prospects within your territory. The book has very explicit instructions that show you how to work an area, develop business, and close sales. "If you're not getting in," for example the book tells us, "it is because your value statement isn't very good." This book goes far beyond the worn out and doesn't work advice of `just cold call more.' This book may have saved my career. It will definitely improve anyone's sales efforts if they apply it.

Jill - Thought I'd drop you a note to let you know that I bought both Selling to Big Companies and SNAP Selling and they have definitely helped my sales efforts. I also received your free book of 500 questions. Like you I'm a Xerox alum (1973-1975) and the sales training methods and techniques of the past don't fit in today's business market place (some fundamentals do, but they have to be tweaked).I started a new position with a different company on March 1st selling to corporate customers. I'd spent the bulk of 36 years selling to banks and I quickly found that my sales approach wasn't working. Your books made me stop and review my entire sales game plan from A to Z.I'm happy to say that just 6 months and 14 days after starting in my new position I've made my first two sales (sales of remittance processing software which can take anywhere from a few months to a couple of years) and I truly believe you helped that process move forward faster.Thank you for doing what you do and don't stop!My best,Bill

Anytime you purchase a sales book, like me you might be wondering if you really WILL gain any insight, or hear anything new. I am a little skeptical sometimes of books on sales because while the authors creates new buzzwords the message is simply the same. However, I did find something fresh here. Not only is it written without all the rhetoric, it's not preachy. (Sales books can seem so condeming sometimes) I learned some interesting things, but yes there were some old lessons there too. Konrath goes beyong WHAT you should do and tells you HOW you should do it. Her message makes it feel like it's less of an uphill battle and gives examples of success stories and downfalls in a highly relatable way. I like her writing style and would recommend this book right up there with Jeffrey Gitomer.

Technically speaking, this was the best sales book I ever read. You can tell the author really knows her stuff. Her advise is dead-on accurate. Now I will say this, she is passionate about this stuff and has spent a lot of time in the pharmaceutical training field--so she was, in essence, selling her own services. You can tell she is a top notch sales trainer and she does and suggests approaching clients with gusto, confidence, and all that. Her techniques are priceless and she will have you drilling down on developing a real, bonafide value propositon, and building success story examples thst speak to todays sofisticated buyers. You will learn more reading this book than going to 100 of your companies "sales training" afternoons which emphasize the same old stuff.Company managers and owners take note: This book is driven by a few simple building blocks and the most important is a real, honest to goodness, verifiable and measurable 'VALUE PROPOSITION". If the companny cannot say that they do anything different or better or in some way have a niche in the market--well then, your pitching a commodity.

I think Jill Konrath is great, she is one of the few in this over-loaded sales coaching field who actually captures the reality the frantic life of B2B sales. This book was published in 2006 whilst her SNAP selling book was published in 2010 and you can see those 4 years made a huge difference in insight and new ideas.don't get me wrong, it is a good book, but SNAP selling is much better. Also it is clearly heavily influenced by the definitive sales text 'SPIN Selling' and it gives you a little be more insight and 'how to' into big company interaction than SPIN sellingwho should read this book: anyone in B2B who sells to mid or large sized companies who has gone on a sales training which actually was focused on b2c and small sales. this will help you very quickly bridge the gap and not feel that your sales training was a complete waste of time