How to Be the Best Sales Professional (and Person) You Can Be

As these weekly blogs can attest, there is an overlap in the advice sales books have to offer.  This week I’m recommending something that stands apart, a guide on how to be the best sales professional (and person) you can be, starting from the ground up. 

Anthony Iannarino is a sales expert like many others, but some of his offerings are curiously original.  His first book, The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need, concentrates on an individual’s mind-set and commitment - not only regarding their professional life, but their mental health.  What’s more, his philosophy focuses on practices that aren’t emphasized as much in a sales guide, including:  

• Optimism
• Caring
• Accountability
• Influence 

The usual practices are covered as well (competitiveness, initiative, communication, etc.); together they form a rock-solid foundation for the challenges of the sales world.  It isn’t only about what you’re doing in your field, but why and how; and ultimately, you’re given the opportunity to prioritize your mindset instead of your skill set, leading to more powerful results.

Here is the summary from Amazon: 

“The USA Today bestseller by the star sales speaker and author of The Sales Blog that reveals how all salespeople can attain huge sales success through strategies backed by extensive research and experience.
 
“Anthony Iannarino never set out to become a salesman, let alone a sales manager, speaker, coach, or writer of the most prominent blog about the art and science of great selling. He fell into his profession by accident, as a day job while pursuing rock-and-roll stardom.
 
“Once he realized he'd never become the next Mick Jagger, Iannarino turned his focus to a question that's been debated for at least a century: Why are a small number of salespeople in any field hugely successful, while the rest get mediocre results at best? 
 
“The answer is simple: it’s not about the market, the product, or the competition—it’s all about the seller. And consequently, any salesperson can sell more and better, all the time. 

“Over twenty-five years, Iannarino has boiled down everything he's learned and tested into one convenient book that explains what all successful sellers, regardless of industry or organization, share: a mindset of powerful beliefs and a skill set of key actions, including...
 
· Self-discipline: How to keep your commitments to yourself and others.
· Accountability: How to own the outcomes you sell.
· Competitiveness: How to embrace competition rather than let it intimidate you.
· Resourcefulness: How to blend your imagination, experience, and knowledge into unique solutions.
· Storytelling: How to create deeper relationships by presenting a story in which the client is the hero and you're their guide.
· Diagnosing: How to look below the surface to figure out someone else's real challenges and needs.

“Once you learn Iannarino's core strategies, picking up the specific tactics for your product and customers will be that much easier. Whether you sell to big companies, small companies, or individual consumers, this is the book you'll turn to again and again for proven wisdom, strategies, and tips that really work.”