Consultative Closing: Simple Steps That Build Relationships and Win Even the Toughest Sale [Paperback]

Greg Bennett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 14, 2006

Often, sales professionals using a consultative approach are afraid to use typical, pressure- filled strategies to finally close a sale. Afraid of damaging the relationship they've nurtured, they unrealistically hope the sale will close itself...which rarely, if ever, happens. "Consultative Closing" provides the solution, breaking up the closing process into small, actionable steps that help the salesperson gain gradual buy-in and establish a long-term working relationship with his or her client. This is an indispensable guide for consultative sales professionals who want to make the sale, and keep their customers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Bennett dishes up a wealth of both closing and consultative advice in his worthwhile book. "

-Agent's Sales Journal

“Bennett dishes up a wealth of both closing and consultative advice in his worthwhile book. He teaches salespeople not only how to close more sales, but also how to build lasting client relationships. Using his proven strategies and unique approaches, salespeople are certain to view the sales process in an entirely new light.”

-Agent's Sales Journal

Book Description

"For the past several years, the often-unwarranted myth of the pushy, aggressive, and, worst of all, deceitful salesperson has become ingrained in American culture. While consultative selling, the practice of becoming an advisor to the customer, is the most effective method of engaging a client, it has also made the process more challenging -- leaving salespeople who are afraid to close the deal and clients who are reluctant to make a decision. Consultative Closing bridges the gap between the aggressive salesperson who gets results, and the informed consultant who builds lasting relationships. With a revolutionary step-by-step approach to the sales process and proven methods and strategies, this hands-on field guide helps you maneuver the pitfalls, and overcome the fears that can hinder any deal, ensuring that you achieve a successful close while building strong “partnerships” with clients to maximize their investment in your product. Creative and cutting edge, Bennett’s strategies will completely transform the way you service your clients on a daily basis.

Renowned sales strategist Greg Bennett shows how to turn up the pressure without turning off the client through the use of nonconfrontational strategies -- Mini-Steps that will help seal a definitive close. Also included are sample scripts, several exercises, an online resource center with free audio and video segments, and a four-week plan for implementation. Consultants will become partners with their clients by discovering:

* How to shorten the time required in closing a sale while actually building stronger client relationships

* How to recognize a no, and even take a client to NO, without seeming pushy

* Why devoting as much time to the post-sale as the pre-sale will help ensure long-lasting client relationships -- and a successful close

* How to overcome “call reluctance,” and turn the fear of rejection into an opportunity for gaining prospects

Honest, authoritative, and innovative, Consultative Closing will enable you to achieve maximum success -- and help you have the best of both worlds -- making the deal and keeping the client."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 17 and up
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (November 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814473997
• ISBN-13: 978-0814473993
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #434,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Greg Bennett has been a top sales trainer, consultant, strategist, and coach since 1988.


' He has worked with hundreds of organizations and thousands of salespeople in a wide variety of industries, including extensive sales consultation and strategy development for over 150 professional sports teams and major universities across the United States and Canada.

' His strategies and techniques are considered by many to be the most realistic, user-friendly and 'street smart' available anywhere. He focuses on the
fundamentals of sales success, with a special emphasis on what he calls 'Consultative Closing' strategies (Consultative Closing is also the title of his new book, published by AMACOM) 'designed to help consultative sellers,
business owners, and professionals become more effective closers.

' In 1998, Bennett developed the first online sales training site, www.SalesTrainingTV.com, and began using the Internet to revolutionize the way training programs could be delivered to sales managers and salespeople on the front lines.

' Bennett is also partner in a sports-consulting and branded-product-development company called APC (Altitude Profit Consulting), a partner organization within Kroenke Sports Enterprises, owners of the Denver Nuggets, Colorado
Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, and several other sports and entertainment
entities. APC also develops sales-related promotional products and apparel for pro teams and corporations.

He lives in Colorado with his wife, Rosemary, and four daughters, Brooke, Blaire, Kaity, and Madison.

Bennett offers several live and online training and support programs for large, medium, and small sales organizations and small businesses. For more information, please contact:

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful, step-by-step guide to help you finally seal the deal, August 30, 2007

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Consultative Closing: Simple Steps That Build Relationships and Win Even the Toughest Sale (Paperback)

Often, salespeople - even those who already practice "consultative" selling - are reluctant to ask for the sale because they don't want to jeopardize a client relationship they've worked hard to develop. Yet, the whole point of developing the relationship is to generate sales. Sales trainer Greg Bennett offers a solution to this conundrum in the form of his "mini-steps" sales approach. He explains how salespeople can break the sales process down into small, actionable steps, to help the client buy into it and advance the sale, without appearing self-serving or pushy. His system reworks existing sales practices, so some of his concepts may feel familiar, but he points out that many salespeople, and even sales managers, are too comfortable living in "Maybe-Land." He advocates taking up permanent residence in "Reality-World" by asking for an answer, even if that answer is "no." We encourage those who want to refine their consultative-selling techniques to read Bennett's book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical Plan, May 7, 2007

By 

J. Avellanet "author of Get to Market Now!" (Williamsburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Consultative Closing: Simple Steps That Build Relationships and Win Even the Toughest Sale (Paperback)

Drawn from decades of selling situations and experiences, this book lays out a 3-part method to improving professional sales:

1. Working from a set of mini-steps to achieve buy-in
2. Recognizing that "no" is always better than "maybe"
3. A set of mini-steps for after the sale

The book also has a wonderful story on replacement window-buying, and having just lived through that "process," I found his insights spot on.

Unfortunately, the book has several minor weak points that keep it from the 5-star rating:

* Out of 200+ pages, only 10% cover the 3rd and final step in the method (post-sale mini-process).
* There is significant repetition (a paragraph or two on how clients and salesmen want to avoid conflict must be in every chapter at least once).
* Large parts of the book are written specifically for the small business owner; other sections clearly just for the dedicated salesman or sales manager. Depending on your role, you can skim.

That said, the first two out of three steps are incredibly well developed and very powerful tools. Thus, four stars.

J. Avellanet, Co-Founder of Cerulean Associates LLC

5.0 out of 5 stars Subscribe To Greg Benett's Blog, October 15, 2010

By 

Bill Swansen "Bill Swansen, Author & Employme... (Carlsbad, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Consultative Closing: Simple Steps That Build Relationships and Win Even the Toughest Sale (Kindle Edition)

Greg Bennett is a entertaining speaker and writer. We had him speak at our annual sales meeting and I bought his book for my entire sales team. Best investment I ever made.

Greg produces a blog called "The Ugly Pond" which is one of the few sales related blogs I subscribe to and anticipate receiving each month.

Greg writes in a easy to read and concise manner and is very entertaining. If you don't invite him to your next sales event you are missing out on a very insightful and entertaining opportunity.

Buy this book then contact Greg. I'm sure that after talking to him you will be as excited as I am about adopting his sales strategy and following his blogs.