Customer Reviews

Heavy Hitter Sales Psychology: How to Penetrate the C-level Executive Suite and Convince Company Leaders to Buy

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I'm a little biased because I did enjoy good results from Steve Martin's last two books. He has unique vision that I suspect will transform the sales process and will be incorporated by the other sales training gurus in the industry. Like most sales thinkers there are stronger and weaker areas, but the specific focus on psychology of upper level prospects is excellent. I've personally found even if my official target is a lower level buyer, I often should be selling to the upper level decision makers anyway.

A sales professional's survival guide to one's job and career!

It is more difficult than ever to deliver sales and income particularly in these unprecendented economic times. Any product or service of any consequence requires executive level approval right now. In the past, decision empowerment would be given to key members in the lower ranks of any company. Today, budgets are fluid and therefore competing projects are subject to executive triage of all business investments. It is more critical than ever how you approach and position yourself favorably to persuade a C-level executive to buy from you.

Martin's prescriptive approach will challenge any sales professional regardless of experience. People are in survival mode today where keeping one's job is paramount. In sales, if you do not hit your numbers, whether you are a VP, Region manager or individual contributor, you will be gone as companies continue to winnow their work forces. This is a must read from that perspective alone.

This book clearly defines the business, psychological and political makeup of senior C-level executives. You must understand their language and the factors these decision makers face daily. This is more intimidating than ever because you must be prepared when approaching these people. Martin takes away the mystery and/or assumptions you may have in reaching these key executives in your business.

Without this awareness, you will fail in today's business climate. Steve Martin does a superb job in preparing you to sell to the C-level executive. This is an environment unlike anything we have seen in our lifetime. A must read for every VP of Sales and sales professional. "Business as usual" is over. Outstanding material!!

Be forewarned sales newbies, Heavy Hitter Sales Psychology is for senior people who have been selling for years. That's exactly why I like it!!! It's not a regurgatation of all the sales 101 stuff you learned eons ago. Heavy Hitter Sales Psychology focuses on "sales linguistics," the study of how the customer's mind uses and interprets language during the decision-making process. The book provides sophisticated strategies and detailed examples of language-based interactions with C-level executives. Tons of examples, exercises, and illustrations make it enjoyable reading. I agree with Mr. Martin, "Sales Linguistics is the new Sales Psychology!"

Heavy Hitter Sales Psychology is the latest installment in Steve W. Martin's Heavy Hitter book series. I have read his other books and this one continues in that strong tradition of extremely useful and practical sales wisdom to help win your customers' hearts and minds.

I work in marketing and work with a lot of sales people and a lot of customers. I wish every sales person at my company would read this book and read it sooner rather than later. And if you are in marketing, this book will help you understand the mind of an executive and what makes successful sales people tick. In the end, it will make you more successful in conversations with your sales teams and your customers.

Martin lays out "9 C's" of successfully penetrating the C-suite in an organized and logical manner with plenty of exercises to make you think and stories to keep you engaged. If you are in sales and regularly sell to executives, this book is a must read in today's business world. If you are in marketing, this book is a fantastic tool to make you more successful in your day-to-day activities with sales teams and customers.

When dealing with more figures than you have fingers, there's a lot more thinking to sales. "Heavy Hitter Sales Psychology: How to Penetrate the C-Level Executive Suite and Convince Company Leaders to Buy" is a guide for salesmen who are trying to crack those six or seven figure deals and want to wrap their mind behind the thoughts of company leaders who don't want to be parted with that money. With sales tactics unique to this level of business, Steve W. Martin gives readers invaluable advice with plenty of real world examples and ideas. "Heavy Hitter Sales Psychology" is a must for any businessman who is moving in to playing with the big boys.

On very rare occasions, a book comes along that causes us to see a topic in a completely new light. A seemingly innocuous book is so loaded with insight and practical wisdom, that the reader will never look at a subject the same way again. "Good to Great" is probably the best example we've seen in recent years.

I think "Heavy Hitter Sales Psychology" may deliver that same type of impact for senior enterprise sales professionals. The book begins with a somewhat outrageous first sentence; "There is no such thing as reality." Steve Martin begins building a foundation, and it doesn't take long to understand what he means regarding the C-Level Executive. Each succesive chapter adds more insight. Some of the concepts seem a little esoteric at first, but by the end of the book I was amazed at how each section built into a cohesive and logical finish. One of the best side benefits of the book is the understanding you will gain of your own company.

This book is easy to read, the concepts are clear, and nearly every page is loaded with an amazing array of practical insight. This is one of those books I plan to re-read every year. Read this book and don't be surprised when your understanding of C-Level executives is changed forever.

What would it be worth to discover the Holy Grail for success in the world of complex sales? All I can say is for the price of an average dinner tab for one, you can purchase a legitimate treasure map that will bring you immediate results if you follow the directions in this book. Although this book may challenge the beginner, the sales pro looking for ways to beat the competition by getting to the decision-makers first will find this book invaluable. Not just a book of "sales theory" but a practical and proven set of executable steps that will lead you to where you must be in the toughest sales environment that our profession has faced in a generation. I can say without hesitation that the ideas in this book have put me in the executive suite of several prospects that I never thought I would get the chance to compete for and win. I'm sold.

Steve Martin brings out the big wood with his new book and drills one over the centerfield fence.

This book is a must read for anyone who has line level responsibility to bring home deals and for everyone involved in supporting reps in the field from the corner office to the receptionist.

Without a doubt, Heavy Hitter Sales Psychology is a blueprint for success in today's brutal economy.

Karl Kacerek
President
OpsInABox

This is the first book I read from Steve Martin, and I think is very useful for any sales person, breaks new ground in terms of personality and what you need as an executive to succeed in any business environment.
Stresses the importance of understanding the personality of the buyer, and also the importance of identifying the person who makes the decisions within the organization.
Surely a book that combines psychology with sales in a logical and simple way.

I have shared the book's ideas with several salespeople whom everybody think that they are very successful. The result: Most of them know bits and pieces of what is written and they go ahead with their proposals and offers without any detailed plan. They follow their guts mainly, and have an insider in the targeted enterprise. This is how they work on a deal.

This book is hard to comprehend from the first time. You have to read it several times and compile a summary booklet that serves as your tutorial and reference. The author is approaching the "sales" issue as an engineer who tackles all the details and all the parameters.

After compiling my "tutorial" summary, I followed it while targeting a governmental body. Even though we are still in the early phases of a huge deal, but, boy... things are totally different. I'm almost 100% sure that I'm going to nail down this deal.

Great work. Nothing to be compared to.