How to Say It: Business to Business Selling: Power Words and Strategies from the World's Top Sales Experts [Paperback]

Geoffrey James (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 6, 2011 | Series: How to Say It...

There are approximately 35 million business to business sales reps in the country selling everything from books and computers to furniture and flooring. They know as well as anyone that selling to other businesses is not the same as selling to consumers. Businesses have different budgets, needs, demands, and expectations from those of general consumers. That means an entirely different skill set is required of business to business sales reps.

How to Say It: Business to Business Selling is the only book of its kind that caters exclusively to business to business sales professionals. Its short chapters provide tips and strategies tailored especially for the unique business to business selling process. You'll learn how to:

Motivate Yourself to Sell
Craft an Elevator Pitch
Find Hot Sales Leads
Make a Cold Call
Use Voicemail to Sell
Give a Sales Presentation
Write a Sales Proposal
Give a Product Demo
Negotiate the Best Deal
Close a Sale
Create a Powerful Sales Process
Sell to Top Executives
Build Sales Partnerships
Get a Customer Referral
Accelerate Your Sales Cycle

With How to Say It: Business to Business Selling you can sell business to business like a seasoned pro.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Geoffrey James is the primary sales training writer for Selling Power magazine, and since 2007, he has authored Sales Machine on CBS Interactive's BNET website, a sales-oriented blog that has won prestigious awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and the American Society of Business Publication Editors.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Press; Original edition (December 6, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735204586
• ISBN-13: 978-0735204584
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.5 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! January 27, 2012

By Diana Morris

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a great book. Very honest and full of practical information. I've been selling for 20+ years, and found this to be a welcome change of pace. Gets to attitude, sales process, personal motivation, and other critical topics written in easy to read style. Like having a sales coach sitting next to you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Words make all the difference . . . . November 22, 2012

By S. Gatter

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

We may be great, our company may be, our product and service may be ... but in the beginning, when we sales people are trying to persuade people to talk with us and try us, we have nothing except . . . . . words.

Geoffrey does a brilliant job of explaining the structure of word building and then sharing excellent examples along the way. It is a very logical approach to building an arsenal of great words along with the reasons and rational as to why.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An opportunity not to be missed February 15, 2012

By Justicio

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

A must read and required reading for all sales professionals.

Every day we are selling, whether it be to look for the next job or improve our careers.

How to say it: Business to Business Selling offers valuable advice for all levels of Sales.

Geoffrey James cuts through the mystery of the sales process with a clear message of understanding that can be applied in all areas of business.

There is no better recommendation for selling today than Business to Business Selling.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How to Say It: Business to Business Selling: Power Words and Strategies from the World's Top Sales Experts September 1, 2012

By Vicki Dee

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have written several new cold call scripts with the help of this book. I especially like the tip to drop the business jargon and make clear descriptions of what is being offered.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource for BTB Sales Pros February 10, 2012

By DataDoctor

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I admit to being a fan of James, having first read his blogs on BNET a few years ago. Those blogs were entertaining and informative. Having been in the BTB sales world for 30 years, I find his new book refreshing simple and useful in analyzing and teaching in all phases of the sales cycle. His improvement tips offer quantifiable gains and and that can be readily implemented.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sales Machine: solid, usable, non-fluffy sales advice December 29, 2011

By Kyle Porter

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

When Geoffrey was writing Sales Machine, it was one of only 3 blogs of which I read every post. When I saw that he was writing a book, I bought it pre-sale...and I'm glad that I did.

Geoffrey does an excellent job of taking conceptual ideas, removing the BS, & giving advice that's easy to use. The neat thing about his sales suggestions are that they are provided down to the script level. I particularly suggest that you use it to help craft your sales message, elevator pitch and cold calling/voicemail scripts. These are all never too good to refine and Geoffrey's suggestions are spot on.

I particularly like the fact that the content of this book has been cultivated so deeply from years in research, reading and interviewing the top minds in selling. The additional resources he offers make up wonderful next steps for after you finish this book.

Whether you are new to selling or working to sharpen your skills, I'm confident that you'll find practical, usable value in this book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Geoffrey James: Best Writer in B2B Sales! June 28, 2012

By Dave Stein (CEO of ES Research Group, Inc.)

Format:Paperback

Salespeople learn differently from the rest of us. They don't want fluff, B.S., or yet another book that describes what worked for some author when they sold fax machines to Woolworth's. What salespeople do want is straight talk about the tools, the strategies, and the tactics that will help them do one, and only one, very important thing: win business.

Here's the good news: Geoffrey James, the best writer in the B2B sales, has gathered compelling, relevant, and thoroughly field-tested content from the experts in fifteen critical B2B selling areas and served them up for you in a powerful, organized, and deliciously consumable way. If you're in sales or sales management you're going to LOVE this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good advice May 27, 2013

By [e-mail]

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Well structured book with some good advice about B2B selling. I would recommend it as a read if you want to improve your sales.