Customer Reviews

Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way: The 7 Traits of Great Sellers

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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This book has inspired and empowered me to radically change my attitude toward my business. Ron Karr has lit, not a fire, but a jet engine under me.

In hindsight, I have been operating the business on a "field of dreams" premise. "If I build it, they will come." And it is true that I have attracted some business and had some success that way.

But this book convinced me that if I want large scale success, I need to learn how to be a sales leader as he describes. I need to articulate my vision for clients, and personally connect it to my potential clients' real-world issues.

Though I am strong in many areas, Ron Karr's list of 7 traits of great sellers touches on every one of my weaknesses. If I want success, I see that has to change.

You might think that realizing I am weak many key skill areas would leave me depressed instead of inspired. No. Not at all--because this book doesn't just convince you that you need to change, it gives specific, practical advice for how to start that process. It gives not just advice, but hope.

At the end of the chapters are exercises and commitments. I did them all. I continue to work on them. I have added a task called "lead/sell" to my daily action plan, in which I work on various skills, sometimes referring back to the book. (BTW, this is following advice from the book! He covers all the bases.)

I read this book less than a month ago, I made the commitment to change about halfway through the book, and I can already see important progress. I have "magically" become more confident talking about my work with people. Of course, it's not magical. It's the result of doing all those exercises!

Truly an excellent book worth reading, re-reading, and referring back to.

Thank you, Ron Karr!

This is a really good book. But it is not a book about sales tactics. If you're looking for the 28 best closing techniques, 15 cold calling scripts or tricks to reach the decision-maker, you need to look elsewhere. Ron Karr's book is about strategy. And the focus is on team leadership.

Now you might say to yourself, what team? I'm out there all alone making the sale, I don't have a team. But as Ron clearly points out, you actually have to lead not one but two teams, and it is critical that you lead and manage both of them effectively. The more obvious of the two teams is the one inside your own organization. This includes the many people involved in making the sale and providing the products and services that you sell, such as customer service, technical support, product management, R&D, accounts receivable, and you're own senior management.

The second team that you have to manage is the customer team that is involved with the purchase. This could include the end-user, IT, operations, accounts payable, purchasing, R&D, and your customer's senior management.

And more and more, all these people are talking to each other directly, rather than going through you. That makes it imperative that you have the leadership skills necessary to manage and lead these teams in order to make the sale and then successfully implement the sale. You must be "prepared to emerge as a team leader in a flexible network that not only crosses departmental lines, but also crosses the line between selling and buying organizations.... Your success as a salesperson depends on your ability to build and sustain coalitions both inside and outside your organization." That is the essence of this book and Ron succeeds admirably in giving you the insights and the tools that you need to do just that.

Ron's approach parallels what effective leaders do, with what effective Salespeople SHOULD do ... sell results. Sell Results with a sense of personal responsibility for the outcome! WOW! Imagine that! Putting together a comprehensive program for a client and being an integral part of its success.
Ron approaches the entire premise with a real mastery of the subject, by speaking to the 7 Traits that this type of approach would command of a Leader-centric Salesperson.
You'll enjoy the read, learn a great deal, and find yourself challenged in your thinking and in how you approach any future sale!
Enjoy the experience!

Length:: 2:48 Mins

This book is not about selling but about helping customers. It is not about the salesperson talking more and saying cute and clever ideas. Customers have their own problems and the best salespeople listen carefully and become a resource for solving those problems. In this TV interview, Ron Karr deftly handles a somewhat antagonistic interviewer and still keeps the principles of selling in line. In the end (watch the conclusion!) Ron Karr shows the professional he is. You are going to enjoy both this interview and the book with its great ideas!

A fascinating look at the leadership practices of top sales performers. If you're looking to inspire + achieve higher productivity from your activities, get this book. Karr's ideas are a fresh look at how leaders create whole new levels of performance for their customers, and hold themselves personally accountable for their success in doing so. At its core, it's a model in which leaders make themselves personally accountable for helping clients create new competitive advantages; ones which clients could never have imagined on their own. As true in sales as it is in any position where productivity depends on delivering customer value.

First, let me admit that it took me a really long time to read this book. I'm not a slow reader . . . it's just that I decided to reread certain parts to make sure I fully understood Ron's ideas. This book is not full of fluff - it's hard hitting content right from the start. My advice? You don't want to try to read this book while trying to do three other things; find a quiet spot where you can pay attention to each word.

Ron Karr is clearly a successful sales person and the stories and examples he shares from his personal journey illustrate his instructions beautifully. But I didn't want to get lost in the stories, so I took time to create my own review before I put the book away on the shelf.

Here's what I did after completing the book:
1) Went back through each chapter and read the "Leader's Advantage" and "Leader's Wisdom" boxes again. (Took about 30 minutes.)
2) Got out pencil and paper and took a stab at completing the Chapter 1 through Chapter 10 Commitment assignments. (Took much longer than 30 minutes!)

I feel sure that even with the extra steps I took there is more to be learned from Ron Karr. If you are serious about improving your sales performance, buy the book and learn from a master. Money and time well spent.

This extraordinary book is a remarkably comprehensive 'must read how-to' business book on creating, negotiating and selling your vision. By leading the way Ron Karr offers the reader his journey and take on accountability; asking good questions; building alliances; communicating persuasively; developing and growing leadership and positioning skills. Ron also offers you the opportunity to make your personal commitment to follow through on your journey to Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way.

Ive been selling for 15 years and wanted a refresher. This gave me several areas to improve.
I though it was great.

When there is something to be learned about sales and selling Ron Karr is the go to guy and this is the book to read. The lessons here are real, they are made clear, are sensible and easy to carry out. The information I got from this volume is career changing and will continue to benefit me way into the future. I can lead, I can sell and so, get out of my way! Thanks Ron Karr.

Ron does not just show and tell, although he does that brilliantly. He gives you assignments along the way. My personal favorite is Chapter Five on Positioning.

It turns out that sales leaders don't spent *more* time on the 'First Impression' stage of a sales call than do traditional sales people. But they often spend that time with different prospects (higher in the organization) and positioned differently (as a resource instead of the source for a specific product or service). Read Chapter Five and you'll understand why and how.

Ron makes it clear: "Changing the game is a big part of strategic positioning." Then he shows and tells you how to do it.

I am not in sales... but I am. Everyone in business is. So after Chapter Five I wrote down my list of 20 outcomes and am working on my 'Resource Proclamation'. Read this book with paper and pencil handy.