Customer Reviews

Listen First - Sell Later

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just finished reading this book. It was informative and useful to me as an entrepreneur and a marketer. There's some good concrete advice in there that I have taken to heart and will act on. But that's not what impressed me the most about the book.

What impressed me most about the book is what a wonderful world we would live in if every salesperson read it and took it to heart. He talks about how salespeople are perceived as sleazy, why it got that way, and how to be a successful salesperson (or really, a successful person) without being sleazy in any way.

I dog-eared about 20 pages on my first read through this book. Here are some quotes from the book; some of the most exciting "A-ha!" moments and some of the passages that inspired me the most.

Stop being a salesperson. Become a solutions provider. You'll be much more productive. It's more fun. And, it's the right thing to do.

People have to buy YOU before they buy anything FROM you.

Come on -- what do you really want? What do you really want to do in your lifetime? Write it down. Share it with your best friend. I promise you it will be life changing.

Learn all you can about your top 20 clients. Find out their hobbies, birth dates, family members' names and interests, pets, etc. And, then communicate with them about all these things.

You need your story. Start a fire with it. Burn your story into the hearts and minds of the people who want -- who need -- to hear it. They are out there waiting for you now.

What are you doing right now to make sure you're at the top of the list the next time someone asks a friend for the name of a...?

You've got to interrupt them at some point.

Companies don't need a set of business ethics. They need to operate by a set of human ethics.

Why do so many new businesses fail? I think fear is the number one reason.

Try, try again only has a chance of working if you are trying something different.

The new marketing is not evolution, it's a revolution.

Allow front line people to make common sense decisions. Reward them for it.

Start compiling a database of every person you meet!

And wow! Near the end there's an amazing chapter about love overcoming fear. This is not just a book about sales or marketing. It's a book about life and how to live it well. It's written by a warm, caring man, and his passion for life and people shines through on every page.

Read it. Be informed. Be inspired.

It must be challenging to write a book on marketing that is not stuffy and boring. Bob was up to the challenge, for sure! Through his unique writing style, Bob was able to convey some important and helpful concepts while creating what turned out to be a very pleasant read. There are a lot of cutting edge, unique marketing ideas provided in this text; most of which I need to employ in my own business dealings. I'd strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to try something new to increase sales, or is simply trying to build new relationships in their life. Well done, Bob!

The stereotypical salesman is a loud-mouthed pushy guy who won't shut up. Most of the sales books and articles I've read have concentrated on how to "overcome objections", yell louder than the other guys, or find new and increasingly sneaky ways to separate people from their money.

This book is different. Bob Poole is not pushy, or sleazy, and he knows just when to talk and when to be quiet. As Bob says, every business owner is a salesperson (like it or not). If you're trying to convince someone to do something, you're in sales (even if you think you're really in software or accounting).

Listen First - Sell Later shows us that what really matters isn't "selling" or "overcoming objections". What matters is actually listening and building a relationship. One of my favorite anecdotes in the book is the story of Frank the pipe smoker. At the time, Bob was assigned to manage the copier management and supply program for Frank's company.

The problem was that Frank and Bob took an instant dislike to each other. In fact, Bob thought Frank was hostile, unfriendly, and downright rude. Then one day, he decided to get a pipe and some tobacco, thinking that Frank might be friendlier if they both smoked.

Once Frank saw the pipe, he started chatting happily about different blends of tobacco and pipes. It turned out they had a lot in common. They'd even grown up in the same town. More importantly, the hostility was gone and each now thought the other was a great guy. Eventually, they started talking about copiers, and Frank's business helped get Bob to the top ten list of 3M salesmen in the US.

No pushy hype, no sleaze, just listening.

This book hits a home run through simplicity, clarity, and usefulness. Many pages contain more information than most chapters of other books I've read recently. The author's knowledge obviously comes more from doing than knowing. Once again, street smart trumps book smart.

I'll admit that after 35 years of selling, I questioned whether or not reading it would even be worthwhile. WOW, was I surprised.

It brought fresh enthusiasm and new insight into things we've done for years. More importantly, it reawakened the sleeping giant of creativity that often wanes when we think we already have it made.

The customer stories reminded me that really knowing other people adds to more than just your bottom line. Many become friends for life and close relationships like those will always lead to others, personally and professionally.

In my opinion, this book is essential reading for anyone whose life or livelihood depends on having relationships with others and... GETTING THINGS DONE! Said differently, it has something for everyone!

Until I became a Life Coach about 6 years ago I had spent 20 years in sales and wish I'd read this book at the beginning of my career.

It's packed full of brilliant advice that it took me a decade or more to learn through trial and error.

I defy anybody to read this and not come away thinking they have learned something new worth 10x or more the purchase price. I'm not talking purely about sales either because a lot of what Bob Poole talks about can easily be transferred over to life.

Great read and I'm not surprised Seth Godin recommends it!

The title of this book grabbed me. It immediately reminds us of one of the keys lessons in marketing and life. We are so busy living in web 2.0 land and "Twitterville" these days that we have neglected the art of listening.
This great easy to read book is jam packed full of bite sized lessons in marketing and communication. Bob Poole draws on years of experience as both an intrapreneur and entrepreneur, sharing lessons along the way to enable us to enhance the quality of our interactions.

I teach electronics and I'm recommending this book to all my students. Perhaps more important than their technical knowledge is their ability to sell and influence others. This is important both at work and also with non-profit groups and organizations.

Bob Poole has vast sales experience that he shares with his readers. Unlike the stereotypical sales person, he follows an ethical approach that promotes long term relationships instead of the quick sale. His success demonstrates that nice guys can finish first.

This book is short and very easy to read, however almost every page provides an application or hint that you will want to spend time thinking over. He provides references through out the book that he conveniently repeats at the end.

Bob Poole's voice (and the knowledge and wisdom it imparts) is the voice I could use in my head: friendly, sound and helpful. Listen First, Sell Later provides both the philosophy behind the new rules of engagement for selling (and they ARE engaging) and practical tips on reaching the audience. Authenticity and communication are the keys, and Poole's work reveals how the old-school methods of interruption and haranguing are useless in a world where two-way communication is mandatory.

I could choose from a hundred striking passages in the book, but here are a few:

"I wonder why some people are always chasing after the cheapest price,
even if it means giving up a relationship. Don't they know that a quality life
is all about relationships?"

"Companies don't need a set of business ethics. They need to operate
by a set of human ethics. It's up to all of us to stop making excuses for a
different set of rules for business."

"Listen. Create value. Follow through. Keep your word. Maintain the
relationship. Listen more. You'll never live in fear again."

"Business and life are not separate things."

Listen First, Sell Later also addresses a host of business/selling specifics, like "Are Trade Shows Worth the Investment?" and "Quickly Increase Business Income" and "How to Create a Story." Bob explains that businesses need a story--a REAL story--and how to start a fire with that story to build an audience; he knows (and explains) how to make your marketing rich, real and engaging. So, get this book if you know that communicating, listening to your heart and building trust are the essentials for success in the business world and the human world. If you don't know that, my advice is the same: get this book (and the knowledge will be yours).

Whether you know it or not, everyone is a "salesman" !!! Every person is trying to influence others to see their point of view about a product, a service, a business, an ideal, a feeling or anything that a person believes is worth conveying to others. From "cradle to grave" we are always trying to sell in most of our interactions with other human beings. Bob Poole has captured in this "easy to read" book the keys to successful "selling to others".The "key" premise of "listening first...." is so important in all interactions among people. It is a proven fact that those most successful in "selling" are those that know what the other person(s) wants. To do that, you must let the other person let you know what their position is or what it is that they want(LISTENING). I gathered all this from Bob's great book and it is "chock full" of life's lessons on successful LISTENING!!!

What a great book! It was a great reminder of the importance of listening. We are all in such a hurry to sell without understand the true needs of our customers. This book was easy reading and I breezed right though it. Can't wait for the next one!