Customer Reviews

No More Cold Calling(TM): The Breakthrough System That Will Leave Your Competition in the Dust

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I ordered the book expecting the breakthrough system advertised on the cover. Instead, the book is about going to networking events to meet people to trade referrals with. I guess that's ok if that's your thing but it's not mine, it sure never got me anywhere, heck, the top sales guys I know won't even bother with those events. The first 100 pages are spent just trying to convince you that referral selling is the only way to sell. Ok so cold calling is out but I don't think referral selling is the only option.

I might have given the book a better rating if the cover told the truth and I knew I was buying a book about going out to networking mixers. Referral selling is old news and there are plenty of other books about it. I feel let down by what I got. And you know what? The book isn't half bad if going to networking events is your thing. That's why I gave it better than one star. But why not tell people what they're getting up front? The author needs to study up on relationship selling because you sure don't build good relationships by promising one thing and delivering another. And why are all the 5-star reviews from people in her area in CA?

If you have ever sold for a living, even for a short time, you probably have had to make cold calls. There are lots of books, methods, and programs to help salespeople make cold calling more of a methodical process than the severe emotional challenge many people find it to be. While I never found making the cold calls particularly painful, I did find them a horrible waste of time. However, sometimes it seemed necessary.

The author of this book, Joanne S. Black, calls herself the Queen of Referral Selling. She has a very compelling method that you can use to get a much higher conversion rate from referral selling than you could ever get from cold calling. She even explains how to transition to it in an environment that rigorously enforces cold calling.

I like the way she lists a great many objections and explains how to get past them. In my own selling experience, I always tried to get and use referrals as much as possible. Frankly, I wish I had thought to be as systemic in the approach as the author of this book. Or that I had been able to get this book sent back in time to help me. But it is here now and it can help you. Buy it, read it, use it and you will enjoy the success you get. And I believe that you will move away pretty quickly from cold calling because you will have so many more effective hot leads to follow up with that there just isn't time to call strangers.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

I agree that cold calling is out and referral selling yields higher sales volume. I am already practicing this in my business and record about 1 million in sales annually (2nd in my organization) doing this. I wanted to increase my performance so I bought this book.

I was dumbfounded. I am only 1/2 way through it and all I hear about is why referral selling is great and how the author succeeded in it. Great, but when does the author start sharing????

Normally, I can plow through business books as they really hold my interest. However, this one I cannot read through quickly because the 1st 1/2 is sooooo repitive and to be honest I am tired of hearing the author pat herself on the back.

To be fair, keep in mind I only read 1/2 thus far. But, I am NOT happy with my purchase.....

Not to repeat other reviews too much, but this book was disappointing. Author spends waaaay too much time trying to justify her position (networking/referrals is THE way to sell) - perhaps so much justifying is because, at the root of it, the author isn't sure herself? Or maybe she just likes to pat herself on the back - a lot - as others have suggested.

Can referrals grow your business? Certainly! Is networking the best way to accomplish getting referrals? Doubtful. Should we all stop cold-calling? Not based on this book...

Seems this book mostly sells on its title. The dislike that most sales people have for cold-calling (ask 100 sales people to name their LEAST favorite activity and 99 will rank paperwork and cold-calling in their top two least faves) is a great motivator to buy a book like this. Unfortunately, you can't judge a book by its cover (or title...) and this one fails to deliver once you get inside. Big seller? No doubt. But its sales likely have far more to do with the title than the content.

Wonder how many people reading this book feel victimized by a yet less enjoyable sales practice than the cold call - bait and switch...

I have been reading sales books for the past 15 years and probably about a minimum of 2 a month so over 300 books later I come across "No More Cold Calling," as a salesman these were fantastic words to me, especially in the field of merchant services! I jumped at the chance to pick up this book and study it cover to cover and it has not disappointed. With in the first few chapters there were ideas that really made sense, some I even heard before but finally put in terms that really worked for me. Joanne paints such a perfect picture of referral selling that anyone who takes the time to read this book and do the assignments through out it can't fail, but for those who expect to skim read and flip through the pages they will be wondering where the success is. There is no magic bullet (I have looked.) A little reading and some homework mixed with a little practice and results WILL happen I am here to tell you. I am a student of her techniques and this book has become a reference that is always at my side and my sales have shown measurable improvement. Just ask my boss he has recently asked what I have been doing different since not only are my sales higher but so are the dollar amounts of my sales and my attitude at the end of the day is just off the charts. I spend my days presenting, selling, and writing up deals versus facing the constant up hill battle of showing up unannounced and getting my "nose bloodied" cold calling. Showing up not only expected but finding potential clients eager to meet with me was such a refreshing change I can't fully explain just how good it feels! I can truly say it has impacted many areas of my life as I feel so much more fulfilled doing what I love doing and not feeling just wore out and stressed trying to meet those end of the month quotas. Thank you Joanne for breathing life back into my career!

Joanne S. Black calls herself the "Referral Queen," a sobriquet that suits her well. She tells you how to stop spending your life converting about 2% of your cold calls into sales and how to get referral contacts, instead, since your conversion rate will climb to about 50%. Her enthusiasm and passion are contagious as she tells you how to employ her methods. She even knows where your key sticking points will be and explains how to get through them. getAbstract thinks this book on sales really delivers the goods.

Much of the current day thinking and practice about sales is based on talking to as many people as possible, quickly, with the idea that these brief encounters will result in the desired clients. No More Cold Calling puts the personal and the thoughtfulness back into the art of sales. This is a very grounded and practical book, with much wisdom.

If you're not asking for and leveraging referrals to increase your sales, you're making a big mistake. This is especially true in today's corporate environment where decision makers seldom answer the phone, roll all calls to voicemail and never call you back.

In No More Cold Calling, Joanne Black outlines a pathway to build your business via referrals. She very pointedly differentiates between hopeful networking versus strategic referral generation. She stresses the need to:

- Clearly define your ideal customer.
- Focus in on their critical business issues.
- Know your value proposition and ROI.
- Invite others to open the door for you.

For those of you who have read my book (Selling to Big Companies), you'll find this to be a perfect compliment since it tackles a subject I only briefly touch on. And, if you hate to ask for referrals, you need to read No More Cold Calling too.

Making good cold calls can make all the difference in the world. Using the correct techniques can reduce the number of attempts it takes to get a decision maker on the phone, increase the fraction of calls that result in an appointment, improve the quality of your leads, and increase your close rate, all while reducing your sales cycle and lead time.

As an Executive Recruiter in the Medical Sales arena, I speak with a lot of good sales people every day and a small number of great ones. With Joanne's tremendous book and incredible skill the good will become great!

I only hope my competition doesn't find her book!

I purchased Joanne's book and received it Monday.. I have not put it down since. I have been through it cover to cover twice just to make sure I absorb all there is to get!
Every concept is backed by practical application and Joanne's experience with the "No More Cold Calling" model is evident.
I always knew there was a better system than cold calling... and this book gives you all you need to succeed with NO More Cold Calling.
Thanks Joanne for sharing your experience and successful model!