Customer Reviews

New Sales Speak: The 9 Biggest Sales Presentation Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have given numerous books and had many training programs given to my sales teams . All feedback from the current Enterprise Software Sales and Technical team was positive.Comments ranged from "I can put this information to immediate use during an upcoming Executive Presentation" to "I make that mistake all the time ". Terri's writing style and practical application with examples make this a must read for anyone involved in Fortune 1000 Software Sales.

This book, like so many others in the field of selling techniques, is probably useful for people new to selling but disappointing to those with more than a few years of experience. Ms. Sjodin's writing is competent, engaging and easy to read. She illustrates her points with pertinent anecdotes that make the book engaging to read, but the content is definitely "lite," meaning both general and thin on substance. Although she has targeted her book for sales professionals, it may be less useful to sales reps than the many more more substantial books on public speaking and the principles of persuasion written for a broader audience. The points Ms. Sjodin makes about sales presentations are no different from tips presented in any low-level high-school or college speech class.
Importantly for new sales people, Ms. Sjodin makes only passing reference to the critically important differences between complex sales that require many presentations over a long period of time and simpler sales that are likely to be closed after a single presentation.
The book is another volume in a growing library of thinly veiled self-promotion vehicles that provide contact information on the back page in case you may want to hire the author as a consultant.
As a 15-year sales professional who has been closing multi-million dollar software deals for years, I read almost anything about selling techniques in the belief that even a nearly useless book can easily justify its cover price if it provides a single good idea. Even so, I wish I had not spent the money on this book.

Terri does an excellent job in helping both the beginner as well as an intermediate speaker in learning how to best prepare a presentation. This is such an important skill and is often overlooked as the necessity it is for salespeople, managers, leaders, etc. It's organized very well and is easy to read. Terri uses lots of great examples which bring the information to life and make it useable. I would recommend this to anyone who would like to see their career step up a couple of notches.

I ordered this book from Amazon a few weeks ago and read it at sales meeting I just attended. The author has some excellent presentation ideas that I plan to use during my sales calls this season. Perfect for the new sales rep, I too, a long time salesperson, found this book to be an excellent addition to my library. I'm sure this book will be big seller.

"New Sales Speak contains not just the words but also the wisdom which you will need in order to grow sales in this changing economy. Terri Sjodin has kept pace with the changes so that you can follow her lead. I commend this book to you." Jim Cathcart author, Relationship Selling

Most sales people are not getting the job done. Period. They move around from company to company, making the same mistakes, and blaming their poor numbers on the product, their employer, the economy, or the price of tea in China.

While this book will not surprise top performers with something completely new, these folks may glean some value out of the distinction between an informational presentation and a persuasive presentation.

I could almost guarantee if all sales managers gave this book to the lower 75-90% of their sales teams, and made it a requirement to use the simple outlines in the book, their numbers would improve.... Anyone who cannot use the outlines to build compelling presentations should not be in the sales arena.

As a seasoned sales professional, and one who is required to deliver sales presentations in extremely competitive environments, I can say simply that Sjodin nails every point of what it takes to get deals done with this easy to read and use book. I read the first version, and with the updates and added elevator speech chapter in the 2nd edition, I think this book was taken to a higher level: how many times are we caught off guard asking for a clear, concise rendition of what we have to offer, and then close the deal or at least get a meeting? It happens all the time, and this book gives you the tools to do it.

Too many times we fall into the trap of creating a boring presentation without sizzle AND substance, and our presentations get categorized as fluff. This book encapsulates everything we should think about when recognizing who our audience is and how to make an impact and be remembered.

I've seen Sjodin speak a few times, and if you see her speak then you'll realize she is a true saleswoman with grit and she knows her stuff. Many times in just general life interaction I've drawn upon her knowledge and expertise to set myself apart...and it works!

Kudos to the book and Sjodin; if you're serious about selling, this book has nuggets that will get you ahead.

What is the terrible thing that will happen if you don't buy and read New Sales Speak?

You will miss out on the most timely and useful book on the subject of how to build and deliver a persuasive case to get what you want in any situation and get it now!

It may be the age of information, but it is also the age of enlightened self interest. We all are getting the message that, in this world, we need to ask for what we want. Well, there is a more effective way to go about doing just that and this book shows us how - specifically, through developing and sharpening our persuasive communication skills. Whatever our avenue of endeavour - corporate executive, entrepreneur, mother, teacher, student - being persuasive in our "calls to action" gets us so much closer to our goals than just being merely informative.

New Sales Speak is the definitive blue print to guide and inspire all of us, whether novice or veteran, to face the fear of presenting ourselves and our ideas or to polish existing skills, and to knock on the door of life and ask persuasively for what we want. With Terri Sjodin's help, we have a much better chance of those doors being opened and our requests being granted.

This is a great book for anyone who has ever felt they could have done better communicating a really important idea. Say you want to get a new job - this book will work for you during the interview. You think you should get a promotion? This intriguing book will help ensure that you convince your boss that you truly deserve it. You've been having trouble persuading your spouse to take you on that dream vacation to Italy? Using the nine techniques in this book, you will have the best shot outside finding a traveling companion in Rome. This book is power. It has a section designed to prepare you OVERNIGHT to give a live presentation in front of one or a hundred people so they not only will remember what you say but will take your ideas to heart. Isn't that what we all want? To be taken seriously? If you've ever felt you were talking to a brick wall when it came to expressing your ideas (and who hasn't) this book will show you in nine easy steps how to ensure others listen to you - and then maybe even do what you want! How powerful is that?

This book was right on target. Definitely not a regular book on public speaking but rather a real world guide to building a persusive presentation.

I found it very clear, to the point and entertaining. You can tell that the author defintely practices what she preaches.

It is timely and relevent for what happens in the real world -- not a generic type text book. I really relate well to the examples and stories. The short outline and long outline samples provide a great "how to" guide and the presentation evaluation chart is a great tool to do a self evaluation or evaluate others presentations.

I highly recommend it...and bought extra copies to give to my associates! Great book for Sales People and even those who don't sell for a living....Sjodin is right "Everybody sells something".