People Buy You: The Real Secret to what Matters Most in Business [Hardcover]

Jeb Blount (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 21, 2010

The ultimate guide to relationships, influence and persuasion in 21^st century business.

What is most important to your success as a sales or business professional? Is it education, experience, product knowledge, job title, territory, or business dress? Is it your company's reputation, product, price, marketing collateral, delivery lead times, in stock ratios, service guarantees, management strength, or warehouse location? Is it testimonials, the latest Forbes write up, or brand awareness? Is it the investment in the latest CRM software, business 2.0 tools, or social media strategy?

You could hire a fancy consulting firm, make the list longer, add some bullet points, put it into a PowerPoint presentation, and go through the whole dog and pony show. But at the end of the day there will be only one conclusion… None of the above! You see, the most important competitive edge for today's business professionals cannot be found on this list, your resume, or in any of your company's marketing brochures.

If you want to know the real secret to what matters most in business, just look in the mirror. That's right, it's YOU. Do these other things matter? Of course they do, but when all things are equal (and in the competitive world we live in today, things almost always are) People Buy You.

Your ability to build lasting business relationships that allow you to close more deals, retain clients, increase your income, and advance your career to rise the top of your company or industry, depends on your skills for getting other people to like you, trust you, and BUY YOU.

This break-through book pushes past the typical focus on mechanics and stale processes found in so many of today's sales and business books, and goes right to the heart of what matters most in 21^st century business. Offering a straight forward, actionable formula for creating instant connections with prospects and customers, People Buy You will enable you to achieve a whole new level of success in your sales and business career. You'll discover:

• Three relationship myths that are holding you back
• Five levers that open the door to stronger relationships that quickly increase sales, improve retention, increase profits and advance your career
• The real secret to making instant emotional connections that eliminate objections and move buyers to reveal their real problems and needs
• How to anchor your business relationships and create loyal customers who will never leave you for a competitor
• How to build your personal brand to improve your professional presence and stand-out in the market place

People Buy You is the new standard in the art of influence and persuasion. Few books have tackled the subject of interpersonal relationships in the business world in such a practical and down-to-earth manner, breaking what many perceive as a complex and frustrating process into easy, actionable steps that anyone can follow.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

What is most important to your success as a sales or business professional? Many people will tell you that it's all about crafting the right pitch, making more cold calls, or having a powerful closing technique. Some will say that it's education, experience, product knowledge, job title, territory, or business dress. Others argue that it's your company's reputation, brand awareness, product, price, or service guarantees. There are even those who say it is an investment in the latest CRM software, Sales 2.0 tools, or your social media strategy. Jeb Blount says—none of the above!

The truth is, success is powered by your ability to solve the problems of your customer. When you solve problems, your job is done, and the sale is made. But how do you get to that point?

An expert with decades of experience in the sales trenches, Jeb Blount has learned that successful sales are built around a solid knowledge of people—how they are motivated to buy and how they can respond positively to the right approach. In People Buy You, Blount provides a commonsense system, based in solid sales psychology, that will help you:

• Overcome three relationship myths that are holding you back
• Use five levers that open the door to stronger relationships that quickly increase sales, improve retention, increase profits, and advance your career
• Make instant emotional connections that eliminate objections and move buyers to reveal their real problems and needs
• Anchor your business relationships and create loyal customers who will never leave you for a competitor
• Build your personal brand to improve your professional presence and stand out in the marketplace

With strategies, stories, and fascinating examples of sales successes (and failures), Blount shows you how to evaluate your relationship tactics, customize a strategy that works for your business, and create the sales success of your dreams.

From the Back Cover

Praise for People Buy You

"People Buy You is not just a self-evident truth, it's your opportunity to discover why and how. Jeb Blount has written an easy-to-understand and easy-to-apply set of principles and actions that can help you earn more the minute you read them."
–Jeffrey Gitomer, author of Little Red Book of Selling

"Jeb Blount has written a practical, powerful book that will help any sales professional make more sales than ever before."
–Brian Tracy, author of The Psychology of Selling

"Jeb Blount nails it in People Buy You. When you turn yourself into the competitive differentiator, you're unstoppable."
–Jill Konrath, author of SNAP Selling and Selling to Big Companies

"Becoming a business leader or a sales champion transcends your ability to memorize a sales script or follow a regimented system. The real secret to unprecedented success starts with adopting this predominant universal law: who you are is always more important than what you do. In People Buy You, Jeb has effectively encapsulated this critical level of thinking. He delivers practical strategies to drive more sales and get more of what matters most in your life and career by leveraging your ultimate, authentic competitive edge—YOU!"
–Keith Rosen, executive sales coach and author of the award-winning Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions

"People Buy You is groundbreaking because it runs counter to all the other 'sales' books currently being written that ignore common sense. That people matter most."
–Bob Beaudine, author of The Power of Who!

"People Buy You should be required reading for any professional who wants to sell more, sell faster, and build a powerful brand that people talk about and refer others to. Jeb breaks all sales myths, while exploring the right way to grow relationships, influence, and persuasion in the new economy."
–Dan Schawbel, author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (June 21, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470599111
• ISBN-13: 978-0470599112
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.8 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Business & Investing > Marketing & Sales > Consumer Behavior

More About the Author

Jeb Blount, CEO of SalesGravy.com, is a respected thought leader on sales and sales leadership. He is the author of three books, People Buy You: The Real Secret to what Matters Most in Business, Sales Guy's 7 Rules for Outselling the Recession, and Power Principles. Jeb is host of the popular Sales Guy podcast on the Quick and Dirty Tips network. His audio programs have been downloaded in excess of 4 million times. He publishes the weekly Sales Gravy eMagazine which is subscribed to by more than 100,0000 sales professionals and sales leaders. In addition, he has written more than 100 articles on the sales profession. He is a regular guest lecturer for the University of Central Florida School of Business and a frequent speaker at the MIT Sales Conference. He provides coaching and mentorship for students participating in the National Collegiate Sales Competition and a judge at the International MBA Sales Competition sponsored by the MIT sales club.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Advice from an Author Who Practices What He Preaches. July 4, 2010

By Shaun Heneghan

Format:Hardcover

Jeb Blount's podcasts (Sales Guy Podcast) and web community (SalesGravy) have created high anticipation for his new book, and Blount does not disappoint.

Blount begins by noting that competition, technology and a focus on sales processes have created a dilution of personal interactions. Blount insists it is the salesperson, not technology or process, who sells. To remedy this lack of personal interactions, Blount offers this simple formula:

Likeability leads to making authentic connections...
Authentic connections lead to customers sharing real problems...
Solving customer's problems builds trust and creates positive emotional experiences, and the cycle begins again.

Two months ago, the author proved for me that his formula works. After hearing one of his podcasts, I sent a brief email to Jeb's website and asked him a question. I had never met Blount, and did not really expect a response. Within the hour, Blount sent me a detailed answer.

Jeb's podcast made him seem likeable, and I felt connected enough to ask his opinion for my business problem. He immediately offered a solution, creating a positive experience from me. When his book came out, I promptly bought a copy. My experience with Jeb proves that his formula is absolutely correct. It also shows that Jeb practices what he preaches.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book-Not just for Sales August 18, 2010

By kevin obrien

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have read close to 50 sales books in the past 2 years that I been able to pick up a nugget or two that have helped in how I sell. This was the first book that all principles have not only helped me improve myself for the business world BUT also has helped me at home and in my personal life as well. Great book

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn and Earn February 20, 2012

By Dr. Joey Faucette

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

When I recently was invited to become a featured contributor for [...], I thought it a great idea to read some of Jeb Blount's work before I agreed. After reading "People Buy You," I said, "Yes, please pick me!"

My first experience having someone buy me was as a cute 9-year-old holding a Sales Leadership Christmas card catalog. I was definitely likeable and created as positive an experience as I could. I learned and earned.

But somehow through the years of becoming a mature, sophisticated adult, I lost touch with what was important--the relationships. Those people who bought my cards bought me because they liked me and knew me. Later in life as I sold radio advertising and other products/services, potential clients didn't know, much less like, me...and weren't interested in changing that. I agreed with them--I only wanted their money.

Frankly, many of the sales professionals I coach today have that same mental model. It was for all of them, and me sometimes, too, that Jeb Blount wrote this book which when read and implemented seriously will propel your sales career skyward, to the stars and beyond.

"People Buy You" is like sitting down with Jeb and enjoying a conversation over your favorite meal at a round table about what's important in the buying process and how you can make it happen starting today. He regales you as the reader with story after story; not Super SalesGuy stories that cause you to say, "I could never do that," but stories of when Jeb learned and earned. Made a mistake and corrected it quickly, just like you and I do. Or, learned from a client how to create a positive experience that breaks the relational ice in a totally different direction. (My favorite is his getting picked up from the airport, tired and exhausted, only to have his energy rearranged by a client.)

Jeb references the wonderful work of other authors like our mutual friend, Tim Sanders (The Likeability Factor). He does the heavy lifting of sorting through volume after volume of related reading, cherry picks the best, and serves it up with gravy...sales gravy, of course. This fact alone makes "People Buy You" worth far more than the purchase price.

I enjoyed Jeb's work so much I read it through twice, just to make sure I got it all. Like scraping your dessert plate with a fork.

"People Buy You" is a learn-and-earn read, but really should come with this disclaimer: Read this book only if you want to grow your emotional intelligence, gain more satisfaction in your work life, and increase your income.

And who doesn't want all three of those in this economy?