The Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance: Earning What You're Worth in Sales [Paperback]

George W. Dudley (Author), Shannon L. Goodson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999

Sales call reluctance is the "social disease of the sales profession." The Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance offers practical, field-tested and well-researched technologies to diagnose and overcome career-limiting emotions that keep talented, capable people from earning what they are worth.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Performance alone no longer determines success. Pioneering researchers Dudley and Goodson discovered something more important: self-promotion. Some of the most highly paid and powerful people did not attain their positions by being the most technically competent. They did it through purposeful self-promotion. Some people are natural self-promoters. They are born with the instinct to self-promote. For others, often the most loyal, motivated and deserving, self-promotion is emotionally difficult. They are rendered invisible by a spirit-crushing condition the authors call the fear of self-promotion.

When the fear of self-promotion victimizes salespeople, emotionally limiting their ability to initiate contact with prospective buyers, it's tagged sales call reluctance. Far more than the fear of making cold calls or using the telephone, sales call reluctance obstructs all forms of prospecting for new business. And it costs. Each year, sales call reluctance single-handedly accounts for over half of all failures in one of the largest professions in the world.

Although written primarily for salespeople, anyone who has to practice visibility management to get ahead can benefit from reading this book. Through anecdotes, examples and step-by-step directions, you will discover what sales call reluctance really is, how it cripples careers and how to keep it from limiting your career.

"Your most valuable asset is your earning ability, and in this practical, insightful book, you'll learn how to increase your value and your income continuously throughout your career. It's worth its weight in gold." - Brian Tracy

"The key to success and recognition...down-to-earth theories and practical advice." - -The London Financial Times

"In today's global arena, where change rules and knowledge is power, you either are a leader or a loser. This book is your passport to survive and thrive in the new era. It will get you promoted instead of downsized, teach you how to become CEO of your own life and make your career 'fireproof'." --Denis Waitley

About the Author

George Dudley and Shannon Goodson are recognized as the world's leading authorities on sales call reluctance and the fear of self-promotion. For almost thirty years they have studied the reasons why so many talented, hard-working people fail to earn what they are worth. With backgrounds in science, research to them is not a hobby. It's a lifestyle. SPQ*GOLD, the intricate diagnostic test they constructed in 1982, is without peer as the only diagnostic test ever constructed which measures all 12 sub-types of sales call reluctance. It is one of the most extensively validated psychological sales assessment instruments in use today and is the most widely used test of its type in the world.

Dudley earned a Bachelor's degree in psychology from Baylor University and a Master's degree in experimental psychology from North Texas State University. He began working with tests in the Field Testing and Evaluation unit of the U.S. Marine Corps and for many years headed the Field Testing and Research Department of a major U.S. corporation. His pioneering research into the Inhibited Social Contact Initiation Syndrome (ISCIS) and its offspring, sales call reluctance, is recognized by popular and professional media including CNN, the Financial Times of London, the Sydney Times Herald, and the American Psychological Association's Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. He has made countless appearances on radio and television news programs throughout the U.S. and in several other countries.

Dudley's work has been honored in Who's Who in Science and Engineering, Who's Who in America and many other honorary publications. He is a member of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, The American Psychological Society, and the Southwestern and Southeastern Psychological Associations, and the Society for Applied Multivariate Research.

Goodson holds both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in psychology from Lamar University. An experienced psychotherapist, author, researcher and counselor, she is also a noted expert on women in the business world. Her research is recognized by popular and professional media including CNN, The Australian, Dallas Woman, Texas Business and has been presented to professional associations including the European Congress for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Goodson's work has been honored in Who's Who of American Women, Who's Who in America and many other honorary publications. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Southwestern and Southeastern Psychological Association.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Behavioral Sciences Research Press; 4 edition (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935907076
• ISBN-13: 978-0935907070
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #492,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, innovative and pragmatic, August 5, 2002

By 

Chuck Kimbriel "Happy Amazon Customer" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance: Earning What You're Worth in Sales (Paperback)

The Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance will help you truly Earn What You're [REALLY] Worth.Although I have long been a fan of the motivational books and still feel they have a place in success, too often, as pointed out by Dudley and Goodson, sales people ignore what they really need the most.For example, someone who is great at setting goals but a poor organizer goes to all the goal and motivation seminars, reads all the books and listens to all the tapes on those subjects but ignores organization.Some of the prescriptions such as *thought zapping, *sensory injection*negative image projection *thoughtrealignment and target reversal can eliminate negative thought habits in prospecting and making sales calls. I've used them. They work.The call reluctance self rating scale on pages 27, 28 and 29 will help you to identify your own individual type of call reluctance or call imposter.I think some sales people have been giving this book low scores because you won't find the silly, feel good type of fluff that is in other popular sales training guides or techniques on how to close a sale. Sales judo, features and benefits, gimmicky or 1980's type sales techniques that don't work anymore etc. This book will show you how to identify weaknesses in your sales personality that can help turn you into a sales winner.For more on sales technique I recommend Advanced Selling Techniques, Close the Deal or the Sandler Sales Method.We've entered a new millenium and these technques will be a powerful tool for all sales people who want to excel in the 21st century.Good luck and great selling to you.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best sales books I have ever read., February 21, 2001

By 

"miltemery" (north east US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance: Earning What You're Worth in Sales (Paperback)

I have to admit that I ordered this book on an impulse from Amazon.com a couple of weeks ago. I teach some sales courses professionally myself and have managed sales people for 30 years. I presently have 158 consultants selling high tech consulting and business solutions for a full package consulting company. I half expected to send this book back and never expected to write an endorsement! First, this book is a true original. Second, it is written really well and its smash-mouth science approach is more fun to read than most books for sales people. Third it has more credibility and class than the feel good brain candy you get in Personal Selling Power magazine or Zig Ziglar seminars. If you think selling is for dummies pass over this one. But if you want some of the best return for effort invested in reading a sales book, give this one a try.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For true students of selling, February 2, 2001

By 

David J. (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance: Earning What You're Worth in Sales (Paperback)

For many years most sales instructional material was from one of two camps. Either it was some attempt to reinvent the famous Xerox model, or it was filled with personal war stories and self aggrandizement. (See Tom Hopkins book in the "Dummies" series.) No more! This book comes at the science side of selling from a fresh perspective. The authors are neither sales people nor sales trainers, they are psychologists. As such their perspective is based purely on what they have been able to observe and measure. The authors have gotten to the bottom of most sales slumps... People simply stop making calls. The reason? Sales call reluctance. Pretty obvious right? But, the book doesn't just state the obvious, which is, if you've stopped making calls, start making them and you will end your slump. They have broken the causes for call reluctance into 12 different origins. They help you zero in on the reasons that keep you from earning what you are worth and then offer specific and scientific methods to help get back on track. It's a keeper. I highly recommend it.