Sales Dogs : You Do Not Have to Be an Attack Dog to Be Successful in Sales (Rich Dad's Advisors series) [Paperback]

Blair Singer (Author), Robert T. Kiyosaki (Author)

Book Description

Series: Rich Dad's Advisors | Publication Date: June 1, 2001

By knowing the five basic breeds of people-the Pit Bull, the Golden Retriever, the Poodle, the Chihuahua, & the Basset Hound-readers will have the necessary insight to improve their business & selling savvy. SalesDogs will: * Introduce Five Breeds of SalesDogs! * Reveal the five simple but critical revenue-generating skills to generate endless streams of qualified buyers & life-long sales * Teach you how to identify your "breed" & play to your own strengths * Give you the steps to inspire & direct any group of sales people into a charging pack of blue-ribbon SalesDogs * Show you how to reduce your sales effort, increasing your sales results * Teach you how to radically change your attitude in thirty seconds or less so you can direct your financial results.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Blair Singer is a Sales Communication Specialist. He lives in Zephyr Cove, Nevada.

From AudioFile

Part of Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad's Advisor Series, this program offers high-quality sales and personal development strategies. Singer has a can-do approach that doesn't wait for help from bosses or other authority figures. He teaches unflappable salesmanship that is relentlessly positive, 100% committed, and totally focused on serving your customers. His insights about sales relationships are priceless, and he is articulate when dismissing sales approaches that are too aggressive, too general, or too short on passion and honesty. By leveraging your strengths, which Singer categorizes into five "breeds" of sales dogs, you can move past your competition in any product line or service. An intuitive lesson on how to be a high-quality sales professional. T.W. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Warner Business Books (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446678333
• ISBN-13: 978-0446678339
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Business & Investing > Marketing & Sales > Sales & Selling

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for the Young Sales Professional, July 21, 2002

By 

Randy H. Rogers (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sales Dogs : You Do Not Have to Be an Attack Dog to Be Successful in Sales (Rich Dad's Advisors series) (Paperback)

As a sales manager I am always looking for books that will not only help me but more importantly help my employees. Sales Dogs is perfect for this. I purchased it at an airport bookstore and was nearly finished with it by the time I landed at my destination. It kept me engrossed and was very easy to read. The comparison of various breeds of dogs to different sales styles was quite creative and helped keep the material lite and enjoyable while at the same time educational. This book is perfect for the young sales rep with under 5 years experiance. It will help them identify what sales style fits them best rather than trying to be something they are not. Sales Dogs also will help them understand the importance of stretching beyond their own sales style and adopting some of the positive traits of the other "breeds" of sales reps, even if it takes them outside of their comfort zone. I manage a group of 12 inside sales reps selling office equipment for a forutne 500 company. All of my reps have less than 5 years experience in sales so I will be purchasing 12 more copies of Sales Dogs. For the more experienced sales professional, this book is still very enjoyable and offers some helpful insights, however, if you've been in the sales game for a long time (and your still at it) you've probably already figured out, the hard way, what style works best for you. I only wish I had had this book when I started out, it might have saved me considerable time and frustration.

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful for People New to Sales and Sales Management, August 30, 2001

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sales Dogs : You Do Not Have to Be an Attack Dog to Be Successful in Sales (Rich Dad's Advisors series) (Paperback)

$ales Dogs has two potential applications: (1) As an introduction to the ways that people sell and (2) as a humor book for those who have been involved in selling as a career.

Since this book came in as an adjunct to the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series, it also has to be evaluated in terms of how well it fits. That is where the book falls down. Although Mr. Kiyosaki is correct in describing that his rich Dad said to him, "If you want to enter the world of business, you must first learn how to sell," this book doesn't pick up enough on that perspective. It is a cross between a book for someone already in sales, and someone new to sales management. Although there is a little material in here about how people new to sales can learn, that isn't really the focus.

The strength of the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series is that each book is extremely simple and focused. $ales Dogs tries to be too much like a standard book on sales.

The book's basic point is that sales people start out tending to emphasize one of five selling styles: "sheer power and fearlessness" -- the pit bull; "customer service is everything" -- the golden retriever; "incredibly well connected . . . Ultimate Marketing Dog" -- the poodle; "technical wizards" -- the chihuahua; and the "trustworthy . . . strength of personality and personal rapport" of the basset hound.

Readers are then encouraged to learn lessons from the best traits of the other styles. If you put them all together, you can be a "SuperMutt." Within all of these styles are people who prefer to shoot for the big sale, and they are Big Dogs -- meaning they want a big deal or no deal.

The book does a nice job of explaining some of the mindsets and key skills that help in sales and sales management. However, each is explained so briefly that the information will only be helpful to those who have not been exposed to these ideas before. Mastering the art of delivering powerful presentations is something that you can never learn enough about, and this is often the topic of entire books and courses. So I graded the book as a three because it was too much of a compromise between too many different types of books. As a result, it gives too little to any particularly type of reader.

I should mention that the illustrations are terrifically funny for those who want to use this as a humor book who have been involved in sales for some time. I can see these being taped all over the sales offices across America.

After you finish reading this book, think about what one thing would make you more effective in making sales. If you're not sure, go ask the last people who did and did not buy from you what they would suggest.

Build on your instinct to help . . . to get the stamina you need to persevere in your sales challenges!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for ALL people involved in Sales, November 17, 2001

By 

TheProfitCoach.com (Perth, WA, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sales Dogs : You Do Not Have to Be an Attack Dog to Be Successful in Sales (Rich Dad's Advisors series) (Paperback)

NO business succeeds without salesmanship, even if it's only in writing or on a video, website, or audio cassette. Many business owners and entrepreneurs try HARD to avoid that reality, simply because they have an incorrect perception of the sales process and the people who do it. Even doctors "sell", so just learn to accept and even like it. It's no where near as bad as most people make it out to be, and it's one of the most profitable occupations in the world to be involved in.

In all honesty, I actually avoided buying this book for quite some time!

When I first saw it in the bookshops, and had a quick flick through its contents, my initial impressions were that it was hokey or childish to compare Sales People to dogs. Even though it came recommended by Robert "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" Kiyosaki (as part of his new Rich Dad's Advisors series) I decided not to buy it... I did not think it could teach me anything of value.

Many months later, I had occasion to visit the Sales Dogs website and review some of the information listed there, and was most intrigued with what I read. I learned about what kind of sales person I am (for those of you who have read this book or done the test, I'm primarily an even split Retriever/Chihuahua - for those of you who wonder what I'm babbling about, visit the website and do the FREE Sales Dogs profile test - lots of fun!)

Here's the silly part: I must have been daydreaming, because for some reason, I suddenly got the idea from the website that the book Sales Dogs was actually a follow-up to the first book I'd seen in the stores, and what I read about it on the website intrigued me enough to actually go out and buy it the next day.

Remember, I did this thinking it was NOT the first book!

When I got home and actually read it, I realised my silly mistake, but by that stage it was too late to do anything about it. Thankfully, I LOVED the book.

Blair Singer really captures the essence of the 5 major types of Sales People out in the marketplace. He just chose to represent them by using the dog metaphor - it adds a little fun to the whole proceedings. I could see myself in the various descriptions within this book as well as some of my friends who are also involved in sales in some form or the other.

Contrary to what the VAST majority of people believe, most sales people are NOT pit bull terrier attack dogs who love to latch onto a prospective customer, and then won't let go until they've bled them dry! Thank goodness for that, otherwise I would never have succeeded as a sales person, nor would many others out there in the business world either.

I guess that's one of the things that really appealed to me about this book - that a GOOD sales person can be low key, non-pressuring, service-oriented and open to their customers needs, all while achieving sales and business success. This is GREAT news for people who view ALL sales people in the same category as the used car sales person or door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman.

In my opinion, there is NO PLACE for the SHARK sales dog (heck, they're not even a dog!) in our modern age, and the sooner we run them out of town, the better!

This book will help sales people understand their strengths, weaknesses and how to improve in all areas. In addition, sales managers and business owners will gain a valuable insight into what makes their sales people tick. After all, if you can better understand each one of them, you can better support them in the way they need to become a superstar performer (which IS the goal, I assume?).

The beauty of Sales Dogs is that it covers 5 different types of sales people, who are very different in their priorities and goals from the other - most of us are a mixture of multiple dog types. The book explains how they think, what they want, and what gets in their way of being successful.

Now that I've read the book, I'm sold on Blair Singer's excellent metaphor of Sales Dogs. It's a winner in my opinion, and this book also comes highly recommended by TheProfitCoach.