Customer Reviews

Secrets of Great Rainmakers: The Keys to Success and Wealth

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HOW TO BECOME A RAINMAKER by Jeffrey J. Fox is one of my
all-time favorite books on selling . . . if you're in that field or know
somebody who is, do that person a big favor and get him or her a
copy . . . they'll be forever grateful.

I recently heard the follow-up, SECRETS OF GREAT
RAINMAKERS--written and read by Fox . . . for this latest effort,
he conducted over 50 interviews with industry leaders from a
variety of field . . . .he then shares what he learned in a series
of short chapters that all contain very powerful messages.

The amazing thing about Fox is that he takes what can be
a difficult task and makes it relatively simple, provided that
you listen to his advice . . . what makes it so interesting is
that much of what he shares can't be found elsewhere.

For example, he tells you not to knock your competition . . . for
if you do, you're telling your customer that he or she is stupid for
considering somebody else.

He also presents "killer questions" that can be helpful in selling
anything, such as:

* In addition to yourself, who is responsible for making this decision
happen in your country? And what might be their concerns about
going ahead?

* [when a customer has a question] Why do you ask? And how
important is it to you?

There were many other memorable tidbits, including:
* In a sales call, the customer should do 80% of the talking.

* Play Rolodex Roulette at least once a month. Give it a spin,
pick some names, call some of them.

* Always use an intriguing postscript.

* The phone call never sells anything.

* Only after you get the order can you ask a non-business question.

* 90% of salespeople don't ask for the order.

* Always ask for something on a visit; e.g., a tour of the facility. If you're
the one being asked to take a tour, that's a buy signal.

* Take handwritten notes on every call. Then summarize your notes in
a follow-up letter to the customer.

* Don't mail your proposal. A good proposal, well written, has a 15-18%
winning percentage. Good proposals, when presented in person, have
a 55-65% winning percentage.

* People who ask for the sale in person have four times the chance of
getting it than those who don't.

And my personal favorite:
* In the future, some power point presenter will be arrested for boring
the customer to death!

I read these reviews for help ascertaining the practical usefulness of a sales book. The thousands of reviews written by fellow authors which abound throughout the review on business/sales books I discount as completely worthless, authors scratching each others backs. Then there are the reviews by all the folks that know nothing of what sales is like in the real trenches of belly to belly selling. Worthless as well. Then the reviews by so called sales people and sales managers that is their opinion of the book being a "good" book or a "bad" book, that have suggestions, systems, etc. that they deem worthy or unworthy based on nothing more then their decree. No help for a salesman looking to better his skills and productivity.

I started last January and used the dollarization principle as part of every sales process for the year. This single principal drove my closing rate into the 90 percentile (93%) when presenting to the decision maker. My closing rate dropped to 76% when I have been forced to "sell by messenger" (i.e. selling my messenger occurred at times due to my own failure to present only to the final decision maker).
I also specifically used the principal regarding a "shot on goal" to close my biggest sale of the year which paid me a commission of a little under $12,000.

I use Mr. Fox's magic appointment setting words that make setting appointments with qualified prospects a natural, zero stress process (next time you have some one on the phone you have qualified and would like to meet just say the magic words..."do you have your calendar handy?" Direct, to the point and works in setting appointments with folks you want to see.

I've read libraries of sales books and my personal feeling has always been that if I pick up just one tip that helps close a sale the book was worth while. Well the rain maker books did that and much more for me. Here are the stats after 1 yr. on a national sales team of 37 sales reps, B2B, financial industry:

* Sales ranking went from 3 in the country to number 1
(4th person in country has 30% of the sales volume as number 3)

* Sales increase 2006 to 2007; 89% increase in sales

* 46% increase in income in 2007 over 2006

So hopefully this was a little more helpful as a review for my friends that are shoulder to shoulder with me in the frontlines of selling.

Fox packs a lot into 183 pages. His big ideas: potential customers don't ask idle questions of you or meet with you just to pass the time---there is a story on the surface and there is a story underneath it. Be attuned to it, and leverage it. And he tells us---don't sell on price; show why your product or service may cost more but is an investment. Educate the potential customer. Some of his lessons are not useful to those who sell services(he would disagree), but his overarching lessons---especially his insight that maximum returns result from incremental efforts---are dead on.

This is the second Jefferey J Fox book I've read, and it's as a good as the first. Great real-world examples. Easy to read. I highly recommend everyone read it.

Sales pro Jeffrey J. Fox's book is informative, inspirational, short and easy to read - a powerful package for sales professionals or sales managers, particularly those who need to build expertise and experience. Fox focuses on how a determined sales representative can transform himself or herself into a "Rainmaker," an unbeatable, successful salesperson. Each chapter contains a central idea, such as how to get a sale, how to get an appointment or how to present proposals. Short examples scattered throughout the book show how real rainmakers earned their stripes. This accessible book should be part of any salesperson's background or refresher reading list. We also recommend this book to sales managers and trainers, and to staffers who meets customers on the front lines. After all, everyone wants to know how to make it rain.

I own and have read, many times, all of Jeffrey books. Today as we find ourselves in the throes of economic and financial chaos I find myself seeking 'wisdom' to secure our business success. Secrets of Great Rainmakers holds these pearls of wisdom. Nothing is more important to a small business than sales. Nothing is more important to sales than a Rainmaker. I highly recommend this book for the new crop of small business builders that have arisen from the ashes of this the Great Recession.

Secrets of Great Rainmakers: The Keys to Success and Wealth
This is a great book that motivates and teaches you on how to become a super-salesperson. It is a model of thinking and living for success. It is a life-changing lecture!

I love all of the Rainmaker books by Fox. Easy to read, not boring, bottom line and to the point. This one repeats alot of what is in "How to be a Rainmaker", which I found to be better than this book. If you only buy one, but "How to be a Rainmaker". You won't need this one if you do.

Mr. Fox's books are straight to the point. He doesn't spend a lot of time trying to help you decide if you want to be a Rainmaker, he just tells you how to do it. By learning to use killer questions and dollarize you can get what you want. I am not in sales directly, but have applied the techniques to move on in my career.

This book is a great continuation of the first Rainmaker book. It contains all the basic do's and don'ts that sales people often forget.