Selling To the VP of No [Paperback]

Dave Gray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2003

He might be your sales prospect, your boss, an investor, or the chairman of the board. He is also one tough dude.

He has to be. Every hour of every day, someone tries to sell him something. He has one way to deal with them: Say "NO." It’s brutally simple, but it works, because most people are simply a waste of his time.

Selling Stars know how to break through that tough exterior and get the VP of NO to listen to their story. In this short, visual book, you will learn the secrets of the Selling Stars: how to turn the VP of NO into the VP of GO!

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Why read this book? Because you want somebody to do something. You want them to buy your product, invest in your idea, give you a raise, or increase your budget. And they don’t want to.

In short, you need to learn how to sell. Selling is the art of getting someone from "NO" to "GO." This book will share secrets from some of the world’s most successful salespeople: The Selling Stars. But there are a few things it will not do.

It will not show you how to manipulate people against their will.

It will not show you how to sell someone something they don’t want or how to get people to do things that are not in their best interest.

It will not show you how to use pressure, guilt, or emotional manipulation to get what you want.

But if you truly have something valuable to offer, this book will show you how to break through the wall of indifference, so people "get it." When people "get it," they will buy your product, invest in your idea, give you that raise, or increase your budget. And you will be a Selling Star.

About the Author

Dave Gray is the founder and CEO of XPLANE, the visual thinking company, whose mission is to make complex business issues easier to understand. The ideas in this book are a compilation of best practices and observations gleaned from XPLANE’s work with Selling Stars: the most effective sales executives and frontline salespeople in some of the world’s most successful organizations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 70 pages
• Publisher: XPLANE Corp. (June 30, 2003)
• ISBN-10: 097427030X
• ISBN-13: 978-0974270302
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #503,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dave Gray is the Founder of XPLANE, the visual thinking company. Founded in 1993, XPLANE has grown to be the world's leading consulting and design firm focused on information-driven communications. Dave's time is spent researching and writing on visual business, as well as speaking, coaching and delivering workshops to educators, corporate clients and the public. He is also a founding member of VizThink, an international community of Visual Thinkers, and a partner at the Dachis Group, a social business consultancy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good summary of Saes principles applied to Marketing, March 10, 2007

By 

Gerardo "GD" (Austin, TX, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Selling To the VP of No (Paperback)

Don't get me wrong, this is a good book. The problem is that I had high expectations based on the work from Dave gray, as founder of Xplanations. I am a big believer in the need for simplicity in marketing (and sales). Dave is a genius in conveying complex messages in a simple and visual way as you may have seen on his illustrations on Business 2.0 Magazine.

However this book ("booklet" is more appropriate, it's a 30 minute read), talks about the sales process from the perspective of the customer and how to handle objections. Lots of good points, nothing revolutionary, especially if you have a few years of experience under your belt.

Still, worth your 30 minute investment as a refresher. But I was hoping for something really powerful from Dave. Maybe next time?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars VP of No Review, September 29, 2003

By 

daniel (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Selling To the VP of No (Paperback)

I have a small business and I'm always looking for new ways to communicate with my employees without seeming like I'm lecturing. I bought this book and everyone in the company read it and talked about it. It is simple and easy to read and very, very insightful. I think it would be especially helpful for those new to the selling world.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A picture is worth a thousand words, December 9, 2003

By 

Christophe Morin "Sedona" (San Francisco, Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Selling To the VP of No (Paperback)

The speed of business has increased. The rate of change continues to accelerate. That is why Dave Gray's book is so fundamental. By using "smart" visuals, it quickly conveys the meaning of core business concepts such as value proposition, positioning, competition and more. This is a must in your collection. Chances are it is the only one you will find yourself going back to... for fun.