Stop Selling, Start Partnering: The New Thinking About Finding and Keeping Customers [Paperback]

Larry Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1997

"There's only one Larry Wilson . . . number one when it comes to the art of selling." --Warren Bennis, University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Business Administration University of Southern California

"Stop Selling, Start Partnering will help you take a fresh look at your selling activities whether you are in the boardroom, face to face with customers, or anywhere in between."--Harvey Mackay, Author of Swim with the Sharks

"Regardless of your position within the company, your task in the second half of these unforgiving '90s will be to help your company learn how to get, how to treat, and how to keep customers. Read Larry's new book and you will be much better prepared to accomplish this mission."--Lou Pritchett, Former VP of Sales and Customer Development, Procter & Gamble

Stop Selling, Start Partnering outlines a fresh approach to finding and keeping customers through powerful, long-lasting partnerships. Drawing on his extensive experience with companies such as Kodak, US West, Saturn, and Baxter Healthcare, Larry Wilson shows managers, executives, and salespeople how to design and nurture "customer-keeping" organizations. Filled with smart advice and practical customer partnering guidelines, Stop Selling, Start Partnering redefines the new success factors for every organization that faces the daily challenge of finding and keeping customers.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"There's only one Larry Wilson ... number one when it comes to the art of selling."—Warren Bennis, University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Business Administration, University of Southern California.

"Stop Selling, Start Partnering will help you take a fresh look at your selling activities whether you are in the boardroom, face-to-face with customers, or anywhere in between."—Harvey Mackay, Author of Swim with the Sharks.

"Regardless of your position within the company, your task in the second half of these unforgiving 90s will be to help your company learn how to get, how to treat, and how to keep customers. Read Larry's new book and you will be much better prepared to accomplish this mission." —Lou Pritchett, Former VP of Sales and Customer Development, Procter & Gamble

Stop Selling, Start Partnering outlines a fresh approach to finding and keeping customers through powerful, long-lasting partnerships. Drawing on his extensive experience with companies such as Kodak, US West, Saturn, and Baxter Healthcare, Larry Wilson shows managers, executives, and salespeople how to design and nurture "customer-keeping" organizations. Filled with smart advice and practical customer partnering guidelines, Stop Selling, Start Partnering redefines the new success factors for every organization that faces the daily challenge of finding and keeping customers.

About the Author

LARRY WILSON has been in the training and consulting business for over thirty years. He founded Wilson Learning and started Pecos River Learning Center in 1982. He is coauthor of two bestselling books, The One Minute Sales Person and Changing the Game: The New Way to Sell.

HERSCH WILSON is a Senior Vice President and Lead Facilitator with Pecos River Learning Center. Before joining Pecos, he was a freelance writer and also coauthored Changing the Game: The New Way to Sell.

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471176885
• ISBN-13: 978-0471176886
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,283,196 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Customers say no to "me company, you customer" mentality, April 6, 2005

By 

Michael Davis "www.byvation.com" (Arlington, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stop Selling, Start Partnering: The New Thinking About Finding and Keeping Customers (Paperback)

In my e-book "Jumping Out of the Box" I talk about opening relationships. That's exactly what this book focuses on. For example, the authors advocate taking a major role in helping B2B customers reach their business goals. Through rapid innovation many products quickly become commodities.

Partnership is a whole new game for businesses ingrained in the old push concept of trying to berate customers into submitting to buying whatever the company offers. To be honest, Wilson's book will certainly be most useful to B2B (Business to Business) companies. However, it's not too hard to see numerous applications for B2C (Business to Consumer) companies.

Take the authors advice on why you should Put Customers Before the Boss. The customer really is king and companies should be organized around them, not towards always pleasing the boss. Stop Selling, Start Partnering is divided into three parts:

Part I. Permanent White Water

Part II. Imagining the Future

Part III. Incredible Results, More Effective People - The Strategic Abilities of the Future

The bottom line to this book is this: Yes, sales are important. However, it's high-time that companies recognize that customers are in the driver's seat - now more than ever. Entrepreneurs everywhere are staring at incredible opportunities as customers no longer put up with the traditional "me company, you customer" mentality.

Michael Davis - Editor, Byvation

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Ethical Advice, May 6, 2004

By 

Dr. W. G. Covington, Jr. (Edinboro, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stop Selling, Start Partnering: The New Thinking About Finding and Keeping Customers (Paperback)

This book is about the reality of the marketplace of today. It discusses how to apply an ancient principle for marketing success. It describes how to reach your target audience through empathy. In short, Larry Wilson reminds us of the value of relationships. Don't let the title mislead you, this book is all about sales, about selling your ideas and yourself. Wilson buys the cliche, "Nothing happens in a business until someone sells something." He's an advocate of sales, but not "business as usual." People and their expectations are different now.

Culitivating relationships in business is a way of pursuing lifelong customers. His description of how human nature has changed due to the choices available now helps you to position yourself and your company to tap into these realities of the marketplace.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT BOOK ON SALES, October 24, 1998

By 

Linda Chandler ([e-mail]) (Amelia Island, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stop Selling, Start Partnering: The New Thinking About Finding and Keeping Customers (Paperback)

"Stop Selling, Start Partnering" gets the thumbs up from me ... it describes accurately the selling game today. Salespeople would be well advised to get this book and digest its wisdom.