Tom Hopkins' Low Profile Selling [Hardcover]

Tom Hopkins (Author), Tom Murphy (Editor), Judy Slack (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1994

Watch your income soar! Today’s customers are better educated and more sophisticated than ever before. To keep a competitive edge in the market, salespeople have learned that a “low profile selling” style and exceptional service are what gets prospects’ attention. But it’s Tom’s techniques that will eventually turn those prospects into clients. Eleven chapters discuss:

qualifying

addressing customer concerns

building rapport

setting and achieving goals

14 closing strategies

personal strategies for becoming a pro

Once you learn to diffuse customer likes and dislikes, you’ll stand head-and-shoulders above your peers and earn the respect and repeat business of hundreds of satisfied customers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

TOM HOPKINS

The Builder of Sales Champions

And Master in the Art of Professional Selling

Tom Hopkins carries the standard as a master sales trainer and is recognized as the world’s leading authority on selling techniques and salesmanship.

Over 3,000,000 people on five continents have attended Tom’s high-energy live seminars. Tom personally conducts 75 seminars each year traveling throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines.

Tom Hopkins is a distinguished charter member of the National Speakers Association and was among the first to receive its prestigious Council of Peers Award for Excellence. Tom’s talent of teaching in a creative and entertaining style has brought him a tremendous following, as well as constant demand for appearances at regional and national conventions each year.

Tom Hopkins has been the subject of countless articles in publications such as U.S. News and World Report, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Personal Selling Power, People magazine, Selling magazine, Entrepreneur magazine, and The Washington Post.

One of America’s most successful and dynamic businessmen, Tom Hopkins did not find success easily. Born in Burbank, California, Tom quit college after only three months. At 19 years of age, married and with a baby on the way, he took a job in construction. It wasn’t too long before Tom decided that this was not the way he wanted to spend the rest of his life, so he quit the construction job and took a job he thought would be easier – selling real estate.

Six months into his real estate career, Tom’s income was just $42 a month. Tom realized at this point that he wasn’t making money in sales because he didn’t know how to sell. After discovering that all the top producers in sales had extensive sales training, Tom set out to learn everything he could about professional selling methods.

Armed with drive, determination and knowledge, Tom Hopkins built his sales volume to over $14,000,000 within five years.

In 1976, Tom founded Tom Hopkins International, Inc., and dedicated his life and his company to teaching and inspiring others through his seminars, books, audio and video training programs. Today, over 35,000 corporations and millions of professional salespeople through the world utilize his professional sales training materials.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 235 pages
• Publisher: Tom Hopkins Intl (April 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938636294
• ISBN-13: 978-0938636298
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #715,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful Update of "How to Master the Art of Selling", October 6, 2000

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: Tom Hopkins' Low Profile Selling (Hardcover)

Tom Hopkins's book, How to Master the Art of Selling, is the Bible for many sales people. In that book, he outlines the 7 steps for selling: prospecting, originating contact, qualification, presentation or demonstration, handling objections, closing, and getting referrals.

In Low Profile Selling, he builds on that book by focusing attention on the 4 areas that make the most positive difference in creating a higher income (originating contact, qualification, handling objections, and closing). His message is that the emotional tone you set in these four areas makes all of the difference. "Act like a lamb. Sell like a lion."

These observations are based on the distaste that many customers have for the usual strong-arm tactics that many salespeople use. Mr. Hopkins encourages you to use questions to do your work for you, and provides many scripts and examples of how to do this. Although I think he is on the right track conceptually, I found the material here clearly inferior to the newer book, Socratic Selling, both in terms of explaining the need for questions and in the tone of the scripts. I found the material here to still feel manipulative to me as a potential customer.

In chapter three, he encourages you to build rapport. Again, this is the right concept, but the execution is clearly inferior again to any of the many good books on Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Consider "How To Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less" as a much better resource in this area.

I graded the book down two stars for its obvious weaknesses in explaining the details in these two critical areas. Basically, I think Mr. Hopkins needs to update this book to expand and improve these two sections.

Should you read this book? Yes, I think so. It will give you a good overview on the importance of connecting emotionally with the other person. Chapter 6 is excellent on the importance of the words you use to make the person you are talking to comfortable or uncomfortable. The goal setting work in chapter 10 will also be very helpful to you (although it would have worked better at the beginning of the book). I do suggest that you also read his earlier book and the two new ones I cited above that he did not write if you want to make the most improvement.

After you have finished reading and applying the four books discussed above, I suggest that you also spend some time sharing these principles with someone you care about who is also involved in sales. You will improve much more by teaching this material to someone else than by just focusing on applying it yourself.

Exceed all your goals quickly!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A restatement of Tom's classic for todays' customers, October 15, 1998

By 

Byron "Big Bambu" (Denver , CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tom Hopkins' Low Profile Selling (Hardcover)

Salespeople, do not kid yourselves. If you want to be a success the techniques are all here. There is no shortcut to being a top salesperson. This book restates the classic basics found in Tom's all time great "How To Master The Art Of Selling" with todays' savvy customer in mind. Fads come and go but sales truths remain essentially unchanged. If you desire to succeed in sales and can afford to see him live, do it! But read the books, too. I know whereof I speak. Eighteen years ago I found Tom and it changed my life. I went from bottom rung salesperson to owner and CEO of a multi million dollar sales organization. And it is not that hard. If you can believe and truly serve your customer you can do it! Sales is the most honorable profession for true professionals. You are helping others.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Low Profile Selling, November 28, 1999

By 

Richard Dayton (Columbus, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tom Hopkins' Low Profile Selling (Hardcover)

Nobody, but nobody, understands the nuts and bolts of selling like Tom. If I were stranded in middle America trying to make a living in sales with only one book in my car this is the one! A must read for any new sales person or a great refresher for any vet!