Listen First - Sell Later (Paperback)

~ Bob Poole (Author), Megan Elizabeth Morris (Editor), Paul Durban (Designer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This is a book for people who sell (whether they know it or not). It's for people who own their own business and people who are just starting out. It's a book about communication and relationships, which means that you can use it to connect with your customers, bosses, employees, children, and parents, too. If you volunteer for a cause you're passionate about, or if you've got a great idea but you don't know how to start marketing it, this book will help you. This book is for entrepreneurs, politicians, venture capitalists, students, job-seekers, and retirees looking for a new beginning. In short, it's a sales and marketing book for everyone-because every one of us is selling and marketing all the time. Any time you try to persuade someone else to your point of view, you are selling something. Any time you need to get your message across to others, you're a marketer. Even if you aren't a professional salesperson, your livelihood, even your quality of life, may depend on how well you sell. And it will almost certainly depend on the substance and quality of your interactions and relationships with other people-your ability to listen. That's why this book is for you.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Liverpool Press (April 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982420803
• ISBN-13: 978-0982420805
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #146,830 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful world we would live in if every salesperson read this and took it to heart, May 6, 2009

By	Pace Smith (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

I just finished reading this book. It was informative and useful to me as an entrepreneur and a marketer. There's some good concrete advice in there that I have taken to heart and will act on. But that's not what impressed me the most about the book.

What impressed me most about the book is what a wonderful world we would live in if every salesperson read it and took it to heart. He talks about how salespeople are perceived as sleazy, why it got that way, and how to be a successful salesperson (or really, a successful person) without being sleazy in any way.

I dog-eared about 20 pages on my first read through this book. Here are some quotes from the book; some of the most exciting "A-ha!" moments and some of the passages that inspired me the most.

Stop being a salesperson. Become a solutions provider. You'll be much more productive. It's more fun. And, it's the right thing to do.

People have to buy YOU before they buy anything FROM you.

Come on -- what do you really want? What do you really want to do in your lifetime? Write it down. Share it with your best friend. I promise you it will be life changing.

Learn all you can about your top 20 clients. Find out their hobbies, birth dates, family members' names and interests, pets, etc. And, then communicate with them about all these things.

You need your story. Start a fire with it. Burn your story into the hearts and minds of the people who want -- who need -- to hear it. They are out there waiting for you now.

What are you doing right now to make sure you're at the top of the list the next time someone asks a friend for the name of a...?

You've got to interrupt them at some point.

Companies don't need a set of business ethics. They need to operate by a set of human ethics.

Why do so many new businesses fail? I think fear is the number one reason.

Try, try again only has a chance of working if you are trying something different.

The new marketing is not evolution, it's a revolution.

Allow front line people to make common sense decisions. Reward them for it.

Start compiling a database of every person you meet!

And wow! Near the end there's an amazing chapter about love overcoming fear. This is not just a book about sales or marketing. It's a book about life and how to live it well. It's written by a warm, caring man, and his passion for life and people shines through on every page.

Read it. Be informed. Be inspired.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever marketing ideas for your business and life, July 24, 2009

By	Charles Pasquine "Chip Ralston" (Royersford, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It must be challenging to write a book on marketing that is not stuffy and boring. Bob was up to the challenge, for sure! Through his unique writing style, Bob was able to convey some important and helpful concepts while creating what turned out to be a very pleasant read. There are a lot of cutting edge, unique marketing ideas provided in this text; most of which I need to employ in my own business dealings. I'd strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to try something new to increase sales, or is simply trying to build new relationships in their life. Well done, Bob!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stop Talking, Start Listening!, June 15, 2009

By	Jodi Kaplan - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The stereotypical salesman is a loud-mouthed pushy guy who won't shut up. Most of the sales books and articles I've read have concentrated on how to "overcome objections", yell louder than the other guys, or find new and increasingly sneaky ways to separate people from their money.

This book is different. Bob Poole is not pushy, or sleazy, and he knows just when to talk and when to be quiet. As Bob says, every business owner is a salesperson (like it or not). If you're trying to convince someone to do something, you're in sales (even if you think you're really in software or accounting).

Listen First - Sell Later shows us that what really matters isn't "selling" or "overcoming objections". What matters is actually listening and building a relationship. One of my favorite anecdotes in the book is the story of Frank the pipe smoker. At the time, Bob was assigned to manage the copier management and supply program for Frank's company.

The problem was that Frank and Bob took an instant dislike to each other. In fact, Bob thought Frank was hostile, unfriendly, and downright rude. Then one day, he decided to get a pipe and some tobacco, thinking that Frank might be friendlier if they both smoked.

Once Frank saw the pipe, he started chatting happily about different blends of tobacco and pipes. It turned out they had a lot in common. They'd even grown up in the same town. More importantly, the hostility was gone and each now thought the other was a great guy. Eventually, they started talking about copiers, and Frank's business helped get Bob to the top ten list of 3M salesmen in the US.

No pushy hype, no sleaze, just listening.